Size of footing for second story deck on a hillside

by Bob
(California)

I would like to build a 2nd story deck on my house.

It is located on a hill side and the SW corner where I need to place a post has shown some erosion. I am unsure how deep to dig my footings. The deck is going to be 40x12.

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Mar 19, 2013
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Seven feet is a Rule of Thumb
by: Editor-Rich Bergman

A simple rule of thumb is to ensure that the bottom side of the footing at its underside be no closer than seven feet from the grade of the soil if you extended a line horizontally from that depth to the graded slope.

Seven Foot Rule

Check it out...

Fairly simple rule and does the trick in most soil types unless you are on particularly unstable soil. In that case you should talk to a local geo-technical engineer to find out what the local practices are.

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