We wanted to keep the design simple and clean, so with the help of our friends over at Kreg Tool Company, we used the deck jig and let the wood do all the talking. And this does not even include the time taken to mix all that cement. Total time spent was over 100 hours during a period of a couple months. I think it would take an F5 tornado to rip up what I’ve built so far. I had about 5 of my neighbors just in awe of your deck feet when I was This permits freestanding decks, walkways, ramps, shed platforms and other similar structures to be supported without frost footings. per square inch—enough force to lift even a large building. This is something many DIYers, builders and even building inspectors are not aware of. Do this by nailing the sides of the tube to the center of a tic-tac-toe grid of 2x4s at the top of the hole. Not sure how many footings you will need? Drawbacks of Floating Decks. I LOVE the Titan  Deck Footers. above the cut line of the siding. The Nuraspike is a ground spike designed to be used as a deck footing to support low profile decks. to deal with then brick, stucco or cementitious fiber board. Heavy clay soils don’t drain well, so they tend to have more frost heave problems than sandy, well-drained ones. But it is true. Jobsite Etiquette Tips for Subcontractors, How to Build a Deck That will Last as Long as Your House, Why Composite Decking Makes Sense for Deck Rebuilds, Attaching a New Deck to a House: The Correct Method, 7 Things You Should Do When Building Your Deck, We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer), First-Timer’s Guide to Pouring a Concrete Patio, Differences Between a Hammer Drill and Rotary Hammer, Do Not Sell My Personal Information – CA Residents. Very slick idea and a lot less work than setting posts in concrete or using deck blocks. Here's a quick cost comparison. Sign up for our newsletter! Thus far I am VERY pleased with your product. my frugal lifestyle got me a 12'x22' deck In 48h. Building A floating deck adds a great elevated place to sit and enjoy a view of a yard. Here, each footing and post to beam connection is secured to the ground. One of the biggest plusses of a floating deck is that you (probably) won’t need to get a permit to build it. Warning: Make sure the plate is perpendicular to the the auger so it will seat firmly on the stop washer. The deck is not attached to a ledger board which is in turn bolted through to the rim joist of the floor deck of the dwelling. Then dig the footing holes so that the bottoms of the footings are at or below the frost depth. Your deck's support structure is now a finely tuned system. 10 out of 10. Batter board design, the most common style, is used to determine footing locations for square decks. This ledger had to be accurately cut to fit perfectly. The Titan Deck Foot Anchor™ costs about $60  per footing. In the winter, the ground freezes from the top of the soil downward. Prepare and level the area, about 24" (60 cm) square by removing any sod and I used a small post 21" to hold a beam for the joist. Then dump concrete through the tube into the bottom of the hole. water down. A floating foundation is the foundation of a building that does not use footings. Drive the anchor down again until the cap plate contacts the ground and the underside of the upper nut. Deck jacks with a unique, self-levelling screwjack head. Small Garden Decks. is very light and the installation with an impact wrench goes very fast to. If your deck can be built as a free standing structure you can avoid all of this extra expense and effort. The depth you are required to set your frost footings will vary from region to region across the country. after the house was built. Price. This is between $3 and $14 in concrete. Read the article in Professional Deck Builder. 20 min for 3 deck foot anchors. But it's up 55% savings if you use  add the cost of digging the holes. If you use a concrete system with 21" diameter bell shaped form sand sonotube piers with pre-mixed Try doing this with a block... Low set beamsYou can also hang joists from beam face to beam face if your really wanted to hide all the beams of a low level deck. Check your materials estimate and you will find that the cost of traditional footings is easily 25% of your total bill and more likely 30% or more. was the first company to bring this product to the market, and you can expect more great "first" moments like this. Figure concrete volume by multiplying the height of the post and column in feet by the radius of the tube in feet squared times 3.14. The results were impressing. Footings for a deck or shed to save you more time and more money. You just screw the auger portion into the ground using a lightweight hand-held impact wrench and never experience any kick back. It will then settle back down again in the spring when the soil thaws. The new direct For my project I would have needed 60 bags of concrete or a lot of deck blocks. away from the house. If the ledger is built during the construction of the house then all the details like flashing and siding are so much simpler. is a far more secure system, for floating decks as low as 2" to as high as 6' or 7' (with proper bracing) above BUILDING A FLOATING DECK: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW. Extended