Deck around a swim spa 
I'm putting a swim spa into an inground concrete bunker and will build a deck around it. I have been advised to keep the deck joists a minimum of 6 inches …

Total height of low level ground level deck 
I am building a 10'x12'deck (not attached to a ledger board). My plan was to pour concrete footings, then run doubled up 2"x8" beams setting on the footings …

Building a Deck on Soggy Ground 
Okay, so I have a client that wants a 8x10 deck built at ground level to put his grill on. Problem is, the ground tends to pool water whenever it rains. …

Building Deck close to a concrete surface 
I would like to build a wooden deck on top of an existing concrete patio. The top of the deck will only be 8.5 inches above the concrete. How do I proceed? …

How to hide concrete piers on a ground-level deck and more 
I am building a ground-level deck using 2x8 joists. The deck height will be determined by a concrete stoop near the door. I plan to place 2x4 sleepers …

Building a Deck and Pergola - To notch or not to notch for deck beam 
I am having trouble finding a consistent answer to my problem while designing a low level deck that will have a pergola above. I don't know if I should …

Building a deck on extremely soft ground. 
I am looking to build a ground level deck or raised platform on the shore of a small pond within 10 feet of the water The ground is soft enough that …

Deck Strength for a Hot Tub 
I have an existing deck that is 16' wide (ledger on house) and is 12' long I have two 6 x 6 posts at each outside corner. It has double 2 x 12 on each …

Strengthening a Deck For a Hot Tub 
I have an 12x24ft deck,5/4 decking with 2x8 floor joists 16oc. I'm going to put a hot tub on the deck, on one end. I used your DECK LOAD calculator …

Adding a hot tub to existing deck 
I have an existing walk out 24x18 deck 9' high with 4 lollys in front. I want to to place a hot tub right in the corner closest to the house. The deck …

VP building a free standing deck in Toronto 
I'm "stuck" - can someone provide some feedback.... I am planning on building a free standing deck (34' across x 16' deep), with an added gazebo (10' …

Ideas for a Ground level deck 
I would like to build a ground level deck using 2 x 6's to achieve a low height without a massive step up, the grade drops aprox 1' in the rear. I …

Spa Deck Support Requirements 
I am working on relocating my spa from it's existing "below ground" location, to an above ground deck. Actually, I am replacing the current spa with …

Joist Size for Hot Tub Deck 
I'm struggling to find the appropriate materials for the lower portion of a 2 tier deck that will be supporting a hot tub. The lower deck structure …

Deck Expansion with Hot Tub 
I love the site! I've never built a deck, but am working on plans to help my son-in-law build a deck-expansion onto their new house. The deck would span …

Low Profile Deck Questions 
I just got stationed in Pensacola and would like to build a low profile deck in our new backyard. My plan is for a 12x12 deck. I have several questions …

Do it Your Selfer Hot Tub Deck 
I am a do it yourselfer and want to put a hot tub on my deck. I was thinking of using 2x6 spaced at 2 foot centers and spanning between 2x8 beams. …

Tips On Building Deck At Ground Level 
As noted in the title line above.... I need whatever help or tips you could provide to build a deck at ground level. It's actually a 2-level deck. …

Hot tub weight  
I won an inflatable 6 person inter hot tub. I have a large deck. 12x 20 on both sides of the house. With a header to the house and the deck was built 6 …

Ground Level Deck I Built Myself 
After many years, approximately ten... I finally talked my husband into building a deck. We don't go on vacations, so I wanted to invest our money in …

Our Backyard Oasis & Suburban Retreat 
My young family of four moved into a new home and our backyard consisted of weedy and unattractive grass. We worked day and night from the spring right …

Appropriate Depth for a Partially Sunken Hot Tub? 
We've recently purchased a hot tub and are partially sinking it into the deck... Not sure what the ratio should be for the tub to be above the deck …

Hot Tub in California 
We just bought a home in Scotts Valley, California. Our deck is high, about 12 feet off the ground. There is an empty hot tub on top of the deck. Our …

Ground Cover Under the Deck 
We have a large deck we need to fix up on an old house. What kind of ground cover under the deck do you recommend. What should you put under the deck …

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Low Profile Deck Using 2X4 Joists 
I want to build a low profile deck at the back of my house but I don't have enough room from the door sill to the ground to use 2X6 joists. Would 2X4 …

Stone and Landscape Fabric Under Deck 
I am building a deck on my two level house. I put weed blocker material and pea stone under where the future deck will be. Now that I am done I am wondering …

Bulding a deck around a tub 
A friend gave me a hot tub(about 7'6" x 7'6", 500 gallons?) that was originally mounted in a wooden freestanding frame. The frame itself pretty much disintegrated …

Support Post Spacing for Eventual Hot Tub on Deck 
I would like to build 16x16 deck using 2x10 for the frame and 3/4 in plywood for floor. I hope to enclose it one day and have a hot tub on top. My question …

Footings in wet soil  
I have a quick question. I live in Minnesota and my backyard borders some swampy backwaters and is thus pretty moist once you start digging. I would like …

Low Level Free Standing Deck and Precast Cement Piers 
I wish to build a low level free-standing deck in the back yard (16ft x 7.5ft). It will be up against the house. The joist will run away from the house …

Low Profile Deck Footings for Low Level Deck 
I am building a low profile deck, have couple of questions about footings to keep the deck low to the grade. The deck is pressure treated 10'x20'. …

Weight of a Hot Tub 
Your website is very informative, although unfortunately my handyman skills are zero. I am looking for your thoughts. We had our deck built on our new …

From Asphalt to Azaleas 
When we moved into this home, the back yard was for the most part, an asphalt drive way. I wish I could add more pictures of the before and after because …

Deck Height in Relation to a Slider Door? 
I'm wondering how close to the bottom lip of a sliding glass window you can go with the deck? Can you go right underneath or do you have to go a few inches …

Bamboo deck for Canadian winters? 
Have any Canadians build a ground level deck out of bamboo material? If so, how has it stood up to the Canadian winters?

