Aligning Deck Posts and Footers
Vložit
- čas přidán 10. 05. 2023
- We've all seen decks where the concrete footers are in one spot and the support post ends up in a different spot. Sometimes by a bit and sometimes by a lot, so much so that they need to be replaced. Here, the deck was built, landing spot for the posts noted, deck supported, footers placed and cured, and the tecos and posts brought into place. This is easy with low decks, using batterboards, plumbobs and string is also common. Take the time to properly lay out the design, the likelihood of great looking finished deck will be increased.
• Renovation Coming Alon...
hmtatlanta.com/cobb-county-br...
www.hankmillerteam.com/
• Update or Flip As Is?
#cobbcounty #flippinghouses #investmentproperty
I wonder if they build the house first and then jack it up for the foundation 😅They do make tape measures and string line…..
Haha love it . Dude obviously has no clue . Anyone who mounts posts on the outside is a amateur
Right. Lol
Ground up is the way I was tough
What do you expect
He's a Home O' inspector
I start my outside concrete projects from sub to up.....
Would have been nice if the concrete was higher than the grade, so it would prevent pooling at the footing
Looks like they had the post and bracket installed and poured the concrete up around it hence the reason there's a screw drove down at an angle
@@a-carpenter9229That post is not in the concrete. It's actually not even touching the concrete at all.
That post will not be under water. That metal bracket is holding it up above the concrete. I don't see that area holding water anyway. I would have probably elevated the concrete about an inch or so, but that post is not in any danger of rotting.
I did my concrete piers at least 6 to 12 in above grade! But that's just me 😉
@@a-carpenter9229 I’m saying it looks like the concrete is concave to the surrounding grade of the land. So it will pool on the footing
Yeah looks great with the shim on one edge of the 6x and the 62 gun nails in every conceivable place. It looks like kids built it.
If you can’t locate the perimeter point of the structure….leave the job to the professionals.
Brilliant!! Build first and support later. Why didn't I think of that!!
I once put in 22 footers for a deck that was going to hold a hot tub set up and I used string and some levels that go on the string line to set them all up. It worked great and the deck was level and met code for a 12 person hot tub. I would never do this method. String, level, and some basic math works great.
Totally how not to do it. String lines and 3-4-5 multiple for square still works
Yessir. I learned from an old head when I was first learning carpentry, I use this method all the time. Tried and true.
@robertswaine6096I know 3-4-5
What you use 5-12-13 for ?
@robertswaine6096 cheers 🍻 mate.
Will definitely keep that in mind for future use.
Agreed but 3, 4, 5 still isn't the best or most accurate way. Try a squared+b squared=c squared. Or look up what your corner to corner measurement should be for whatever size project you have.
@robertswaine6096I have been for quite some time trying to work out how the math works…… Thankyou for an explanation. Much simpler than I imagined 😂
I think that I will build the roof first so you can work with no rain delays.
Dang good idea brother. I wish I had thought of that. No more weather delays and you get to build the walls in the shade of the roof.
Yup it’s SO much easier and more accurate to hand-dig a pier to below frost (here it’s 48”) working under and around an existing deck… (NOT) than it is to lay it out properly, use a machine to dig the piers, Set Sonotube and pour them exactly where and at the elevations they need to go…set proper anchors where they need to go, and then build the deck. 😂😂LMFAO😂😂
They got a little happy with the nail gun all over the place, even the rail posts are all peckered up.
Ya those ¼" sds in concrete are doing a whole lot of nothing
"The inspector like them"....
This won't pass first inspection in Texas. Footers have to be dug first before you even start. If only they had some kind of tool that had graduated marks consistent with some kind of measurement standard where you could use that to find out where the posts will finally be. Someone should patent that tool.
If you install the decking first, you'll know exactly where all the joists need to be.
How do you fit a 10-12” auger under a 12” deck??
Please make a how to video for this part. Thanks 👍
You don't. You dig the hole by hand.
Yes sir, we do it backwards all the time...cost more, and lower quality... Boom Boom.
I've never seen a deck built like that. It looks like somebody screwed it up from the get-go and just did the best they could with it.
What in particular have you never seen? Final punch wasn't yet complete and everything will be per local code.
