Floating Deck Footings

April 29, 2021

Flare the sides on concrete footings so the footings will resist heave in harsh winters when frost penetrates especially deep. Once it does the corner is square.

Ground Anchors Deck Footing Foundations Instead Of Concrete

It also has the potential for roots to grow under the footing pushing it up or damaging the root.

Floating deck footings. Measure between the two marks and adjust the strings until the diagonal measurement equals 5 feet. You just screw the auger portion into the ground using a lightweight hand-held impact wrench and never experience any kick back. So many trade offs with cost and design and.

As the name suggests your foundations are floating. As the ground rises and falls with the seasons so will your deck. From the same corner measure 4 feet along the adjacent string and mark.

Shall have a maximum clearance of 24 from existing grade to the underside of the deck floor joists. Small Garden Decks. Usually this floating effect occurs on the two sides of the deck where the joists end.

A true floating deck potentially avoids both water intrusion and the need for deeper footings but get exponentially more expensive as height increases. A floating deck offers numerous advantages. You will notice that the support post is also embedded deeply into the concrete and extends no closer than say 4 from the bottom of the footing.

Can I Use Deck Blocks. Starting from a corner measure 3 feet along on one string and make a mark. For simple low or ground-level decks deck blocks are your ideal bets for foundations as with simple tools and some skill with working wood you can build a simple floating deck using deck blocks.

With these style of deck footings. You can use some small concrete blocks where you can lay planks into grooves that are already there or a post that sets into a pre-formed hole. The flat part at the bottom must be at least 6 thick.

Concrete footings will support greater loads than deck blocks due to the increased mass and wider bearing area. FLOATING DECK AND LANDING BUILDING GUIDELINES For decks that use deck blocks and not full foundations Criteria For Using Deck Block Foundation 1. Mound soil around the posts after the backfill settles to direct runoff water away from the post.

The required depth of your footing is determined by your local code. Greater width at the bottom will also distribute weight over a larger area. This is a common rule for footing so dont forget that.

Shall not exceed 592ft2 in deck area 912227b 3. This combined with the decks close proximity to the ground gives the illusion of a hovering platform. In addition to not requiring a building permit floating decks are far easier and faster to build than elevated decks.

Our footings were placed equally within our 10 x 12 rectangle and we allowed for a 12 overhang along the edge where our rim joist would be. Because a floating deck is ground level repairing and maintaining them is relatively easy. Set the Deck Footing Placement Use spray paint to mark the placement of each footing trace an area slightly larger than each footing to show where to dig.

For the most part a deck footing must be used if the deck is going to be higher than your waist andor larger than 100 square feet. With our deck being freestanding the frost may heave it up slightly but once it thaws it will settle back into place. A floating deck that is built close to the ground will not need to have any kind of deck footing.

To do so dig your holes with a rented auger or post hole digger and pour the cement into the hole to create a footing. The weight will need to be carried by the footings. Floating footings do come with some risk.

If you go with floating footings. Now that we got that out of the way. The Titan Deck Foot Anchor is a fast and easy solution for supporting any light weight structure that is floating or free standing from a house.

They also dont require frost depth footings and dont need handrails because theyre so close to the ground. Safety Rule for Deck Footings.

How To Build A Floating Deck How Tos Diy