Framing The L-Shaped Deck

This is a great shot of the almost completed deck frame, and Harry posing. This deck was framed 16″ on center using 2″x8″ pt (pressure treated) southern yellow pine, which also happens to be the most common and one of the best exterior framing materials available. While 2″x6″ stock would have satisfied code requirements for our maximum spans, we chose 2″x8″ for the added structural stability and to reduce deflection (bounce).

There are still a few things left to do on the frame as it is pictured. You will notice that there is only a single box making up the perimeter of the frame. The ‘box’ is the perimeter of a floor-system frame, usually made from the same stock that your joists are made up of (makes sense, as you will be fastening your joists to at least one side of the box). We always use a double box for our decks, you don’t have to, but again, it adds to the overall structural stability of the system. If you leave the second layer of the double box off until the end of framing, this gives you the opportunity to face nail the joists through the face of the first box layer. The nails commonly used for framing are not long enough to penetrate through a double box and provide a proper fastening system. That being said, joists that are being ‘hung’ on a box, such as this (and most decks), should never only be fastened with nails. To properly fasten floor joists hanging on a box they should be fastened with both nails and joist-hangers.

Aside from completing the box, the concrete footings still need to be poured. After giving the footings enough time to cure the 4″x4″ pt posts will be installed from the footings to the bottom of the box and the temporary supports can be removed. Always use PVC or z-rated galvanized post-feet between the concrete footing and the pt post. The post feet will properly anchor the 4″x4″ post to the concrete footing and prevent it from deteriorating over time.

We’ll pour that long concrete footing slab next in part 3.