How to Draw a Deck Site Plan
If you're thinking about designing a deck for your home, you'll need to begin by making a deck site plan so that you will know exactly what materials you need and how it will be constructed. Making a plan might be required by your local building department. It will also help you reduce confusion during construction. Read on to learn more. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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1
Measure the height of your deck from the ground and how wide it will be. You can use posts and strings to represent the dimensions of your deck. Measure the distance of the deck to the ground in intervals.
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Use graph paper to draw the plan from the side. Now that you know the distance between the ground and the deck, you can make an elevation drawing. You'll need to note any changes in the ground's height in the plans and be as specific as possible.
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3
Add the height and length of the railing to the elevation drawing you just made. Again, you want to be as specific as possible so that you don't run into problems during construction. Note not only the height of the whole rail, but also the length of any boards used. You may have 30 vertical pieces that make up the bulk of the height ,but don't forget to include any horizontal pieces that might be attached to them.
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Make a bird's eye view drawing of the deck's foundation. Again, use graph paper so that things will be to scale. Be certain to include all piers, beams and joists. Mark their locations and distances as accurately as possible.
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Make a bird's eye view drawing of the finished deck. This will show the individual pieces of wood used to make the deck's floor.
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6
Use tracing paper to combine the bird's eye drawings of the foundation and the finished deck.
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Tips & Warnings
Contact your local building department to see what drawings you need and how detailed those drawings should be.
Always draw to scale. If you don't, then you could find yourself getting confused during construction.
