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Hi,
I am planning some decking and a pergola, I would like to know if I am required any planning or building permits for the following:
1: extend my decking area from my alfresco (which is situated on a slab) and extending outwards in 3 directions, adding approx. 18sqm to the current decking area, the new decking will require footings of course, and be attached to the existing bearers on the alfresco. so I was wondering how deep footings should be ideally, post holes will be 1117mm on centre along the length, and 900mm on centre on either side.
decking will be 7200mm long and 4500mm wide, with a 380mm wrap around on one side.
currently the decking perimeter is the two brick piers, see below for my plans.
2: also planning an open "Hampton style" pergola that will cover the 18sqm decking, which will be attaching to the alfresco (approx. 2300mm above planned decking) so much stronger footings required (see the above pictures, the 4 deeper footings which are offset from the deck footings will be supporting the pergola, I'm not sure on minimum required depth but I will probably attach the posts to stirrups which will be secured in the footings.
3:A second smaller decking approx. 2.8 sqm in size from the laundry exit which will be anchored from the brick wall and require some footings, however i'm unsure as to the minimum depth for footings.
I called Casey council who recommended talking to a surveyor, but am I better to talk to a builder? and I am unsure about having plans made up professionally, at least for the decking and pergola and I haven't worked out how much materials will cost yet but if I am able to build everything myself I would like to save on costs where I can.
thanks heaps
I spend a little time redesigning and perhaps a little overkill, if anything could be removed or modified let me know
design changed to 140x45 bearers and back to 6 footings @ 745 on centre.
That's much better @TimGeo. I think you could cut down the number of joists you're using there as some don't seem to have much use. I've added a rough edit of your design of the joists including the ones I'd remove and how you should respace them. I've also created a rendering of how the deck frame could be built a little more efficiently. See how by laying your bearers in this direction the smaller calibre joists don't need to span as far?
There's nothing wrong with your design, but it could be neatened up a bit. I'd remove a couple of those joists and have an
evenly spaced one between the bearers instead. You typically want to space the joists/decking fixing points 450mm apart. You'll be nailing the decking off to the top of the bearer as well, and currently, you have the joists spaced like you won't be nailing off to them.
Structurally wise you're pretty much right to go, I'd just like to see those 90 x 45 mm spans less than 1000mm.
Mitchell
Definitely start a discussion to share your project with us @TimGeo. We all love a good deck project around here!
Reach out again if you need further assistance.
Mitchell
So just as a final point and to check tolerances:
Concrete supports 800mm o/c left to right, 768mm o/c front to back, depth:500mm
100x100 posts set in concrete, notched out 45mm for bearer support
joists spaced as evenly as possible as seen in dimensions.
Hello @TimGeo
I believe you've covered everything with your list. But just to double check, I suggest printing your decking frame design and marking each joint with a red pen and identifying what will be holding it together. I don't see any need for angle brackets or coach bolts unless you need it for a specific purpose in your design.
In regards to anchoring the post, I suggest using nut and bolt to secure the frame. Make sure to provide enough height for the post so that you have enough space to drill through the post and the bearer.
Please remember to wear personal protection such as gloves, goggles and a dust mask when working on your deck.
If you need further assistance, please let us know.
Eric
After some back and fourth with the guys on the forum and plenty of designing and measuring, I'm posting an update on my backyard landdscaping project, first up is the laundry decking, since it's a small area and the cost is more manageable, I thought it would be a great place to start and give me more motivation to keep going and build on the momentum.
Anyway the area in question is the laundry exit, it's about a 200mm+ drop from the bricks to the ground level, which is not ideal and it's a little akward stepping out the sliding door, I find myself stepping out wide from the tiles to the ground, to avoid stepping on the sliding door rails, another problem is if I'm carring the laundry out I have to step sideways which is also an issue.
I really want to have a nice continuous flow out of the door and have some firmer footing as I step outside, the ground level will be corrected and slightly higher than current with compacting some base and paving installed in the near future. And possibly some more decking around the other side to continue the design flow, which i will be posting about when that time comes.
The Laundry:
Side view of area:
View from directly opposite:
The plan, all designed in Sketchup:
I took the opportunity to build the Deck structure in the garage being a nice flat surace to work on and once completed I brought it out and dick a test fit to check clearances and see if there was any need to adjust, Lucky I did as I had made a measurement error but i'm thankful I had an offcut to fix the issue. So far so good! I screwed in a couple of scrap blocks of timber on the garden bed under the bearers to use as a reference and to make sure the deck is level.
I decided that the posts of the garden bed need a 5-10mm trim that way I can completely cover them with merbau rather than having to trim the merbau around the posts for a clean look, I've also decided the remove the step in the gaden bed so it's flush with the deck, which is easy enough as I need no additional materials to do that!
For now that's all I have, I'm waiting on some more free time to dig and set the posts in concrete and then I can complete the rest of the job.
I'll post my next update soon but thanks for tuning in!