Hot Tub in Deck - Wanting to Do it Right 
I have an 8' x 8' hot tub that I would like to have sunken into a deck in my back yard. The deck height will be roughly 6ft off the ground. What type …

Will Grass Grow Below Deck? 
I want to build a 2nd lower tier to my existing deck. This tier will be at ground level. Do I need to do anything to the existing grass I will be …

Connecting a Pergola to free standing deck  
I want to connect a pergola to a free standing deck that is about 10x11 to add some shade on our deck. The deck is free standing and only 16" above …

Help with footings for large free standing deck 
I am building (designing) a free standing deck 34' across x 16' out from the back of the house - 20" high from ground level to surface of deck (at door …

Where the Deck meets the Pool Edge 
Just wondering what the most practical way to build the deck where it meets my above ground pool. Should it be built over the pool railing or level …

I Want a Spa and Deck Area Too 
I am getting ideas together for a new deck with a spa but I would like to place the spa down below the deck in such a way that when the spa is covered …

Removing Grass Under Deck 
Is there any requirement to remove the grass under a new wood deck? The deck will be no more than 2 feet off the ground.

A Deck With a Roof and a Hot Tub Built In 
Well, this one is maybe not the most beautiful of all the decks you have in your gallery but I did it myself and it has some nice features that I thought …

Above Ground Pool Deck Post Spacing 
I would like to build a simple deck next to a 24' round pool maybe 12x12 or 12x14. assuming stable ground. Can I use 2 6x6 posts on concrete piers …

Above Ground Pool Deck Extension 
I recently had to replace an above ground pool with another one due to wear and tear on the first one. As you know, you build the deck around the pool, …

Pool Decking 
I wish to build a decking around my pool. The issue that I have is that the top of the pool is recessed level with the existing paving.I would like …

10x8 6 person spa deck Not rated yet
I think I might be over-engineering this but I live in CT and I'm also worried about snow weight. Adding a 8x10 deck attached to existing deck, 2x10's …

Hot Tub on a high Deck Not rated yet
I am wanting to put a hot tub on a second story deck above the 1st story deck. The height above ground is approximately 12 feet. The hot tub manufacture …

concrete pool deck - will it adhere and what is the expected life  Not rated yet
concrete pool deck - will it adhere and what is the expected life

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Titan Post Footer Spacing Not rated yet
I am installing a 27ft above ground pool. Can I use these device with a spacing of 6 1/2' to 7 1/2 ft using 6X6 posts? Also my frost line is 30" so was …

Adding a joist to make it a double joist across beam Not rated yet
I want to center a hot tub over a deck beam sitting on concrete pillars. A structural engineer has suggested adding a joist to make it a double joist in …

Enough to support a hot tub? Not rated yet
I am building a freestanding, 8' x 8' deck to support a hot tub. The hot tub will weigh 4,100 pounds when it's full of water. I did use your footing calculator …

No wait finishing of hot tub deck Not rated yet
I am building some redwood deck around a new hot tub at my Airbnb. Everybody says you have to let wood dry before you can successfully stain it. This …

spa on deck Not rated yet
my deck is 12 x 20 with the joists on 16 center nial to 4 x post that are 4 feet apart

2x6 x 1000... Hot tub Not rated yet
I built a deck that has 6 beams that are roughly 48-56 inches between them - they sit on concrete filled silo tubes 36 + inches in the ground - each post …

Reinforcing existing ground level deck moving down slope Not rated yet
I have a deck that's settled and moved about an inch and a half laterally over the past 2 years. It's a ground level deck built on a slope and it's moved …

Can My Deck Support A Four Person Hot Tub? Not rated yet
I have attached pictures and dimensions (I'm not 100% sure of the footing because the deck was built before I bought my house.). If it is not going …

Demolish back porch concrete landing or build on top? Not rated yet
I'm up in the air about demolishing and removing the porch concrete landing stoop in my backyard to make way for a new deck or leaving it and putting a …

Hot Tub Deck Support Question Not rated yet
I know this has been asked before, but of course it will always very per deck/hot tub being considered. I'm a mechanical engineer so I have technical knowledge …

Low Freestanding Deck Joists Hanging From Beams Not rated yet
I am currently building a large floating deck that sits up against my house. It is only 8 inches above ground level. The footings are deck blocks and …

My Lil' DIY Not rated yet
Purchased a 1936 farmhouse in 1997. Been doing improvements every year. Finally it was time to take it outside. I wanted a 4 season porch and decided to …

How to add a deck on to an existing above ground pool deck? Not rated yet
We moved into our house over 5 years ago and one of the features that I loved was our above ground pool - 21 inch with decking completely around it. …

Cook's Dock Deck Not rated yet
I got this front half of the boat given to me. I didnt know what I was going to do with it other than maybe use it for a nice bon-fire! But I wanted …