Backyard Deck - please help to get me started.

[Todd Burch]

I want to build a backyard deck inexpensively. I'll have to buy new lumber. Here's a picture of my backyard. We installed the French Doors recently, and need to put in a deck. Here's the backyard showing the location.

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The right side of the deck will be just on the other side of the hose bib (under the right stile of the square <kitchen> window), and extend towards the far corner. I'l thinking 20 to 24 feet long, stopping short of the two far windows. Deck will come out away from the house about 16 feet.

I have to have the yard graded before I build the deck. Right now, at 10' away from the house, the grade is probably 6"-10" higher (it changes) than the foundation line.

The deck will be low to the ground, but still elevated off the ground. I'm thinking mainly flat with some built-in seating at corners and a couple stairs down into the yard on the end closest to the photographer.

I've searched for some construction plans but haven't found anything that was great. TOH had a Tom Silva tutorial that was pretty good, but it assumed I was bolting a ledger to the foundation. I would be OK with doing that, but I'm not too keen on ripping out new siding to accommodate flashing. I have to take into consideration the two foundation vents on either side of the French doors and keep them breathable. On the other hand, I also don't want to create a space that I can't mow or weed between the deck and the house either.

I'm assuming I'll have 1 to 2 steps off the French Doors to get onto the deck. These stairs can extend out onto the deck platform if need be. Or, if the deck is pulled away from the house, say, 4-5', perhaps just a ramp at whatever angle needed to match the threshold up with the deck surface. ??

Anyone got a favorite tutorial for DIY decks or suggestions? Once I understand the construction requirements (footing or piers, beam sizing, joists, fastening reqs…), I can draw it out and build it.

Thanks! Todd.

[Andrew Fleck]

Personally I would build a freestanding deck with a walkway that goes right up the doors, but not connected to the house with a ledger board. Maybe put the main deck 4' off of the house with a walkway the width of the french doors connecting the home and deck, but not mechanically if that makes sense.

[Jamie Buxton]

Why build a deck instead of a patio? A deck involves lots of wood. A deck requires maintenance. A patio just wants flagstone, placed on the ground. Less cost, less maintenance. Decks are good for when there's a big difference between grade and the floor altitude, but you don't have that situation.

Yeah, you have to build a couple of stairs to get from the patio altitude to the French doors. And there should be a little landing just outside the doors, so you don't have to start down the stairs immediately as you exit the doors.

If you're tight on budget, don't do built-in furniture; buy it. You can almost always buy factory-built furniture for less than you can make it.

[Von Bickley]

Why build a deck instead of a patio? A deck involves lots of wood. A deck requires maintenance. A patio just wants flagstone, placed on the ground. Less cost, less maintenance. Decks are good for when there's a big difference between grade and the floor altitude, but you don't have that situation.

Yeah, you have to build a couple of stairs to get from the patio altitude to the French doors. And there should be a little landing just outside the doors, so you don't have to start down the stairs immediately as you exit the doors.

If you're tight on budget, don't do built-in furniture; buy it. You can almost always buy factory-built furniture for less than you can make it.

I agree with Jamie...... I would go with a patio with stone or brick pavers. I think most decks really take a beating and end up taking away from the house.

[Mike Cozad]

+2. I am trying to figure this out now myself. We want a covered patio so we can sit outside in the rain. The existing deck has taken a brutal beating from the weather and needs to go. At least with stone or pavers a good pressure wash every few years and it looks brand new again. Agree with the small landing outside the door to make navigating entry a bit easier....

[Jim Matthews]

How much rain do you get, each year?

Anything that's right on the ground will be subject to even minor flooding.

My suggestion:

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[Lee Schierer]

Before building a deck you need to see what your local and state building codes allow and see is you need a building permit to do the project. Most states have adopted a uniform building code and your tax laws may require a building permit so your property value assessment can be properly adjusted.

[Brian Tymchak]

+2. I am trying to figure this out now myself. We want a covered patio so we can sit outside in the rain. The existing deck has taken a brutal beating from the weather and needs to go. At least with stone or pavers a good pressure wash every few years and it looks brand new again. Agree with the small landing outside the door to make navigating entry a bit easier....

