Deck Building Project - Building a Deck For The First Time

Your first deck building project can be a bit intimidating. So if you are building a deck for the first, this is a great page to read.

Here is a recent deck building project of mine for those of you who aspire to learn the finer aspects of building decks.

Follow along each stage of building this deck and most if not all of your questions should be answered.

Learning the steps of building a deck of this nature is a great learning example because it is relatively simple for any beginner to follow yet it covers all the key areas of building decks.

Top view of small cedar deck And it’s even good for some of you who are fairly confident about your building skills but have a few technical questions on certain aspects of building backyard decks and the design process.

I will start from the very beginning…

And cover all topics such as assessing your building location and design and shape of the deck.

Then I'll discuss the deck site preparation and layout. Once we know the shape and design of the deck, we’ll figure out the footings and pier locations, beam size and lengths.

Framing, decking, railing, stairs and more…

Deck joists and cross bracing for built in cantilever section Then you have to frame the deck structure so I’ll discuss the joist spacing, length of joist span and how to connect your deck to the house.

Ledger board attachement to house There are several methods but I will show you one of the best waterproof methods there is.

Stairs for a deck You can also see how I built and installed the deck railing and the deck stairs. There were a few intricate 22.5 degree cuts involved which can be a bit challenging if you have never been involved in building a deck before but the explanation and pictures should help.

It’s a Deck Building Project Course for Beginners

So sit back, get comfortable. Grab yourself a coffee or beverage of choice and go through what ever aspect of the project you are interested in.

Print out the page for reference if need be. And in no time, you will be in fine shape to start designing and building your own deck.

Each page is set out in the logical order that you would follow if you were building a deck from scratch. One topic will set up and prepare you for the next topic.

So here’s what’s “On Deck”…

Building a Deck: Assessing your site
Building a Deck: Creating Your Deck Design
Building a Deck: Preparing Your Site
Building a Deck: Footing location
Building a Deck: Digging the footings and piers
Building a Deck: Ledger Attachment
Building a Deck: Setting Beam Height
Building a Deck: Framing a Deck
Building a Deck: Railing Post Attachment
Building a Deck: Intalling the fascia board
Building a Deck: Decking material installation
Building a Deck: Building Stairs
Building a Deck: Installing The Railing

OK, let’s start building from the very beginning, the idea stage and your proposed location. Go to Assessing Your Site.

Top of Building a Deck

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Testimonials - Titan Post Anchor System

Titan post anchor from testimonial "Thanks again Richard for FedExing the other shipment of the Titan Anchors. They are installed, sturdy and look great. I am really happy with them here is a picture of the deck."
Kyle D. - Richardson, Texas