Building a Free-Standing Deck

A wooden free-standing deck can add value and beauty to your home. It can also increase the usable surface area of your yard and give you a foundation for a hot tub, or patio furniture.
This is a fairly easy project to complete, if you are comfortable with power tools such as a circular saw and drill. If you aren't comfortable with or don't own a circular saw, you may be able to get the hardware store to cut the wood for you. Be sure you have the correct measurements and that the wood is cut to the exact size you need.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Tools:
• * Graph paper and a pencil
• * Tape Measure
• * Circular Saw with a new blade
• * Level
• * Power Drill with a screwdriver bit
• Materials:
• * A ball of string
• * Small wooden stakes
• * Enough pressure treated 2x4's to complete the project.
• * Concrete Deck Anchors.
• *A large box of 2 ½ inch long treated deck screws.

Start With a Plan

1. Look at the area you have available for your deck. Then measure it; you will want to measure all sides and across the middle diagonally.

2. Decide on the shape of your new deck. The best design for a free-standing deck is going to be either square or rectangular. Be sure that this shape will fit in the space you have.

3. Get a piece of graph paper, let each square represent a square foot and draw your deck. This diagram will be the base of your deck.

4. Draw in the supporting braces. These run across the length of the deck, at selected intervals, generally not more than 36 inches apart. They are anchor points for the floor, which will be laid across the width of the deck.

5. Place a dot at each corner of your diagram and wherever two lines cross. This is where the concrete deck anchors will be placed. Because the supporting braces need to be supported; even treated wood cannot withstand years of contact with the ground. When you count up the dots, you will know how many deck anchors to purchase.

Lay out the Deck

6. Using your diagram and tape measure, drive a wooden stake into the ground at each corner of your deck.

7. Drive additional wooden stakes into the ground at each point you have indicated for deck anchors.

8. Run string from stake to stake, until you have a larger version of your diagram, in string, on your lawn.

9. Measure each line; the frame and the support pieces. The frame sides should be the same length as the support pieces; the top and bottom will be the length of the floor pieces.

10. Determine how many floor pieces you need by taking the length of the top frame piece and divide it by 4. Now you have an idea of how much wood to purchase.

11. Measure the wood once you get it home. Then measure it again before cutting.

Assemble the Deck

12. Place Deck Anchors where they should go, based on the diagram.

13. Place top and bottom edges on the anchors and make sure they are level.

14. Place sides, and cross pieces on their anchors. Make sure they are level.

15. Screw the boards together, using two deck screws, wherever the boards meet.

16. Lay your floor slats across the frame and attach them where they intersect the supports, using two screws.

17. Stain or paint the deck and you will have a free-standing deck to call your own for years to come.

Tips & Warnings

• Measure twice, cut once.