It looks like you don’t really know what you’re talking about
@@babushkaboi7288 OK
@@Hmtatlanta I was responding to @Im_with_stupid, I agree with what you were saying
You have to lay it out and dig holes for footers because the steel pole bottom is supposed to be thunderbolted into the concrete.
How do you dig a hole under a jacked up deck?
Should have shot a vid the days before, didn't have time. That was the lowest corner and there was ample room to dig a footer hole. On that prior visit they were a good two feet down and working on the others. No frost line here.
"It's common for people to wonder why my work sucks and everything is out of whack". This guy
Teco screwed down with a tek screw? I'd like to see the engineering specs for that.
Never mind keeping the home inspectors happy, how about keeping your wooden beams from resisting rot? That woukd keep all parties happy!
Well all of those members are pressure treated, the posts out of the dirt and up on ticos...what more should be done to keep things from rotting?
@@Hmtatlantathe answer is always Flexseal! 😂😂😂
Boom boom here's a novel idea ,do it right the first time.
It was code approved, what wasn't done right?
I've been doing it your way for over forty years
Except in areas where the sona tubes have to go down 4' for frost, you aren't digging that out afterwards. Lay it out right, use an 8" footing and you'll be on point...
I would never build a deck like this, this is the, hurry up and get it done special.
Neat? We call that the BOOT JOB😂
Or you can use a tape measure and a string line . And keep top of footer above grade to keep water out 😢😢😢
"Or" being the operative word. There isn't only one way to do something like this, and this is code compliant.
It's code to make it where water will sit at the post?
@@Hmtatlanta it passes code. thats like getting a 65 on your shop class final. it passes your local code enforcement but it is at the bottom of best practices. but keep bragging like being up to code makes your work high quality. in some places passing code inspection just requires cash. not quality. those who can, do. those who can't, inspect the work of those who can. sometimes. some inspectors will come on a job and actually educate us because they have been taught why code requires what it requires, and ya gotta appreciate those guys. but others will come on the job and teach us that whatever they say is right even when it ain't because someone has rewarded ignorance with authority.
@@Estwing22 I thought it was clear that I didn't build this, but in case not, I didn't build this. The discussion of best practices can be had about anything, no argument there. However, this is an entry level home, they used a different method to align the posts and footings and the end result is a functional deck that passes the local requirements. Whether or not that means me, you or anyone else likes, agrees or disagrees with that doesn't apply here. I'm also in agreement with you on code being bare minimum - go look at any new build and that is always referenced "it's to code". Many times it's crap but that is the product and it's a buyer's choice whether or not to buy. This is a starter home, it's not going to be the same materials and workmanship as a custom seven digit build. I also agree with the inspector comments, many never spent time in the field, those good ones are big assets. Just because these guys didn't do it a certain way doesn't mean it's wrong.
Beat way to build a deck is get house and outside bands up. Get deck square. Then you know exactly where to put your post and footings. Stif leg the deck in the mean time.
No batter boards?
😂 The way you do the piers is the last thing you should be worrying about.
I have never seen so many things wrong in such a small area.
You should be more worried about the fact that the concrete slopes the wrong way. The post is too long, which places it below grade. There are far too many fixings in that timber. It has been weakened now.
Not to mention, there is nothing holding the structure to the post.
Why on earth would you post this workmanship. 😂
When that was shot the job was still underway. I've not been back out but it has been completed and code approved. As evidenced in all of these posts, everyone has an opinion and they are from all over. Agree or disagree with style or codes, local codes set the bar. How anyone would do it is fine, in this case the standards were met.
@@Hmtatlanta code is equivalent to getting a 65 in high school. Why would that be a bragging point? The bare minimum was done. And codes change. Buildings that passed code failed all over florida during Andrew so you would have been telling people their houses were fine because they pass code the day before Andrew tore their roofs off. And code continues to evolve. But it is still the bare minimum. What would a car that passes the bare minimum inspection require? Not doors, not windshields, not bumpers at the same ht. Do you want to add any?
The point is, code is the minimum. A 65. Dont act like this made the honor roll. But if it passes code, you can't reject it can you? So you're authority ends at code. But acting like code is honor roll can create misdirection which will lead customers to believe that code means high quality. It means the bare minimum of quality. But if code is the ruler that you are measuring with then all you can do is say "good enough" when the quality level reaches that code approved bare minimum. You could try rating your video inspections like high school homework. Tell your viewers "this passes code but just barely so it is given a 65 rating. Or "this is built so far beyond code that it will withstand 175 mph winds and as such is rated a 95." But repeatedly, your message is that they both pass code, and that will mislead (trick) people into believing that they are therefore equivalent.
wrong Wrong WRONG.