+3. I built a large deck on my old house because there was a substantial change in grade. But, in my current home I have a 3'x8' deck outside our sliding doors and then 3 stairs down to the brick patio. About a 30" drop. Much prefer the patio. Way less maintenance and although the patio was there when we bought the place, I bet it would have been easier and maybe less expensive than building a 600 sq ft deck. You are going to have to put weedblock and gravel under the deck anyway to keep weeds from growing up. Not a whole lot of difference in building a compacted base for a patio. Actually, with the very low change in height from doors to ground, your deck beams will probably be sitting on the ground so I would worry about getting air movement under the deck to keep it from rotting.

WRT attaching ledger boards, since the deck is so low to the ground, build a free-standing deck. You likely will not notice any movement if built properly. Not sure if your ground freezes where you are but with a free-standing deck, you have no issues with seasonal movement. Actually, decks will move some with dry-wet cycles too. Also, in my area, low height free standing decks do not require building permits.

[Matt Meiser]

Why build a deck instead of a patio? A deck involves lots of wood. A deck requires maintenance. A patio just wants flagstone, placed on the ground. Less cost, less maintenance. Decks are good for when there's a big difference between grade and the floor altitude, but you don't have that situation.

+1000. We were excited about the large deck at this house when we bought it 10 years ago....shopping for our new house, I considered a deck a negative. The house we are buying has large stamped concrete patio. Not that concrete is without issues but with a deck there's the cleaning and the staining and cleaning and staining and .... Not to mention the animals that live under the deck and the dogs trying to get to said animals under the deck.

[Mike Wilkins]

Agree with the patio paver suggestion the others have stated. Less maintenance than a deck (staining/cleaning), less labor to build. You are correct in dealing with the grade before anything is done; it is always a good idea to prevent water from invading your foundation. And if you go with the paved patio, you will need to grade to below the topsoil anyway. I have a covered patio with the pavers from the local big box store on a compacted sand base. Lots of back breaking work moving those bad boys. I opted to have them deliver rather than deal with loading, unloading and placing them.

[Pat Barry]

+1000. We were excited about the large deck at this house when we bought it 10 years ago....shopping for our new house, I considered a deck a negative. The house we are buying has large stamped concrete patio. Not that concrete is without issues but with a deck there's the cleaning and the staining and cleaning and staining and .... Not to mention the animals that live under the deck and the dogs trying to get to said animals under the deck.
I'm not quite +1000, but at my house I have a low deck, not attached to the house, actually sitting on an old concrete patio. The old concrete patio was in pretty bad shape, decks were fashionable, and I built the deck. Now, many years later, we dread the spring time cleaning of the deck and the annual maintenance that goes with it - its under 2 large maple trees that release red colored buds and the requisite helicopter seeds. The red buds cause staining, the wood collects dirt. I have seen the dog digging after a bunny or whatever lives under there, and nature has prevailed (tree roots) to cause the deck to shift and raise. IF I had it do to again, knowing what I now know, I would have jack-hammered and removed the old patio, and built a new patio. Much simpler to keep it clean with a quick leaf blower and power wash.

[Al Launier]

I'm definitely with the others. Decks look great when first built, but lose their "shine" afterwards, plus they'll develop wood rot & require repair or replacement of the rotted wood.
Go with the patio, use paving stones, or whatever you prefer, & you'll never regret it.

[Harry Hagan]

A patio for sure.

Go with BRICK. Not concrete pavers that will fade and deteriorate.

The brick won’t fade or have high maintenance issues if you choose one that doesn’t require mortar or polymeric sand joints. Also, if you install the brick with the proper foundation, you’ll have many years of low maintenance service and it will look much better than the wood or concrete pavers will, even a few years down the road.

[Todd Burch]

Wow. Y'all present a good argument for a patio. Makes sense too. Concrete guy will be here tomorrow to stake out for the driveway I've already agreed to pour, so I contacted him and he'll give me a bid on a patio too. Stay tuned.

