Advice For UK Builder Doing Deck In US

Hi there,

Back in the UK I am a builder and I now spend a lot of time in the US in Pennsylvania as my wife is American. I've started to do a few projects out here and my latest one is a new wrap around deck. From what I've seen and read the designs are a little different to how we may do in the UK, so was after some advice to make sure I comply with US best practice.

Key dimensions: -

Overall Size - 27' x 20'
Deck width - 8'
Deck overhang - 1'
Deck height - 3'
Deck beams - 2x10
Deck joists - 2x10
Joists spacing - 16"
Deck posts - 4x4
Post spacing - 6-7'
Decking boards - 1x6 PT board

My main questions: -

1. Does design look ok?
2. Any key dimensions should i change? i.e should posts be 6x6 or deck beams be 2x12?
3. In UK the posts would always be submerged and concreted in. Is this a big no for the US. I do prefer this look to resting on a concrete padstone.
4. Again in the US it seems typical to rest beams on top of posts? In UK we would sandwich and bolt beams either side of post. Am I correct best practise is beams on top of post?
5. Does the detail of the angle beams look ok? I think i've seen 45 degree hangers I can use? Only issue with the overhang is it creates issues with the last small joists...

Thanks in advance

Simpson makes hangers for just about every imaginable use. Check out their catalog on line.

This deck is in PA? How is the soil, lots of rock in your area?

Yeah it's in PA. Soil is pretty good, but it is rocky!

I did a pergola in the summer which required 4 posts. A bit of hard labour digging the holes for that - but manageable.

This should answer most of your questions:

https://awc.org/pdf/codes-standards/...Guide-1804.pdf

Ok thanks. It would be great to get some advice on my specific questions and design if possible?

thanks

6X6 posts, beams are incised into them and through bolted. This detail is in the PDF already linked.

Best practice is usually considered to be concrete footers with a base bracket the post gets attached to. Some areas customers may have a preference for concrete encased posts.

Best practice is helical piers

Definitely 6x6. No bolting beams to the sides of posts.

Where in PA are you?

The DCA 6 is a great source of info. Your local building department may also have a packet available for what they expect.

How do those piers react in rocky conditions?

That's my thinking. Here, every municipality within Oakland County have subscribed to the same guide sheet for decks. You can go to any city or Village's web portal, and they have the same PDF for download.

Make it much easier to avoid 2nd guessing what will be accepted.

What do you mean by rocky? Gravel, basketballs, volvos? There are a lot of variables and we have ways of dealing with most of them.

When I asked op about rocky conditions I was thinking about up in the area where I worked (Upper Mercer, Lower Hunterdon cty) the ground up there has a lot of shale rock in it. It can be a real PITA to run a power auger in even.

Got me thinking if the machine behind the piers would just power right through all that crap.

Usually. We have special piers for rocky soil, a bigger machine, or a rock auger. We have been in Mercer, Middlesex, Essex, and Bergen recently and havent had issues. But it varies from site to site.

Location is about 10 miles from State college in PA

So with the rock auger, do you predrill a slightly smaller hole than the diameter of the pier?


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Depends on depths and loads required. Sometimes we have to loosen up the rocky soil just to get through it and find better soil below.

Have you made a trip to the Penn St creamery yet?

-Rich