Decking
The 10 Commandments of Deck Planning and Deck Design
by wwwdeck
Any deck must be thoughtfully designed and solidly constructed of durable materials. Successful deck design is about seeing all of the posibilities. However, there are 10 important principles or commandments of deck design that should be considered by any homeowner planning to construct a deck.
Commandment #1 - Try to see the design as a whole. The deck is both part of the house and part of the garden so its size, shape, design and location will undoubtedly have a profound effect on both. This would hold true in terms of affecting the interior view of garden areas, possible elimination of valuable garden or play space as well as accessibility from one to the other.
Commandment #2 - Plan generously and then add up the costs. Creating a strong design will assist a homeowner in distinguishing between the more and less important elements of the plan so that it becomes clear where to make compromises to bring the project within budgetary constraints. It might be decided to have several extra feet of deck surface rather than an area for storage or built-in benches rather than the extra floor space.
Commandment #3 - Rely on familiar shapes. Landscape designs that are based upon squares, rectangles, hexagons and circles almost always generate eye pleasing designs. They are usually the most economical to construct as well. The important thing is to avoid irregular or arbitrarily curved patterns.
Commandment #4 - Think in three dimensions. This will help to balance the design elements and enable a homeowner to visualize the results. It will also keep the designer from confining the design to an endless horizontal plane.
Commandment #5 - Maintain a sense of proportion. The deck should be large enough to suit the various needs of the family. It should be large enough to accomodate outdoor furniture comfortably. However, it should not be so large that it overwhelms the landscape or the home.
Similarly, a deck that is dwarfed by the house and the garden can seem to be overcrowded with minimal amounts of furnishings. Try to size the deck so it complements rather than dominates the interior room or rooms from which it projects.
For example, a deck that wraps around the home may be generously sized where it joins the living room, a bit smaller where it opens off the kitchen and extremely small where it extends the master bedroom.
Commandment #6 - Look for a feeling of unity. Elements in deck design such as the shape, the pattern of the deck surface, the railing system, built-in benches, vertical privacy screens and roofs should look as if they belong together. It is also vital that as a whole the deck should blend with the architectural style of the home.
If the house is built with rustic materials, the deck would be constructed with similar materials. If the home has a formal and uncluttered feeling to it, the design of the deck and its appearance should reflect a simialr feeling.
Commandment #7 - Consider traffic patterns. Family members and guests should be able to move smoothly from the home to the deck and from the deck to the garden. If it is necessary open up a wall to better facilitate movement.
Avoid creating traffic patterns that flow through the middle of outdoor spaces or rooms. Traffic patterns work well when they flow along the perimeters of these outdoor areas.
Commandment #8 - Learn to stretch a low level deck. Make a ground level deck appear to be larger by planning it around 1 or 2 planting areas. A simple 10 by 18 foot deck can appear to be twice as large with the addition of 10 square feet and 2 planting areas.
It is also possible to make the space seem larger by linking the deck to the lawn and a single planting area.
Another alternative would be to connect the deck to a patio or paved area. This will expand living space without having to add to the deck surface or losing the warm feeling of the wood.
Commandment #9 - Look below a high level raised deck. Consider what happens to the space that lies beneath it. The deck will almost certainly have some effect upon the temperature, the view, the amount of light received and the noise level of the area that it overhangs.
A high level deck will affect temperature when it casts a shadow on one of the house walls and cools related interior walls.
It affects the view when looking through a lower level window or patio door especially when the deck 's support structure is exposed. In addition high level decks can block out daylight as well as transmit noises generated by upper deck activities into the rooms below.
These handicaps can be minimized by locating the deck above a windowless wall of the home, building a second deck at the lower level or designing the deck with a streamlined substructure.
Commandment #10- Consult with professionals when necessary. Issues such as proposed deck sites over sand, mud or water, unstable soil, leakproof deck surfaces, high level decks and extensive cantilevering are best dealt with by getting advice and/or on site guidance from those who are trained to deal with them. Failure to do this could very well lead to structural defects and costly repairs in the near future.
Any successful deck design will be the result of the homeowner doing the necessary observation, research and planning work related to creating an outdoor living space that will meet the needs and suit the tastes of family members and guests for years to come.
About the Author
Richard Vande Sompel is a professional deck builder of 35 years and over 850
decks built and is the author of "How to Plan, Design and Build a Deck from
Start to Finish". To Discover More About
Deck Design and Claim your 2
FREE Deck Plans, Insider Report, MP3 Audio and discover everything to know about
building a deck visit:
http://www.DeckBuildingRevealed.com
How to Install Decking
by wwwdeck
The process of installing decking boards is the most satisfying part of the construction process of building a deck. The work proceeds quickly because most of the layout work will have been completed at this stage. Generally the decking can be applied in one day especially if a helper is available to provide assistance.