@@Estwing22 Whether or not I, or you, agree with what code represents, that is what the local gov't sets the bar at. I'm not debating any of that, somewhere in the comments I had a similar post. The is a starter home, built to the basic standards at this time. Telling me that I'm "tricking" anyone is disingenuous, I'm stating a simple fact. Anyone buying this home will have an inspection, independent set of eyes for the buyer. He will offer opinions and conclusions, they will go from there. This is is a Dodge Dart deck, not a Hellcat. Both pass whatever national minimum standards apply for vehicles. Is a Dart comparable to Hellcat? Code is pass/fail, you don't kinda pass code. You know this, I get that you can do better and it seems that everyone here is a master deck builder. Understood, but you're out of line with me "tricking" anyone.
@@Hmtatlanta I apologize for inserting "trick". It was unnecessary and redundant. The point that I should make is that saying "well built" and "passes code" aren't always the same. You can tell by the comments that passing code isn't considered the same as clearing the high bar and I guess my gripe comes out when i think people equate code with best practices. Code is the basement that best practices are built off of. But apparently, its the only ruler you have to use. Keep in mind though, if a tent isnt a dwelling and equals zero , and if the most well built house equals 100, then passing code is a 65. Is 65 good, better or best? Good.
There is a fella who used the saying about code being the same as passing at the end of his posts over at the jlc forums. I can't remember his name. He deserves credit for the apt comparison. If its antagonizing to you, thats on me, sorry.
@@Estwing22 Apology accepted, it's not antagonizing but it's shooting the messenger. I've been dealing with builder BS for years and fed the same "code" crap, I completely understand the visceral reaction. Go look at the vid with the slab cracks on a new build. All I did here was illustrate a different way this was done. We've all seen batter boards and tapes - and misses where the footing is way off and the post sits on the very edge. Love it, hate it, be indifferent...this was done a different way. Clearly the experts are aghast, same for some of my other vids. I'm tossing these out there because it's what I see, that's it. This is a snippet of what I see every day. Most people buying homes are incredibly naive, sometimes hard to be that stupid. They spend more time researching a movie than areas, homes, mortgages and agents. To them they understand "code" means something like "it's OK". Most don't care to learn more; a deck is a deck and "it's to code".
It's not the worst but personally I'd pour those footings as soon as I'm aware of the placement which shouldn't be after the deck is built but I'm not hating they got the job done.
Y’all ever heard of batter-boards and stringline? Amateur hour over here.
BB & string is hardly fail proof, we see huge misses. This is a very low deck, the post hits right on the footer and it's up off the conc. Explain how this is amateur hour?
@@Hmtatlanta fool proof no, but when proper attention to detail is payed a bb and string-line is a very precise means of layout. We layout buildings for spread footings and anchor bolt sets that very often have over 50 footings and bolt sets. This is all done with batter-boards and sting lines. Do mistakes sometimes happen and a set of bolts is misplaced? Of course, but it is a rarity. If someone cannot properly layout a simple deck, like the one in the video, ahead of time then it shows a lack of experience.
@@chuck9740 I'm still not clear on why you say it's not properly laid out? Agree on BB and string but where we are now with construction, housing and trades in general isn't where we were in the past. Now I see builders placing cost and speed above everything else; get it up and get it gone. Skilled trades are of course out there, but the clear trend that I see is to meet the local code and move on. You and I might not like it but that seems to be how it is right now. In this case, it works and meets code. Always opinions on what/how to do something and right way/wrong way can be debated. The posts hit the footers, deck isn't going anywhere and it's been code blessed.
concrete is not above grade should be at least 6in. above. What ever happened to measuring ? measure put in concrete then build your deck
Here the conc isn't required to be above grade.
How did you dig a 3 foot deep hole for the concrete footer under a deck 1 foot off the ground?
That deck looks f-cked up.
It's always easier to do everything backwards instead of getting proper and extremely cheap tools
Hello Mr George
im glad a steel siding screw passes inspection too hold that post base in place. i see no simpson type fasteners between the post and joists. is it not necessary to curb uplift? does that satisfy code?
