How to Build a Cedar Deck

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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When deciding to add a deck onto a house, many consumers like the idea of cedar. It is relatively inexpensive and gives a nice look to your home. Certain steps need to be taken to make sure your cedar deck is built properly.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

Cedar wood
Mason line
Ready-mix concrete
Wrench
Connectors
Chalk line
Measuring tape

Step1

Get your ground ready by removing any vegetation in your deck area. Use a chemical sod killer to make sure you have the vegetation removed.

Step2

Create a slope moving away from your house to act as a drainage system. Make sure water is moving away from your house before you get your deck started. Determine where your cedar deck will stand along the outside wall of your house. It should be just below your door.

Step3

Mount a 2 by 6 ledger to the wall with one-half inch lag screws.

Step4

Measure from the ledger of your deck about a 1 1/2 feet to allow extra space for the cedar. Your goal is to establish a perimeter for your cedar deck.

Step5

String a rope around the boards to determine the length of the footing, and dig about 8 inches deeper than you think you should so that you have room for drainage.

Step6

Mix the concrete and pour the footings. Allow the concrete to set, and pound the posts onto the piers. Fasten the connectors to your posts with nails and place the beams onto the connectors.

Step7

Set the joists in place, and place your cedar deck boards over the posts, but don't butt them up against each other. Give them about a pencil's width from each other. This will allow for drainage. Run your cedar across the body of your deck. Once all the boards are laid, saw off the ends to make them even.