New Deck #1: Starting the new deck.

that is a big project.

looks good so far.

-- ..... smalll army of cast iron wingnuts !! cool photo in FORUM

Karson,

Did you totally pull the boards tight together? Or did you leave a little gap? You should leave some gap for drainage. Many guys in the field use some 16 penny nails, or a couple of speed squares. I have a set of gap gauges specifically for decking that are a bit hard to come by.

Some 1/8 inch thick material attached to wider blocks of wood works well. The blocks are wide and stay on top of the deck without falling through the crack. The 1/8 material projects in between the boards and you have to leave a little bit off the tension so that you can remove them.

Yes, the boards do dry and shrink a bit but it may not be enough really.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

Another good reason for the gap:

As you get closer to the sides, you may find things are not playing out even. You can slightly fudge the gap over several pieces so that it does not show and your final board will have an even overhang or meet the house evenly.
This is a very good reason for a little gap.

A 16 penny nail in a block of wood works good too. The block keeps them from falling through the crack all the time.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

Todd:

On the five rows that I’ve placed they are pulled tight together.

I’ll use a screw as a gap and unscrew it out, when the deck boards are screwed down.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

Hi Karson,

This is a major project. I really like the curved front section of the deck. It adds a nice element to the overall design. I am glad to see you using screws as well. They hold much better than nails.

Keep us posted on the progress you are making.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

The screw could work.

I did get a bit hung up on the gap thought and neglected to comment on how impressed I was with the curved design. Most contractors I know won’t even deal with such a feature.

Nice design.

Good luck!

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

Judging by the pictures you sent it looks like you are well underway with your project. I have to make a couple of observations here however. Looks like you are using treated lumber and mind you I am not a carpenter in any stretch of the imagination. I remember when I had a deck built for us because it was just too much for one guy to build, especially me. It was also two stories high. When they started to nail the floor boards down I questioned the procedure because they did not leave any gaps. They told me that there would be a gap between 1/3rd and 1/2 inch after the lumber dried out and I was skeptical but they were right of course. I noticed the electrical wiring there too. From what I could see of it, it looks okay but I hope you used the correct outdoor wiring cable. Also, those standard jem boxes are supposedly only good for one two wire cable w/ground to enter the box with one device like a switch or receptacle. So you are not legally allowed to go in and out of them with two cables to continue the circuit. Deeper boxes would be okay but local codes must be used. You need so much air circulation around each wire to allow for cooling as per the National Electrical Code. Current flowing through any conductor produces heat. More than likely you are doing it correctly my friend and I’m only judging things from the pictures. I have no idea if you are getting this inspected or not but please make sure you have a GFCI breaker protecting the circuit from the inside panel someplace. I love the way you were able to bend that lumber around the outside edge. I guess that took a little doing. Please post the pictures of the finished project. I think it looks spectacular. Great job, Karson.

-- Rich, Nevada,

This is gonna be really nice, Karson. I love the curved end. It makes for a very “custom” look. I like your son’s hair too :)

-- Dust collectors suck.

Plenty of hard yakka there Karson. I see you are well supervised. Are those concrete supports very deep?, do you pour them in a mould or buy them at the local hardware. That has the potential to be a great deck. I agree with you & the Jocks to put them in tight as there will be shrinkage. A lot of the decking timber down under comes grooved on one side, the groove goes underneath to allow for drainage. Is that what you do over there?.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

Wow, your lucky..you can use pier blocks. I had to dig 12” Dia. concrete piers 42” deep for my deck. 7 of them! Looks great so far. I decked mine with composite, and I used Tiger Claw hidden fastners. No screw holes and they gap the boards flawlessly!

-- Women love me.....trees fear me

Thanks Richard for the comments on the electrical. Yes I’m going to do GFI’s. I just checked and the circuit braker on this line is not a GFI circuit breaker and it was currently feeding outlets and lights in an outdoor environment. I’ll correct that.

The wires going into the box contain two different circuits. One will feel a rope light and will be controlled by a dusk to dawn circuit. The other one will be for 110 circuit if I need. Waterproof covers are being used for a cord that will be inserted permanently. The Dusk to dawn circuit will also be used on other lights.

Thanks for giving me a heads up. I appreciate it.

I’ll put another connector box in the feed the Dusk to dawn sensor and then feet the current to the appropiate places.

All of them being fed with the one circuit. And yes I’m using outdoor wiring even though it is not exposed to direct sunlight nor is it direct buried.

Thanks for keeping me honest.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

Grumpy:

The blocks set on top of the soil. These have all been placed on tamped soil. They weigh 48 lbs apiece and are allowed per building codes. The deck is just sitting on the ground. Nothing is buried into the soil. No building permit required. It’s like building a storage shed that sits on top of the ground.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

Great technique Karson Thanks for the information.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

Let me know when the deck chairs and the ice tea arrives and I will go personally to check the quality of the labor. It looks great.

-- Zipsss

Todd:

I checked the Mfg of the wood product brochure and they state to put the boards side-by-side and they will shrink enough to give you a gap. They stated as much as 3/4” on a 6” board.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

Ze’ev You are on. let me know when you plan on being in the area of Washington and we’ll make it a party.

I’ll smoke some brisket and we can put out feet up.

Or has your daughter already moved to New York.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

Holy cow, that is some major shrinkage!

I have not used green treated lumber for decking for several years. The brown treated is used in Montana where I am at because it is such a dry climate. It is very southwestern style weather here. Some people use framing lumber and it lasts for years, but I don’t recommend that.

I mostly push for and install composite decking. It’s a bit expensive up front but nobody has complained once it was installed.

Man, I could make a trip for some good smoked brisket!

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

Hi Karson;

Great looking project. I’ll bet you’ll spend many an hour telling war stories on that deck. Plus score big Brownie points with the Mrs’s

Lee

-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com

Todd You are invited also.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

great stuff buddy!! really enjoying the build and very envious of the chocolate goodies your wife brought she sure knows the way to a man’s heart!!

-- The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of a cheap price is forgotten.