Building A Floating Deck Next To House

While a floating deck might be next to a building it may also be a standalone structure in the middle of your yard.

Building a floating deck next to house.

A floating deck is a deck that isn t attached to a building and they float above the ground. Thanks to an uphill slope at the rear of the house the deck surface was only 5 feet high next to the house but closer to 3 1 2 feet on the far end. To avoid this we decided a floating deck would be the best option. We wanted to keep the design simple and clean so with the help of our friends over at kreg tool company we used the deck jig and let the wood do all the talking.

The following post is by no means the only way to build a deck or even the best way. Bob helps the contractors set up the posts and joists. This is the very first post of this series but you will be able to catch the whole thing start to finish right here. To understand how to build a floating deck here are a few basics.

Light pole planters hey there. Build the deck frame. This how to build a floating deck series will show you step by step how to build a floating or detached deck one that isn t attached to the house. Clear a flat area of lawn or use a garage floor or driveway for building the deck frame.

If necessary you can also build the deck on top of the concrete blocks. A floating deck also called a free standing deck is simply a deck that s not attached to any structure including of course your house. The existing house rim and the lower support walls need to be solid enough to support the multi ton weight of a deck filled with people. A ground level deck sometimes referred to as a floating deck or platform deck is so called because unlike conventional decks a ground level deck is not attached to a home or building.

Due to flood plain regulations the deck cannot be attached to the house it has to be free floating. This post or post series rather has been a long time coming. After the old deck is removed you ll be able to tell if you can still use the house rim. In lieu of the ledger board i constructed this as a cantilevered deck where the joists were.

As an independent structure a floating deck has a few advantages over an attached deck. I m building a floating deck in my back yard. Building the deck close to the ground helps keeps the wobble out of the completed structure. They are sometimes called grade level or freestanding decks because they re built just above the ground level or grade.

Generally floating decks are low to the ground and don t require handrails or even staircases. Frame waterproofingpart 3. Water leaking around an old deck ledger can cause significant damage to the house framing. Cut seven pressure treated 2x6 boards to length at 93 inches using a circular saw or power miter saw.

Part one walks you through planning and layout.