I can't do that in my area because the inspector wants the hole 36" deep and 3 x the size of the post. So a 6" post like that is 18" x 36". I would like to see someone dig that with the post jacked up and the deck finished. I had to rent a stand on skid steer with a auger attachment. All planned out with a laser before anything was done.
Wrong anchor for base plate , supposed to be a 5/8 bolt , no post to beam connector , and concrete is supposed to be 2-3 inches above grade . Not to mention if you do it in that order how do you pass footing inspection and framing inspection?
Far easier to use batter boards and string line with levels. I have built many decks before we had lasers. I have done repairs like this and it is a nightmare to work under a low deck like this.
It's always amazed me, that in 'The Land of the Free', quite how little you're allowed to do on your own property without having to use licensed contractors or getting local authority/city approval.
Good point, and the "we're from the gov't and here to help you" trend is rapidly accelerating
@@Hmtatlanta Don't get me wrong, we have interference from the local authority here in the UK too, but I just don't think it is quite a bad. For one thing, and this may be good or bad, most tradesmen don't need a license issued by the town/city before they can work that trade. That said, trades that involve dangerous work will need some sort of trade body membership, so an Electrician will need to be a member of a trade body, as will anyone who works with gas (Natural gas, not the type that goes in a vehicle).
@@semperidem2577 It's prudent and reasonable to set trade expectations. The challenge I see in many municipalities involve "code" and the local govt saying what can and cannot be done. Safety is paramount but the definition of "safe" is often manipulated. This is a discussion for another time but many say the bureaucracy has well overstepped their role in just about everything.
Because people do stupid stuff like this. Storm comes along and lifts the deck up. Then you will want insurance to pay for that crap job.
codes are in place to protect assets and shareholder value…you don’t OWN your property, the State (Church) does…which is why you pay taxes on it (lease program)…you’re a tenant and they are the landlords which it states on your deed, lol…you need a permit (permission) because it doesn’t belong to you…good ol US, the corporation owned by the Vacitan and other foreigners…NOT owned by the American people…y’all can thank Woodrow Wilson and the Rockefellers for such
What about letting your concrete footing cure? Shouldn't support much weight for at least a few days?
Thats not nice and clean, and that doesn't look great. 😂😂 are we looking at the same thing.
Fail, railing carriage bolted to rim joist. Now we know why you built the deck before the foundation....
I didn't know Ray Romano was in the construction trades.
What's up with a full thread for top stair
Dig the hole with the deck in the way, and try that for a beam 8 feet under the deck, lol, string, laser, level, geometry, dig the 4 foot hole so freeze won’t heave the post before building the deck
could have capped the concrete
Endgrain of decking showing? Would never do that...
Or you can just properly plan and pour your concrete in the proper place to begin with..
Why "or"? The posts are dead center on the conc footers, what's the issue?
@Hmtatlanta "or" as in either way. There are a thousand ways to skin a cat. As long as it works, it works. Just not the way I do it is all.
@@jasonm887 agree, my point. Just seems that everyone is jumping these guys, this worked in this case. Be good
What are you calling a girder?
It would have been nice if the concrete was slightly higher than grade like 3 or 4 inches and also contained within a circular form.
No girder supporting the frame. Plus no 1" rain drip on the decking. Those two alone would get it failed to pass inspection
girders?
I've been doing this since 1989 and have never heard of building the house first and foundation last
4x4 post wouldn't fly here they have to be strong tide and framed on the inside and blocked in pain in the butt but very strong
Missing nail and a shim ? If thats what professionals consider a good job then our standards are way to low.
It wasn't fully punched out when this was shot. You've never seen shims used on a project? For doors, windows, cabinets?
@@Hmtatlanta Doors, windows, and cabinets are not structural elements. Tell me there's at least two anchor piles on that deck and that it's not connected to the house...
@@TonyRule Start with that it's code compliant and has been cleared. So opinions are fine, debate on how to do things "better" is fine, but this meets the local standard. At a minimum, decks need to be lagged to the structure. I'm not privy to the specific pattern or any of that. Many counties expect decks to be fully supported, essentially free standing as well as lagged to the home. If you want to be the code guy, that's fine. I'm not a deck builder and I don't think you located are where this deck was built. If you are, I'd be happy to provide your info to folks looking for experts in this area, you'll stay busy.
