Tuesday, September 1, 2009

How to Build a Small Deck - Building Ideas

You've decided to learn how to build a small deck and now you need some easy to follow plans to get started. Building a small deck is not that difficult if you follow these steps.

Get detailed plans on how to build a small deck

Pick the right location

Use simple household tools- saws, wrenches, cordless drill etc.

Find a good helper

Let's start with the helper. There are times when you will need to have help even if it's just to hold some boards while you attach them. Sharing the work makes it a bit more manageable too and we've always found it more fun.

After building at least 100 decks in our building career, both large and small I am quite certain that anyone can learn how to build a small deck.

Picking the right location is a matter of convenience. Do you want it attached to your house or cottage? Will it be around the pool? Any scenario you can imagine can be built according to the plans.

How much does it cost to build a small deck? You can be sure that you will save hundreds of dollars by doing the work yourself instead of hiring a contractor. If you are careful you can build a really nice deck for only a couple hundred dollars including the cost of the plans.

Compare that to the thousands that a contractor is sure to charge and you will certainly be smiling, sitting there on your deck when it's finished instead of grumbling about the price.

You see, most of the cost incurred on a building project is labor. Paying someone to do something is the fastest way to increase the cost, as any contractor will tell you.

Start off by locating the finished level of your deck. If an exterior door to the house will provide access then the deck level should be at least 2 inches lower than your door. This will insure that rain or snow won't flow in the house during bad weather.

Learning how to build a small deck can be accomplished quickly with deck blocks as footings. They are big square (liftable) pieces of concrete laid on the ground as footings.

Posts are placed on the deck blocks to the desired deck height and 2 beams are placed across the top of the posts.

These support the floor joists and decking. Be sure to use a durable outdoor approved wood such as cedar or pressure treated lumber. Both work well.

Imagine pulling up a lawn chair or two onto your new deck and enjoying that summer evening breeze, along with a cold drink or two. That's living.

And just think, you didn't have to break the bank to hire a contractor either. You did it yourself and saved hundreds of dollars.

Isn't it time you got started on your own small deck? Let's get started.

How To Build A Small Deck is the place to start to save money on your deck building project, enjoying the outside, by learning how to build a small deck.

After we had finished building our house, we knew we wanted a deck, so we learned how to build a small deck and enjoy our days after work was done.

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