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Hello all,
I am going to be building a deck off my back porch here in central PA. The deck will be 16 X 16 with one end being 16" off the ground while the other end will be about 6ft off the ground. This will make the entire deck level with my existing back porch which is a 6 - 7 inch concrete slab. The issue is that the concrete slab for the porch has approx. 1 - 2 inches of overhang over the brick work of the house. So I will not be able to have a ledger board and will have a freestanding deck.
My plan was to use 9 6X6 posts .60 pressure treated and just sink them in the ground about 4ft and back fill with concrete. My beams will be doubled 2X10s (3 rows) with 2X10 joists.
Will I be able to get enough support from this or is there another way I should do it. I have been reading many things on this site and I am hesitant about the pouring of a footer and attaching a post to it with bolts. I have read that this method does not provide much support for side to side movement. I would prefer that this thing doesn't move at all in either direction.
Thanks in advance for any insight you may be able to provide.
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| I would use 15" footers and pour the concrete to grade. Attach the post with a simpson strong tie ABA connector. You will have to drill into the concrete after it is set but this is the safest way. The weight if the deck will push the post down and the ABA connector will keep it from moving from side to side. I would not put the post in concrete. They will decay faster and be impossible to replace same day. You could use 8" of concrete in the hole then back fill but you still need a 1" stand off from the concrete. This would be acceptable as long as you are building on undisturbed soil( has not been move in 5 years). If it has there is a chance of shifting.
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Thanks for the reply.
I was reading the literature on page 32 of this catalog http://www.strongtie.com/ftp/catalogs/c-diy05/C-DIY05.pdf concerning that type of connector.
Will that be appropriate enough so that my deck will not wobble back and forth? I will not have a ledger board attached to the house. It will be freestanding.
Will a 15" concrete footing be enough? In my ground there is Ironstone that is very dense, so I will not complain about only digging 15" down. I just want to make sure it is correct the first time. How wide do you think the base should be?
I really appreciate everyone's time to help out on here. This site has helped me tremendously to plan my deck.
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Sorry, I wasn't able to edit my last post.
Would it be better to use a post base that is placed in wet concrete before it sets?
Would it be better to use an ABU connector?
Thanks again
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| You will need to dig your footings below the frost line. Which will be deeper than 15" in PA. I think the previous post meant that the footings should be 15" diameter. You should find out from your local building department for what depth is required. Also you can set the concrete anchor in wet cement or drive it into solid concrete with an impact wrench. The ABA connector attachs to top of the concrete anchor. http://www.decks.com/article306.aspx
Mike Rudh
Decks.com contributor
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| Hi, I have a bay window, can you let me know how many posts i need around it
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| It depends... How long is the area you need to frame around and how long are your joists? You may be able to "H" frame around the house cantilever if you use a properly sized beam across the window and can create a positive attachment to the house on both side. In such a case you won't need any posts. See http://www.decks.com/article284.aspx Size beams http://www.decks.com/article40.aspx You can always install posts on both sides of the beam and/or add a center post if it is carrying a large amount of loading.
Mike Rudh
Decks.com contributor
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JM...
I to am currently building a 16' X 24' deck in northern PA, and it is also free standing from my house. The code for my area is 12" piers going down 42" for the frost line for the outside piers and 16" piers going down 42" for all the center piers. I was told because your not using the house to pick up most of the deck weight you need larger piers in the middle for support
good luck
Pipermeh
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