How to lay out the deck: once the the ledger board installed against the building that board forms the home-base from which all other deck measurements are made.
With the ledger in place we now explain how to place the accurate location the deck piers, posts, and beams using string, batter boards, and a few other tricks of the trade.
This article series describes construction steps in a design-build project for a deck or porch floor.
InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.
- Daniel Friedman, Publisher/Editor/Author - See WHO ARE WE?
If you are building a deck attached to an existing building, then with the ledger installed on the building
and the site prepared, you can begin to lay out your deck.
However if the deck is free-standing, you'll need to set the deck's rough location (shown in our sketch) and then its exact location.
In either case the deck layout involves establishing the edges of the proposed deck framing with string lines, then using the string lines to locate the planned foundation holes. The work is not physically challenging, but it is critically important. An accurate layout is much easier to accomplish if you have a helper.
Watch out: before fixing the deck location on your building or site, if you haven't seen it,
read DECK LOCATION.
Batter- boards are temporary attachment points for string lines. They are usually made with 1 x 4s or 2 x 4s, but you can use any scrap lumber available.
Each batter- board consists of a crosspiece mounted on two stakes, which are cut with pointed bottoms and can be driven into the ground. To make the string lines level, the top of the crosspiece must be level with the top of the ledger.
If you are building on a flat site, you can usually use 3-foot-long stakes. On a sloping site, however, the stakes will have to be longer. For a basic rectangular deck, you will need two pairs of batterboards.We can also use the 6-8-10 triangle shown at page top to be sure that we are projecting our deck sides straight out from the building.
Details about setting up and using batter boards to give a precise location of your deck and to be sure it's laid-out level and square, are found at BATTER BOARDS LAYOUT METHOD.
If you are building an elevated deck, it would not be fruitful to attach string lines to the ledger itself.
Instead, attach a plumb bob to each outside edge of the ledger and drop it to near ground level.
Set up batterboards so that the front edges of the crosspieces are plumb with the front face of the ledger. (In some cases, you can attach the crosspieces directly to the house.)
The sketch and method discussed above for laying out a structure over sloped or rough ground is explained further
at STAIR DESIGNS for UNEVEN / SLOPED SURFACES
where we describe how to locate the supporting posts for stairs (or a deck) built over un-even or sloping ground.
There are several methods for leveling a structure over a large drop-off or slope.
To account for the end joists that will be attached to the ledger later, measure 1 1/2 inches outside the plumb bob on each side and make a mark.
Drive a nail or screw at each mark to attach the layout string lines, which will represent the framed sides of the deck.
Position the batterboards a few feet beyond the edges of the planned deck, drive a screw or nail into the ends of the ledger, and tie a length of string to each screw or nail 1 1/2 inches from the ledger.
The other ends of the string lines will be tied to screws or nails driven into the tops of the crosspieces after the lines are positioned.
String lines can be used to mark the perimeter of the deck framing on all sides, or the positions of all foundation holes or a combination of both.
The goal is to position the string lines so that they are perfectly square, then to determine hole locations on the ground using a plumb bob. After the holes have been dug and the footings and piers poured, string lines can also be used to check the alignment of the posts and to position the beam properly.
Use the same approach when you are building a deck that is not just a rectangle.
If you are building a deck that wraps around a corner of the house, run a single corner string line out from one of the ledgers. This creates two rectangles, each of which can be checked for square.
If you want to create a deck with mitered corners, begin by establishing a standard rectangular layout. Then measure back from the outside string line an equal distance on both sides and run another string line.
Even more complicated decks can be laid out in similar fashion. Try to break the deck down into a series of rectangles, each of which can be checked easily for square.
More details about how to use the 6-8-10 rule to assure two framing members are at right angles to one another are at
For a different and interesting use of triangles and plane geometry to convert stair slope in degrees to tread depth and riser height
see CALCULATE STAIR TREAD DEPTH OR RISER HEIGHT FROM STAIRWAY SLOPE IN DEGREES.
Greater variations in riser height are serious trip and fall hazards.
Also see FRAMING TRIANGLES & CALCULATIONS.
...
Continue reading at BATTER BOARDS LAYOUT METHOD - how to lay out any structure on the ground, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.
Or see these
DECK LAYOUT at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.
Or see this
Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia
Or see
Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia
Try the search box just below, or if you prefer, post a question or comment in the Comments box below and we will respond promptly.
Search the InspectApedia website
Note: appearance of your Comment below may be delayed: if your comment contains an image, photograph, web link, or text that looks to the software as if it might be a web link, your posting will appear after it has been approved by a moderator. Apologies for the delay.
Only one image can be added per comment but you can post as many comments, and therefore images, as you like.
You will not receive a notification when a response to your question has been posted.
Please bookmark this page to make it easy for you to check back for our response.
Our Comment Box is provided by Countable Web Productions countable.ca
In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.