[jeffrey bailey]

I would go with the patio and either have it reach from door to door or put in a paver walkway to the closest door in the picture.

[Mel Fulks]

I too think the patio has more charm a few feet from the house rather than contacting it. That also allows for some fanciful
touches such as a low uneven wall to make it look like a romantic old ruin. That was once a very popular concept.

[Jason Roehl]

A patio for sure.

Go with BRICK. Not concrete pavers that will fade and deteriorate.

The brick won’t fade or have high maintenance issues if you choose one that doesn’t require mortar or polymeric sand joints. Also, if you install the brick with the proper foundation, you’ll have many years of low maintenance service and it will look much better than the wood or concrete pavers will, even a few years down the road.

I'm in the middle of re-doing my front steps/walkway/retaining walls. It was all part of a barter with a friend of mine who owns/runs a fairly large landscaping business. As I was shopping materials, he steered me away from the pavers available at all the big box stores, and towards the material available at a local masonry supply business. After looking at the two offerings, there is a huge difference in quality, though certainly a difference in price as well (what we selected for pavers were about $4.50/s.f. for a 3-piece system).

On the list for exterior projects is to re-do the deck/patio area. We have a treated-lumber deck (1/2-story up--bi-level home) that was awfully constructed probably at least 15 years ago (we've been in the house almost 7 years), but in reasonable shape, and a hideous brick-paved patio around the deck that is uneven, caving in places, and poorly done. Both definitely done by a weekend warrior with Craftsboy tools.

[Jamie Buxton]

Okay, so now the question turns into what material for a patio. I prefer flagstone. It is a natural material whose irregularity is part of its charm -- kinda like real wood versus formica.
I'd install the stone with natural irregular edges, and irregular spaces between the stones. Grass grows in those spaces, too. Nice and friendly and backyard. Brick? Pavers? They're for driveways.

[thomas prusak]

Go with a stamped concrete patio and be done with it. Pavers, flagstone and brick eventually shift and get ugly with grass and weeds coming up in every joint.

[Jamie Buxton]

Flagstone patio -- inexpensive, informal, natural, pretty.

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[Jason Roehl]

Go with a stamped concrete patio and be done with it. Pavers, flagstone and brick eventually shift and get ugly with grass and weeds coming up in every joint.

That's where the polymeric sand comes into play. Done properly, (swept over a clean surface, vibrated in, then watered) it will virtually seal the joints from any weed/grass seed. And, to keep the pavers and such from moving, the base has to be done properly--3" of crushed stone and 1" of sand, and it will move. 4" (patio)-8" (driveway) of crushed stone and a scant skim coat of sand, and the pavers will stay put. Most people use way too much sand, because it's easy to level, but it washes out from underneath over time. If you like flagstone, great, but I like my patio chairs to be stable.

[Chris Padilla]

If you like flagstone, great, but I like my patio chairs to be stable.

Just jam a few packets of sugar or creamer under the legs as needed. ;)

[Gary Kman]

I'm hearing a lot of "This is best".
Depends, depends, depends.

In the midwest weeds are going to start growing in the cracks of flagstone and similar overnight unless you spray it constantly.

Stone and concrete will soak up heat in the sun and will radiate heat for hours.

Any movable furniture has to be re-leveled every time it is moved an inch or two on stone or brick.

I can't imagine stamped concrete looking good after fifteen or twenty years anyplace there is frost heave and a bitch to replace.

CCA deck on my house had some age when we bought the place thirteen years ago. Wife thought it needed some dark stain once. That works about like a shot of heroin once. It finally weathered off. I do no maintenance and like the way it looks. The ACQ treated southern pine is farm raised, renewable, economical (except for expensive fasteners) and easy to work with.

I think about what I will do on a deck before I decide on a size. One party every five years won't kill the grass so why cover the entire back yard with wood. I've gotten more compliments on ones that were unique in detail. Hidden end grain, big through mortises on built in benches, railings and balusters no one else has. Get creative, have fun.