Quote:
Originally Posted by pj67coll
Anybody experienced with building a deck? In particular using those concrete blocks as a foundation for a "free floating" deck instead of digging and concreting post holes. I'm toying with the idea of building one myself and am intrigued with the idea of using deck blocks. However I also have a nagging thought in the back of my mind that they just make things too easy and cut the kind of engineering corners that would change a 240D into a Kia. Or am I wrong? Any thoughts on the subject would be appreciated.
- Peter.
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How big will the deck be? Is the location flat? grassy? How long do you want the deck to last?
If you are building a relatively small, low deck, on firm soil, and use decent cross bracing, you could probably get away with using those blocks. If the deck is going to be more than a foot or two above ground, and require railings, then I would go for using a concrete caisson. Once you get involved with railings, the lateral force that is applied whenever someone leans on the railing is tremendous, and can make a free standing deck sway. In Phoenix, I would probably just sink the posts into the concrete, and avoid any silly metal standoffs.