Click on any picture to open a slideshow. Once there, you can click the link in the caption for the full-size picture.
After one year of no patio or deck, and a failed attempt at having a mat under the patio furniture, I decided building my own deck would be the most economical medium-term solution. But I wanted to keep the cost down and not do anything permanent, so I chose to build a "ground deck" - not attached to the house, and without poured concrete footings in the ground. I used 39 concrete support blocks that just sit on the ground. I did have to dig out what little topsoil was under each one, and several inches of clay, then put down gravel and compact it to level each one. I chose to use pressure treated lumber instead of cedar because of cost.
 The deck is 16' deep, and 16' wide at the widest point. The cutout area is where the 12' easy-set pool has been put each year. |
 I left the concrete step in place and would frame the deck over it. |
 You can see here how each block had to be buried to one degree or another to maintain a level height which was based on the height of the patio door sill. |
 Most of that dirt & clay was placed back between the joists prior to putting the deck boards on. |
 A week or so later I had put all the deck boards on and the railing posts. |
 I still hadn't done the step. |
 I also hadn't finished trimming the ends of these boards. You can see I angled off the pool corner. |
 By having all the lumber delivered I was able to get all the deckboards long enough so I wouldn't have any joints in the field. |
 The finished railings. |
 Here you can see the step is now boxed over. I ended up having to glue angled strips of 2x4 on top of the concrete so I could screw the deck boards down. |
 |
 After these were taken I used 1x12" cedar boards all the way around the outside perimeter of the deck, set a few inches into the ground to keep the rabbits from digging under the deck. That worked, but they then got under by walking on the deck and dropping down by the house. I had to put boards on top of the deck up against the house to stop that. |