Slope A Deck Or A Level Deck?

John Hyatt

I also have read about building fall into the deck frame,I dont agree with it, but I have seen it in print. Even when I put on T&G Ipe I dont do it no need with my seceret method.

If the deck has a roof under it of course the fall is defentley built in but other wize I cant see the value in it on a project done corectley. J.

loneframer

Yes, this applies to new construction, although even on existing work I will build in a slight slope away from the house, only minimal though.
I have seen many cases on beachfront properties where during very foggy, wet days, the condensation will roll back on vinyl soffit and down the siding and in some cases of questionable siding tecniques, behind the siding. Very few framers will incorporate a Z-flashing at the bottom of the deck ledger to force water back out to the face of the wall finish. Not many siders will make an effort to do so either. Most second floor decks on my framing jobs are waterproofed, but some have flush beams that don't provide a natural break to prevent rollback. I have seen the need for this and always provide some slope away.

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ARI001

I pitch them 1/4" per 10'. Its not perceivable visually to most people but gives me piece of mind. I was always taught water is the worst enemy of a house and to protect against it anyway you can. I've never had a problem attaching stairs or with railings looking out when doing this.

concretemasonry

You never know what may be put on the deck surface or if it may have drainage under it. Nothing wrong with a small slope. Also it may heave up if it is a ledger installation and the posts are not set properly. Not as big a problem with free standing decks.

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Dick

Engineer, designer and consultant recently active domestically and internationally on construction and design in about 35 countries.

Jaketoo

If anything I frame my decks with a very slight slope back towards the house. I'm talking about just leaving the line when you cut the post, on your typical deck with joists attached to the ledger at the house, and cantilevered over a girder sitting on 6x6 posts.
I also put a slight crown in the girder.
My feeling has always been that once you add all the weight of the decking, somethings going to settle at least a little. Especially when using decking like 5/4 IPE. Man, is that stuff heavy.
Even the pressure treated lumber weighs a lot, and could cause the footings to settle.
Whether it's the footings settling into the ground, post base settling onto the footing, or girder settling onto the post, somethings got to settle a little bit.
Again, I'm talking about just keeping things up maybe 1/16 over a 14' span. Hardly a slope at all.
The stairs are an issue, because I install my stringers before installing decking. So I want things pretty level at that point,
but the last thing I want is something to sag.
I do put a lot of care into flashing the ledger to the house.

edmontondecks

Real quick...level!

One thing I noticed with all our replies is that not one of you mentioned getting a customer "call back" with regards to flooding or accellerated rotting. We all must be doing it right regardless of method.

Everytime I see one of those "how-to" books, I want to burn them. I am going to write a a "how-to" book...chapter 1..."Don't buy how-to books".

master of none

A lot of interesting thoughts on this subject. I have never built a level deck that was attached the a house.
It might come from my background in the concrete trades. just the thought of doing one level makes me feel ill.
I also know that their is more than one way to do everything. Just cause someone does something a little bit different than you doesn't make it wrong it's all in what the HO is happy with and will pay you for

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Winchester

Well, yeah unless they're happy because they have no idea their house is rotting away from the inside-out. I would call that wrong

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Ryan

edmontondecks

A deck with treated deckboards, level or sloped? If you build a 14'd deck and slope it 1", each deckboard (30 in total over 14') will be sloped approx .03". Then the gap between each board, the water is going to go there no matter what. If the boards are cupped/bowed, no difference on method. Spray some water on your sloped vs. level deck and see what happens...now results may vary depending on if you sloped it like a ski hill. It pools no matter what. That one board closest to your house is sloped .03" away (approx). Do you think the rain always falls striaght down and no water has ever gotten under your siding?

To install Duradeck, manufacturers specification for slope is 1/4" to a foot. I have talked to them a few times on this just to be certain. The first 3 decks I did...according to their specifications...I had to go back to reduce the slope or raise the end of the deck for the HO. They felt like they were falling or walking downhill. Spec'd this way why? To avoid replacement costs when vinyl does deteriorate...maybe, I don't know.

Low maintenance level or sloped? Probably sloped because they are expensive and you want to make sure you adhere to manufacturers installation specs, which is sloped.

When it rains, it rains from alot of different angles, sprays, splashing etc... Water goes everywhere and finds the path of least resistance for drainage. Lots of different opinions/arguements. If you want a leak proof deck, maybe think about an addition or covered deck.