@@Hmtatlantayou’re not a deck builder but you’re giving advice on how to build decks?
@@the-guy-on-your-moms-couch I'm not a deck builder posting a video of a deck that was not completely finished at this point and has since been completed and local code approved.
A 100 dollar tip always keep the inspector happy. It also Speeds the inspection up. If your complaining about a ground contact post actually contacted the ground. Your part of the problem
There are alternatives 😊
How come nobody 45° the corner band joist
Nothing about this looks great
i’ve seen many decks built this way…just because one does things different, doesn’t mean that’s the only way things can be done…different schools of thought, lol…all that matters is the end result…i can make 3 lefts or 3 rights and still end up in the EXACT same point of reference, lol
Right, but if you go left it goes through the worst part of town and there are 400 stoplights....
Go the right way.
@@philup6274 😂😂😂😂
Home. Inspector won’t be happy with that around here. He would cite you just for having an open Tico nail hole.
Need to fill those check boxes....
I hope they used 5/8 L bolt anchors No way to install those after the concrete has been pored
To be honest it looks like shit it would be nice to have a plinth under the base bracket
Maybe this is in a warm area? Seems like a pain to pour the concrete afterwards, considering the frost line.
Georgia, no frost lines here just consistent high humidity
@@Hmtatlantathats an important detail. Doing a post footing like that in Iowa is not gonna happen when you have to 42” down.
@@BearsEatBeetz no doubt, we had a place in Western Mass growing up, we had to go the same depth, cold is brutal
I hope that’s not the finished project
Idk, I always do the math. Double check, tripple check the double check and pour my footers in a nice forum, slick it & set my post vases using retrofit bolts
And that's another way to do it.
Do the math , eliminate the problem
nice and clean ?? I see like 10 nails . That wood will crack very soon . Plus it looks horrible with 1000 nails in it
That would be a bitch to did 48” down in Massachusetts by code
Or you use a freaking tape measure and lay out the darn posts. OMG
Concrete around the footer should also be sloped away from the post
it's ok but I wouldn't call it a good job.
What would make it a good job? Just curious...
I don’t get it. Who builds a deck to measure where the footers go? That can’t be a thing
Bass backwards, but, nice bit of sarcasm.
I’m not trying to be a know it all but as a deck builder you have a lot going on here that is wrong . Guard rail posts have to be mounted on the inside not fastened to outside box . You can certainly pour your tubes before hand all you need is a transit and a measuring pole . You will also need some string and some stakes .
I think this was the guys first sub job and he bought his first nail gun and he was so happy to use it he didn’t know when to stop slamming the dam thing into the wood , but that’s rookie and ugly as hell ! I bet he was gonna leave that deck setting on those blocks and that blind inspector made him come back and put those post in after the fact !
or you can just learn how to properly layout the footings. they have construction calculators online to help you find your diagonals for squaring. As someone who did foundations for 8 years and did layout by hand what you just described is hilarious. thats some harry homeowner type shit
That is a 1 inch standoff, not a teco. A teco is a teco nail.
Yea its nice but necessary
Posts always dug first, come on man.
I gotta assume this is the south? Also why don't they use treatment on the wood or end grain sealer
It is and the job wasn't finished. That treated wood needs to cure a bit before stain or deck treatment
You could run a double boundary joist, that way you can hide all that ugly nailing and also picture frame in your decking
Facia
WRONG……
Could plan it out ahead and learn to use a tape measure.
Or consider that on this low deck an alternative way works as well.
Lol wood to wood outside
My question is, why did they need to place a shim under the rim joist? Why not recut the post/column apposed to installing a shim that will most definitely disintegrate in a short span of time leaving the deck unlevel. Besides it looks unprofessional. This is my opinion! I have been a quality builder for the past 45 years, and would never shim a wood column. Particularly a exterior PT 4"x4"! Cut kit right so it fits, or plain the underside of your dubbel rim joist to receive a flat surface.
A wood shim under the beam. That's no good.
That is the worst advice I have ever heard for installing concrete for your deck
What is a footer??? Perhaps you mean footings?
LOL what do you for a living that makes you think that process you described makes sense?
How about MEASURING and digging an accurate hole? Much easier.
footing
I'd be pissed.
They did what???
🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣
How dare you say great job without consulting with the comment section first
Brought to you by Joe Biden Construction 😂