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The ground is undulating and I have approx 190mm to work with as my finished height. I would like to build it without using footings and use the plastic toughblock or concrete blocks so the deck is floating and removable as there is plumbing that may need access by council. I was thinking of using 140x45 timbers joists using the plastic toughblock. Or the 90x45 using the concrete blocks?
Any advice would be appreciated as I don't want it to be spongy under foot.
Is this possible? Any advice is appreciated.
Hello @tgm
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's marvellous to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about your low-level deck.
Let's do some quick math, if you have 190mm of space to use, the DEKO 250 x 150 x 150mm Instant Concrete Foundation Block will provide 110mm of height. If you include the 90 x 45mm Outdoor Framing MGP10 H3 Treated Pine - 2.4m and the standard Merbau decking panel thickness of 19mm, you'll have a total of 174mm. This means that you'll need to add 16mm of soil beneath it to have it at exactly 190mm.
Because you have uneven terrain, the soil adjustment will not be uniform all through out, I suggest using a Builder's Line in combination with a Trojan Lightweight Line Level to establish a guide for your footing. You can also set up additional lines to make sure that your layout is square.
I also recommend 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 excellent ideas on how to assemble your decking frame.
Here is a link for ideas and inspiration: Inspiring low-level deck builds.
I suggest drawing your deck framing on paper or your favourite software and sharing it with the community. If you have any other queries about the framing plan, make sure to include them as well. Our members will be more than happy to provide advice and information.
If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.
Eric
