r/Decks • u/groundstrikeenjoyer • 1d ago
Building a deck Don’t be lazy like me to save yourself a few hundred bucks and 1 day
I’m limited to a 4x4 platform (to match the previous build in place) because it’s a means of egress and is currently in violation of setbacks, but the previous steps were quite literally falling apart. In a bout of silliness I decided not to dig out and redo footings…
That 6x6 is closer to the edge of that footing than I am to giving up. Outside joist rests centered on that 6x6, but boy it looks… great.
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u/Complete-Mountain-85 1d ago
Looks more like you're building a fire escape platform. Once the railing is in place, consider a rope escape ladder rolled up and stored on the platform.
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u/dmoosetoo 1d ago
Is this a main entrance or an emergency egress only for a converted 2 family? For what it's worth it appears sturdy and safe if not esthetically pleasing.
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u/groundstrikeenjoyer 1d ago
Yes, this used to be an attic. there’s a front door but the staircase is extremely steep, definitely a homeowner special so we opt to use this entrance.
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u/Mammoth_1776 1d ago
Buy a large kids slide and attach it to that deck.
It’ll be the funnest exit in the house.
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u/girthbrooks1 1d ago
HotTub!
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u/groundstrikeenjoyer 1d ago
how many gallons can I get away with?
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u/TheOriginalSpunions 18h ago
prop it up. pull the posts. put in new footers and brackets. reuse the same posts. done.
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u/New-Mountain-6280 16h ago
Full creative control? I can make it pretty without new footers.
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u/groundstrikeenjoyer 16h ago
Yessir, my house
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u/New-Mountain-6280 15h ago
Code doesn't require anything to be centered. Just keep it square and there's more deck space, why knot
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u/Medical-Egg-8171 15h ago
why cant you make it wide at least
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u/groundstrikeenjoyer 15h ago
setbacks
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u/Medical-Egg-8171 15h ago
not off the house but wider left to right,
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u/groundstrikeenjoyer 15h ago
I’m limited to a 4x4 unfortunately because that’s what was previously there, this is permitted as a repair technically
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u/Medical-Egg-8171 15h ago
I see. I could understand how you could violate a set back when the house is going out further left and right. I still bet they will let you slide. id be more worried about not being honest amd saying its a repair
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u/groundstrikeenjoyer 15h ago
That’s what the inspector instructed me to do, we had a few weeks of back and forth because I originally wanted to go for a 10x8, but that is when the setback violated was pointed out and he specifically limited me to a 4x4 but to mark the permit as demo and repair.
He gave me the option to go for a variance (cost $800) to be heard about the 10x8, but honestly I wasn’t willing to spend the money for that.
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u/Medical-Egg-8171 15h ago
hey then its on the inspector not you . I have had an inspector do something similar, old house with foundation wall next too a river, close enough to river where even repair woukd have had to get a headache approval from state and wet lands, he actually said dont pull a permit
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u/pat8o 1d ago
Ohhhhman.
Yeah...I would be trying to work out a ledger board + cantilever situation. Probably need to throw some steel at the situation tbh. But ..anything to get the post in front of the window gone.
But..I digress.
Do what you gotta do to build something safe and sturdy for now. Make it nice when you can, fire egress is important. And with a little more time and money this can be made to look good
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u/AnyManufacturer3057 1d ago
I noticed that a lot of you set the posts on a concrete piller. Being in mid Michigan all my life , I have never seen that. We auger a hole, throw a concrete cookie in the bottom and bury the post. What is the purpose of the treated post sitting so high? It makes sense as it won’t rot, but u won’t see that done here. Everything is dug 42” deep and buried. Is that the code in your area?
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u/groundstrikeenjoyer 1d ago
48” is frostline for the concrete footing, and’s the post base is required in my county
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u/swarleythe3rd 1d ago
I commonly see engineers spec it just as you have described (I’m in Florida). I’d say 99% of the decks locally are buried posts.
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u/No-Vanilla2468 1d ago
It’s a decent question in my opinion. We’re always talking about concrete being required for footings and it is more confusing than people think. The IRC does say posts must be supported on concrete “or another approved structural system”. So maybe helical piles or some approved manufacturer solution. So, it doesn’t say concrete is 100% required, but you can see that just post in dirt is not to code. It needs something.
And here, we are within 5 feet of the house, so we really want to be extra careful that the house and deck heave at the same rate.
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u/StrawberrySecret4770 12h ago
The DCA 6 (which my inspector referred me to) shows both as options https://web-media.awc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/17210514/AWC-DCA62015-DeckGuide-1804.pdf (see page 13).
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u/No-Vanilla2468 3h ago
So I am not an inspector, but even reading that page 13, you can see every option has the post on concrete. One option is buried, but the load is transferred to a larger footprint of concrete before the load goes to soil. The DCA6 is based on the 2015 IRC, and neither shows or describes any conditions of just post in dirt. Every scenario has some footing, even if the post itself is partially buried.
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u/sabresc22 1d ago
I dont understand why anyone would put a door directly above a window lol. I wouldda jus redone the footers mang whole thing looks off.