Can I build a deck above pavers?

[Bea12]

Hallo community 

I'm building my first house. I have pavers on the alfresco. Can I build the deck on top of the pavers.

Many thanks.

 

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Bea12. It's wonderful to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about constructing a deck.

What's under the pavers? Is it a concrete slab or soil? Either way, it's possible to build a deck over the area. If there's a slab beneath or the soil has been compacted sufficiently then pedestal feet can be used over the pavers. 

It doesn't look like you have much room between the top of the paver and the door threshold. Typically, you need at least 120mm for your joists and decking, and then you need a gap under that for airflow. Given the lack of height to include pedestal feet, you might like to consider removing the paving.

Here's a helpful guide: How to build a low-level deck.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell
 

[Bea12]

Thank you so much for your response.

What's under the pavers? There's soil that has been compacted.

With leaving a gap for airflow, does it apply also to WPC? 

[MitchellMc]

Hi @Bea12,

Since composite timbers contain timber that can decay, they typically also need airflow and generally have minimum requirements for height above ground. For example, our Ekodeck boards have a minimum ground clearance of 40mm with adequate drainage or 90mm without adequate drainage.

Provided you have enough height to fit pedestal feet, your joists, and decking boards, creating a deck over this area shouldn't be an issue. If you can measure the height from the pavers to the door sill, I can provide feedback on what structure can be built within that height and whether the pavers will need to be removed.

Mitchell

[Bea12]

The measurement height from the pavers to the door sill is 70mm

[EricL]

Hello @Bea12 

I'm afraid 70mm is not enough to build a low-level deck. For example, if you were using 70x35 for the deck framing and standard decking panel which is 19mm it would come to 89mm. If you had an extra 50mm for airflow, you would need a total of 139mm++. 

I propose removing one of the pavers and measuring from the soil to the door sill. This will tell you the usable space you have if you remove the pavers.  

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric