Building 2nd story deck and pouring concrete patio below

by Kurt
(Rochester, MN, USA)

I am going to be building a 2nd story deck but will be putting the posts right where I am going to be pouring a cement patio. What is the best way to do the footings for this?

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Jun 23, 2020
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Could that slab go over the footings to hide them?
by: Don

To extend Rich's thought, would it be possible to set the footings at a height equal to the base for the concrete (likely gravel), and then to pour the slab in one monolithic slab over top of all of it? Then, one would only need to re-triangulate the positions of the footings to then set posts at those locations. Would this work?

Aug 26, 2011
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Proper footings are required
by: Editor - Rich Bergman

You are going to have to pour the footings for the upper deck first and then pour the cement slab for the lower patio afterwards.

This is the same principle used for pouring a basement slab around footings already poured to support posts in a basement that hold up beams.

If you try to set the support posts on top of a patio slab below it is very likely to crack and break your patio concrete slab. You would have to have it much thicker and steel reinforced.

But that is just the wrong way to do it. Dig and pour a proper footing for the upper deck support posts and then pour the patio slab after.

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