wooden decking diy
Submitted by Shane O on Sat, 2014-11-22 11:15
Hi,
Looking at building a timber deck i have been looking online to see what the reccomended spacing is for the supports, cant seem to find any info for this.
The measurements are 14900 x 3465
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pgreen1
Posts: 395
Date Joined: 20/02/08
Have built a few decks now
Have built a few decks now and I concrete the footings/supports in at around every 1800mm. As for the bearers that support the decking I space them at 700 mm but all this depends on what you are using. When I do mine the structure in steel with the timber decking screwed to it. I find any further apart and it becomes springy to walk on
Shane O
Posts: 926
Date Joined: 22/01/10
bunnings
has these handiblock pre cast support footings which takes out the need to cement into the ground. they are called Evo-crete 290x290x190
Not sure if these would be any good, anyone heard of them or used them. might save a few dollars there..
makai
Posts: 459
Date Joined: 28/10/08
It depends.......
The spacings for footings depends on the carrying capacity of your bearers and joists. The heavier (stronger) these are, the further apart you can space them, so the further apart your footings are. There are Australian Standards that guide these things and these can be found in books like The Australian Decks & Pergolas Construction Manual ((Author Allan Staines).
It is worth remembering that if you do not build to the required standard and it collapsed and injured somebody, you would be liable.
Marineboy
Posts: 845
Date Joined: 14/03/14
Decking
if using treated pine your main bearers should be 70mm x 70mm (35x70 screwed together) spaced 1500mm apart and posts no further apart than 1800mm..
your joists should be 90mm x 45mm spaced at 450mm centres.
If you stick to these measurements you will get no spring in the deck.
My spots are so secret even the fish don't know about them !
Shane O
Posts: 926
Date Joined: 22/01/10
spacing
will look at going 1500mm between posts and joists to be safe, looked at the below video on youtube and looks pretty simple
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wimm2yy4E8A
Shane O
Posts: 926
Date Joined: 22/01/10
patio
forgot to mention have plans into council for the area for a patio, fingers crossed as that wont leave much backyard.
Marineboy
Posts: 845
Date Joined: 14/03/14
Shane o
the most important part of all is to make sure you square up properly right from the start and keep double checking yourself as you go.
My spots are so secret even the fish don't know about them !
Mattyb84
Posts: 388
Date Joined: 28/12/12
Doin the same ATM iv put
Doin the same ATM iv put stirrups in at 1500 centres 600 appart. Used 140 x45 bearers did the same out the front and its solid as a rock mate no spring at all
Pgfc member
joe amato
Posts: 731
Date Joined: 21/12/08
use stirrups
use stirrups as wel minimum 50mm above the ground in conc footings plus no dirt touching bearers or edge,even pretreat to keep termites out,when u cut pretrated timbers it creates access for termites only couple of mm of arsenic treatment,treat all cut ends with creasote,seen many deckings with termites feasting,better steel beams underneath imo
Shane O
Posts: 926
Date Joined: 22/01/10
Patio tubing
was suggested that I use patio tubing underneath, seems like a good option.
Nelly
Posts: 518
Date Joined: 04/05/08
Im a carpenter,Marineboy is
Im a carpenter,Marineboy is on the money although i would use 2/90x45 screwed together for the bearers.Bearers 1500mm spacing,Posts 1800mm,Joists 450mm.Keep the sand well clear of the bearers and i would recommend screwing the deck especially if bigger boards.As for pre cast footings,ground screw stirrups etc i wouldnt do it,Do it right and do it once concrete the stirrups into the ground as it would be a pain in the ass to fix later.
Pitty
Posts: 161
Date Joined: 08/12/12
90 x 45 joists 450
90 x 45 joists 450 centres
max single span 1300mm
max continuous span 1800mm (supported at 3 or more points)
2/90 x 45 bearers (working is 1800mm spacings)
max single span 1500mm
max continuous span 1600mm supported at 3 or more points
footing size need to be a minimum of type 1 from table 3.3 as1684.2-2010 being 230 x 230 x 100 but practically would need to be deeper to pick up stirrups if cast in
bearers do not need to be screwed together but nailed at 2 x depth centres (ie 180mm for 90 x 45) with 90mm nails with two extra nails at each point of support. Nails are to be staggered. If you use screws they need to be treated and minimum no 10 screw with 75% penetration.
timber to be aminimum of h3 and not in contact with the ground and galvanised nails required
i am a builder and carpenter specialising in large timber frame construction. These are the requirements of as1684, as a lot of advice given above is inaccurate. All the dimensions given change if the deck is 1m above ground level.
PM me if you need help or further explanation
UBIQUE
Shane O
Posts: 926
Date Joined: 22/01/10
Pm
pm sent
DTrain
Posts: 486
Date Joined: 10/02/12
I did a deck myself a few
I did a deck myself a few years back. I can give you two bits of advice.
1) The spans Pitty has posted are the minimum requirement and if you build exactly to those lengths the deck will be a bit bouncy and soft. Closing up the spacing between bearers and posts will make the deck feel more solid. I think I went with 450 between joists, 1200 between bearers and 1300 between posts.
2)I laid out all my bearers and supported them on bricks temporarily, then put in a few of the joists and leveled and squared everything. Then I dug holes under the bearers and bolted the stirrups onto the bearers and dangled the stirrups down into the holes. Once all the stirrups are in you can then double check that everything is level before you start pouring concrete into the holes.
marrisy
Posts: 204
Date Joined: 08/09/11
insurance
Check with your insurance, my policy doesn't seem to cover a building that isn't tied down, if sitting on blocks on top of the ground and a wind blows it apart, you may not be covered. do it once and do it properly.
marrisy.