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I am trying to plan a deck for my courtyard outside. Part of is concreted while some of it will be over soil.
Do I have to use concrete footings for the support over the soil or can I get away with flattening the top soil and using deck blocks or brick pavers?
any advice would be super helpful!
cheers
Hi @tivo777
If that was my place I would extend the slab to match your desired deck space and then tile it with some beautiful timber look tiles that are super realistic these days and You will never have to worry about rot white ants restaining the timber periodically forever.
On concrete you can always lay decking over it as it forms your base.
But there is one advantage with timber and concrete footings. You could do is raise your deck to match the height of the door way brick work so its almost level (Almost level so water wont flow in the door from deck)
To answer your question I would recommend cement footings with joist stirups in it. so the deck dosnt move when walked on. If it sitting on pavers they might sink and move a bit. Larger cement pre poured concrete slabs might work better but adds complications if you wanted to attach joist holders to the slabs. But if the deck is sitting on the concrete pavers free floating the weight should keep it mostly in place.
There are others here quite skilled at deck builds to guide you further depending which way you are thinking today. 
Hello @tivo777
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's marvellous to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about building a deck.
I suggest having a quick look at these guides - How to build a low-level deck by @Adam_W and How to build a deck by @MitchellMc. These guides will give you a very good idea on what to take into consideration when planning your deck.
It is possible to use bricks or pavers as footing in combination with Builders Edge Pedestal Footing. They are adjustable and come in different sizes. I also suggest having a look at this discussion - Low-level composite deck over concrete and soil by @oninpena. This is a good example of a decking frame being built over concrete and open ground.
I propose drawing up your plan on paper first. This will allow you to visualize how big the decking frame will be. It will also determine in which direction the deck panels will be laid in. I then recommend sharing your plan with the community and any questions you might have. We can then make recommendations on how to proceed.
I recommend having a look at the Bunnings guide on how to build a deck:
- How to plan out your deck
- How to set out a deck
- How to install stumps
- How to install bearers
- How to install joists
- How to lay decking
- How to add a step to your deck.
If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.
Eric
