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As additional protection against water penetration into the house you can slope the deck frame to a 1/4” per 8’ pitch. This slope is small enough to escape detection by the naked eye, but enough to force water away from the house.
In order to do this you will have to trim the structural posts by a small amount to tilt the frame slightly in the proper direction. Your footings will probably sink a little bit too which will add to the slope. To increase stability, posts over 10’ tall or installed on a sloping grade with pier footings should be reinforced by lateral bracing. Low decks will have the structural posts hidden from view under the frame. If you are a deck contractor this is a really good opportunity to clear out your inventory of short or damaged 6x6 materials. |