Deck for an L-shaped house

LJ1970

Hi LJ1970 (a super Newbie!)

First up, reading some of the other posts, etc., this forum looks terrific!

I'm wanting to do a DIY deck (about 6m x 9m) for my L-shaped brick veneer house in Canberra. I have never built a deck before. I'm wanting to design the deck in CAD before starting. I have a lot of (really) basic questions, but will start with the ledger.

Building a rectangular deck for an L-shaped house, both bearers and joists will be abutting the house. Do I put in a ledger for (a) both joists & bearers, or (b) just the joists? If the latter (b), I'm confused about how to position the posts to support the bearer ends close to the house; presumably they'd need a post right up close to the house, yes?

I was going to affix 90 x 45mm ledger(s) (or is that too small?) to the house using Ramset 100mm Galvanised AnkaScrew Masonry Anchor, with screws every 300mm.

Any help for a newbie would be very much appreciated!

EricL

Hello @LJ1970

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. Thank you so much for joining us and sharing your question about a deck for an L-shaped house.

If you are building a low-level deck, my first suggestion is to have a look at this guide - How to build a low-level deck by @Adam_W. This will give you a general idea of how to plan your deck frame. If you are building a traditional frame with the joist on top of the bearers, it's not necessary to have a ledger for the joists as they will be sitting on a ledger attached to the house. However, in a single-layered structure, you will only need a ledger in the direction of where the bearers are pointed to.

In order for us to give you a comprehensive recommendation, I suggest drawing up a plan and posting it along with your measurements. How high off the ground is the deck? Are you lining it up with an existing door? What is the height between the door and the floor, What decking panels are you planning on using? These are just some of the questions you need to consider while planning your deck.

Here is a link for ideas and inspiration: Inspiring low-level deck builds

Here are some fantastic low-level deck projects that our members have shared in Workshop.

If you need more advice or information, please let us know.

Eric

LJ1970

Thanks for the links and the feedback Eric; much appreciated.

I've attached a couple of screenshots of:

(i) a possible look for the deck (+ steps) that I put together that I like; and

(ii) the deck volume (ie. showing position relative to house, sliding doors, height from ground, etc.).

Any thoughts, feedback would be much appreciated.Preferred look-n-feel for the deckDeck Volume

EricL

Hi @LJ1970

Thank you for posting your proposed plan and measurements. My number one tip for your build is to secure the drainage under the deck. Looking at the measurements you posted it seems the land is sloped towards the house. Unless the house is raised or on stilts, that water is going to flow into the corner. I suggest using Vinidex 100mm x 20m Socked Slotted Draincoil laid in the lowest corner of the area using a french drain configuration so that when the water settles it gets diverted out to the sewer.

Because your deck is quite big and is a bit of a distance off the ground, I suggest having a look at the council rules and regulations for height and size guidelines for D.I.Y. decks in your area. My next suggestion is to have a look at a span table. Here is an example of a span table - Residential Timber Decks. A span table gives you information about framing timber for your deck. Depending on where you are there will be a preferred span table for use in your state.

Please keep us updated with your progress, we look forward to seeing your framing plans.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric