Deck

I;m going to try and build a 10'wx15'L deck on the back of my house. I;ve never built anything in my life.So how many footers do I need,I'm thinking two.Plus how big do I need for my bolts to attach my 8x10 to the house?

 

Hockey Boy,

Welcome to DoItYourself.com and the Deck forum.

How many footings you need and how far they are spaced apart depends on how large your girder(s) are, how large your joists are, and how far they are spaced apart. The joist spacing is determined by the decking material that you will be using. Is the deck going to be attached, via a ledger, or freestanding? Is any part of the deck going to be more than 30" above grade? If so, it will probably need a permit, and it will have to have railing. Will it have steps? If there are more than 3 risers, you'll need a handrail.

Best place to start would be at a local lumber yard or one of the big box stores (HD or Lowe's, etc.) that has a computer design service available. Or simply buy a book (Ortho, Sunset, etc.) about deck construction and study it.

 

Most areas now require building permits for decks. Check with your local building code office. Codes rule!