Take the time to sort through the stack of deck boards and select which side will be up for each piece. Discard any boards with bad cracks, twists or other damage. If there are different lengths of boards to be used, stack them accordingly so it will be easy to find them when needed.
Where the decking boards are long enough they can run over the outer joist and be trimmed later. Wherever a board end needs to be butted it is wiser to wait to see how the board falls on the joist and make the cuts at that time rather than make the cuts ahead of time. It is important that the butted boards join in the center of the joist.
Lay out 10 or 12 boards on the deck as they will go down with the lengths positioned to stagger butt joints. This will keep the work moving and provided a temporary surface on which to stand or kneel.
For decking the runs parallel to the house, select a straight board and cut it to length making sure to allow for the overhang. Measure out from the house at both ends of the run and mark the width of the decking board plus 1/2 inch to leave a drainage gap. Snap a chalk line or string a line between the end marks.
If the house wall bows in or out it may be necessary to increase the gap margin. Avoid twisting the board to conform to the house wall, otherwise the decking boards will not be straight. For decking butted to the house, follow the same basic procedure.
In situations where a diagonal pattern is being installed, begin with a straight board at least 6 feet long and set it on a 45 degree angle by measuring equal distances from the starting corner. Before fastening it measure from the center of the board to the corner to avoid ending up with a tiny pice of wood in the corner.
If a parquet pattern of decking is to be installed, keep track of what is happening with boards running in both directions by tacking at least 4 starter boards in place. Measure carefully to ensure that all of the decking boards come out right. Then drive the nails or screws into place.
With complex patterns it is wise to layout decking boards to see how the pattern will fall on the framing. With a herringbone pattern it is very important to account for all the repeats. In most cases, it looks best to use a pattern of full boards centred on the deck and equal sized partial lengths where the pattern meets the edges.
When fastening decking boards it is important that the long end hangs over far enough to be trimmed squarely. For angled, herringbone and parquet designs it will be necessary to measure and cut as the installation process goes.
Fasteners such as nails or screws can be used to locate the boards in place initially and then the rest can be nailed or screwed into place later once all the decking boards have been put down. This is a more time effiecient method of decking installation.
Use a nail as a spacer. Simply hold the nail against the last fastened board and tap it lightly with a hammer to hold it as you set the next board into position. Then simply remove the spacer nail and tap it into place to install the next decking board.
Drive a pair of nails or screws where each deck board crosses a joist about 3/4 to 1 inch in from the edge. Professionals drive the nails or screws straight in to leave a flat head on the surface. For appearance sake, snap a chalk line to keep the nails or screws in a perfectly straight line.
With screws predrill near the ends of all deck boards to avoid splitting. If a crack starts to open while working on a butt joint, remove the screw, increase the pilot hole size and then fasten the screw in place.
Deck clips or continuous deck fasteners are available to allow fastening decking from below with no visible screw or nail heads. They are more expensive and take more time to install. The important thing is that there is enough room to work on the deck from below.
There are several types available. The most common and most efficient is a perforated L-shaped strip. The idea is to screw through 1 side to fasten the hardware to the joist and through the other to fasten the decking board to the hardware.
It is important to check every fourth or fifth board to check for straightness. Simply measure back to the starting board at several points to see that the boards will continue to be square to the frame.
Once all the boards are installed and completely fastened in place, it is simply a matter of snapping a chalk line at the outer edge of the decking and making the cut to trim the outer edge of the deck.
Installing decking is not brain surgery. Tt is a simple process that simply involves careful measurement, precise cutting and the strategic placement and fastening of the boards that will make up the surface of this wonderful outdoor structure.
About the Author
Richard Vande Sompel is a professional deck builder of 35 years and over 850
decks built and is the author of "How to Plan, Design and Build a Deck from
Start to Finish". To Discover More About
Installing Decking and Claim your 2
FREE Deck Plans, Insider Report, MP3 Audio and discover everything to know about
building a deck visit:
http://www.DeckBuildingRevealed.com
Please be aware that information found in any article is the
opinion of it's author. Before embarking on any project, it is your
responsibility and in your own interest to check the viability of any advice
given. Diytips4u.co.uk are not responsible for any consequences of what you may
read on this website.
Return to Home Page