I'm in the hot, sticky mid-Atlantic; movement of air is imperative in the summer.
New house
- Thread starter Streetbu
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Well here we are, the Saturday before Christmas. Contractor was working on the rear deck and porch. Plans on working on it Sunday and Monday too since the weather will be nice. Plumbing is done except for two outside spigots. Duct work for furnace is also completed. Said he was going to start on the mudroom that connects the house and garage this week. We shall see. When I was over there today I noticed there were holes dug in the middle of the porch area. I asked what those were for. He said they posts for the middle of the porch and were on the plans so he was putting them up. Now mind you, these aren't on the perimeter of the deck, but literally in the middle. The porch and deck are only 12' out from the house, using 2x10's. There's no need for them plus it makes the area under the porch useless. So obviously I'm not very impressed with the architect right now. This is just another thing she has completely messed up. So that's Mondays job for me to unscrew. Hoping since I kinda have a connection in the codes Dept they might be willing to work with me without having to go back and have the architect change it and have it approved. I'll grab some pics in the next couple of days.
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Wow, I guess every area has different codes. Out here a deck support has to be above grade on footings. No wood in the ground. That also makes it much easier to shim if the footings ever sink. I also think butt joints cant be in the middle. They have to be split on an upright. My 16x20 has 3 sets of girders. Each set has 3 4x6 posts sandwiched between 2 2x10s. Then the deck joists (2x8s) are 12 on center due to the fact I used composite decking. The closest set of girders has a set of 2x6s going from the top to the bottom of the middle set so they cant move at all. My deck is off the ground by at least 4' and not attacked to the house at all. Its about 1" away from the bottom plate. None of the girders have nails or screws. Theyre put together with 1/2 carriage bolts.
There are concrete footers in the bottom of the holes for the posts to sit on. The backside of the butt joint has another 2x10 nailed to it, plus the whole face will have another 2x10 on it. Stringers are all 2x10 also. That's how it's always been done around here.
My friends deck for his house in PA is done the same way. The codes in my area change all the time. I'll be going through some "issues" with the building department after the holidays. I know theyre going to pop me for my deck. The original was done with 4x4s going into the ground on top of a patio block. When I rebuilt it back in '92 I used a post hole digger, went down 4', put in 3' of cement and put the uprights on that. Not legal today. Not good for me.
I'm no fan of wood underground; I brought my footers up to grade, then set the post on top. The treatment is for bugs, not water.
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