How to attach joists to bearers in a tight space?

[Mgraham314]

Hi All, I'm currently building an outdoor deck and had a question on attaching the joists to bearers in the small space highlighted below. I'm using joist hangers for most of the deck, however I was wondering if these are required for the joists in the small gap or whether it would be okay to screw/nail these ones in?

The gap is approx 300-500mm wide between the bearers.

Thanks in advance!

Michael

[JacobZ]

Hi @Mgraham314,

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community and thank you for your question.

As these bearers are so close together, the joists will not be performing a massive amount structurally, so there is no need for joist hangers in this location.

I'd suggest skewing two screws through the joist into the ledger board and driving two long batten screws through the outside of the bearer into the end grain of the joist.

To drive in skewed screws, start by drilling a shallow pocket around 5mm deep into the side of the joist. You can then rotate the drill 45 degrees, sit the tip of the drill bit in this pocket and drill at an angle through the joist into the ledger board. You can then use this angled pilot hole to drive your screws into place. Driving each screw in halfway before fully driving them in place. This will help to stop the joist from pulling itself out of place when sending the screws home.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Jacob

[Mgraham314]

Thanks Jacob! That's very helpful and will save a heap of time trying to attach joist hangers in that tight space.

[JacobZ]

Hi @Mgraham314,

If they were longer lengths, you would want to add something to support them, but at that length, it should be fine.

Good luck with the rest of your deck build. If you want any further assistance along the way, please don't hesitate to ask.

Also, if you'd like to share some photos once you're done, please feel free to do so. Our community love a good decking project, so it would be fantastic to see what you come up with.

Jacob