How to Build a 10 Foot by 8 Foot Deck

Take advantage of your landscape by building a small garden deck.

A small deck can be an attractive addition to your garden, and it can also provide just enough space on the back of your house for a comfortable sitting area. By keeping the dimensions of a deck to 8 by 10 feet, you'll be able to use standard-length decking boards and joists, and save yourself the work of cutting them. The best decking woods to use are redwood or cedar, because they resist deterioration better than other species. Use pressure-treated wood for the posts and joists if you want to get the maximum life from your deck.

Things You'll Need

• 8 concrete pier blocks
• Shovel
• Torpedo level
• 8 galvanized post holders
• 1-inch galvanized nails
• Hammer
• 8 pressure-treated 4-by-4-inch posts
• Line level
• Circular saw
• 2 8-foot and 2 10-foot 2-by-8-inch rim joists
• 2 pounds 3-inch decking screws
• Drill
• #2 Phillips bit
• 24 1/2-by-6-inch carriage bolts, nuts and washers
• Wrench
• 6 8-foot lengths of 2-by-8-inch pressure-treated lumber
• or
• 5 10-foot lengths of 2-by-8-inch pressure-treated lumber
• 12 2-by-8-inch galvanized joist hangers
• 21 8-foot 2-by-6-inch decking boards
• 17 10-foot 2-by-6-inch decking boards

Instructions

1. Set concrete pier blocks at the four corners of the deck perimeter, and then set one pier block on each side, midway between the corners. Level the ground, or dig a small hole for each block, then use a torpedo level to level the top of each block when you set it. If you want the deck close to the ground, dig holes deep enough to bury most of each block. Nail galvanized post holders to the top of each one with 1-inch galvanized nails.

2. Set the first post in one of the corners. If the ground is sloped, choose the corner on the highest ground. Measure the desired height on the deck on the post, remembering to allow for the thickness of the decking boards, and cut the post with a circular saw. Nail it to the post holder with 1-inch nails.

3. Set posts in all the corners, then stretch a line level from the top of the first post to each one in succession and cut the tops level. Nail the posts in place, then set posts in between the corners, level the tops, then cut them and nail them.

4. Level the posts with the torpedo level, then temporarily screw 2-by-8-inch pressure-treated rim joists to the posts with 3-inch decking screws, so the edges are flush with the tops of the posts. Drill 2 1/2-inch holes through each junction of the joists with a post and insert a 1/2-by-6-inch carriage bolt into each hole. Place a washer on the end of each bolt, screw on a nut, and tighten the nut with a wrench until the head of the bolt bites into the wood.

5. Nail joist hangers at 16-inch intervals along two facing rim joists, being sure they are opposite each other. If you want the decking to run along the long edge of the deck, nail the joists to the shorter ones, and vice-versa. Use 1-inch nails to attach the hangers, and install them flush with the tops of the joists.

6. Drop a 2-by-8-inch pressure-treated lateral joist into each pair of hangers and nail it in place with 1-inch nails.

7. Lay the decking perpendicular to the lateral joists and screw it with 3-inch decking screws. Drive two screws into each board at each intersection with a joist. Maintain a spacing of about 1/2 inch between the decking boards. The edges and ends of the boards can be flush with the faces of the rim joists, or they can overhang by about 3/4 inch.

Tips & Warnings

• Let the decking wood season and dry for one or two weeks before you paint it or coat it with a protective finish.

• If the deck is attached to your house, install a ledger board on the side of your house to act as one of the rim joists and place the opposite rim joist on posts and piers.

• If the deck is more than 4 feet high, most local codes will require that you install a railing.

References

• This Old House: How to Build a Simple Deck
• Lowes: Build a Deck
• Ask the Builder: Build Deck