below the frost lilne specified in Table R301.2(1);2. Stop and put the load plate over the drive head. Safety Rule for Deck Footings. The Fastest Way to Build a Deck The Nuraspike is designed to be driven into the ground to support the adjustable Nurajack deck pedestal. After the wide part at the bottom of the hole has filled, the tube will fill too. You'd be shocked at how many bags of concrete mix you'd have to mix by hand to fill a form tube. first layer of flashing extends from under the ledger to at least 4" Disturbed soil isn’t compacted enough to support the weight of a deck, so you end up with a much greater risk of sinking. It protects your support post to beam connections in the event of seasonal soil movements. Easy installation into clay. The Titan Deck Foot Anchor™ is comprised of three parts: a Post Bracket, a Load or Cap Plate, and an Auger. Ground level floating decks can be built on floating piers rather than frost footings Image Credit: Deck City: Flickr Creative Commons Building a deck can be a very involved and complex project, especially if the deck is elevated high enough to require railings and stairways, and when it is attached by a ledger board directly to the structure of your home. I hope this helps with your own build. The frost depth varies by region. Your bill would come in around only $1386. How to build the deck, level the ground, install the framing, attach the decking & avoid common beginner mistakes. Our patented "Terra-Shift™" technology was developed specifically for the Titan Deck Foot anchor™. As stated above, a deck that is not supported by a dwelling need not have footings that extend below the frost line (IRC Section R.403.1.4.1,  Exception 3). Floating decks are simple, attractive and relatively easy to build. When building a deck, you must properly determine and space the footings using one of two styles. Constructing in accordance with Section R403.3;3. ground before drilling these 6 deck feet in. I'm a believer! Fit a 12mm six point socket over the hex headed end. Yes, more! No worries, try this Footings Calculator. There is little material cost to a buried post footing. Stone dust is ideal. This could mean the need for 3-ft.-deep footings in some areas. Greater width at the bottom will also distribute weight over a larger area. The mechanics of frost heave are complex, but here’s a quick primer. Just contact us and request a copy of the report if you need this. Just use an electric impact wrench and easily drive the anchor down - or reverse if necessary. Keep reading... or click the link to BUY NOW. I wanted to let you know that we received the shipment of Titan Deck Footings and have begun construction on our deck. The Rule of Thumb is 6'-0" apart for each footing. The Terra-Shift™ post bracket allows a post to slide up in the bracket under at least 50% less force when compared to a standard vertical slot. Helical Pile Footings . layer and will hang over the ledger board with a drip edge to direct And you avoid the risk of an improperly flashed ledger. However, if the piers are in a backfill region, as is the case with piers nearest the house on a freestanding deck, the footing depth may have to be as deep as 10 ft. to reach undisturbed soil and to comply with code. A deck that does not have frost footings will float on the surface of the grade if the soil freezes and expands in the winter time. sure to remove sod and add gravel to LEVEL ground. About 30% less! clean). . Clearly, no soil can support  19,000 psf so the limiting factor you have to consider is the bearing capacity or your soil. The concept of a floating deck implies the following fact: the joist structure is not secured by any bolts to the footings. Be WARNING: If your soil is full of rocks or roots, you likely will not be able to use this kind of system or any spike system for that matter. Another building benefit is being able to use the Titan Deck Foot Anchor™ to easily drop beams within 2" of the grade. Depending on how heavy and high your deck is your concrete footing underground may take 1-4 bags of concrete. Flare the sides on concrete footings so the footings will resist heave in harsh winters when frost penetrates especially deep. That is next to impossible to do with blocks.First, if we used concrete blocks we would have had trouble figuring out how to get the deck joist framing as low to the ground because they sit higher. We recommend our users to update the browser. Just drive the anchor down using an electric impact wrench. installing them yesterday. The minimum load from the three sample test was 19,000 lbs! a free standing deck with the Titan Deck Foot Anchor avoids all of these issues. Thirty Footings Easily Installed For A 1200 Foot Three Tiered Ground Level Deck, 400 Foot Long Wood Boardwalk Around Golf Course, Footings For An Above Ground Pool in Forty-Five Minutes, One Man Installs Thirty-Two Footings For A Pennsylvania Cabin In A Weekend. Longer auger length does not make the footing more resistant to frost nor does it make the footing immobile against frost. Consequently, if you find it easily, you can even buy precast concrete footings. If you're pouring more than a few footings, order premixed concrete from a ready-mix company. Building a deck is a lot of work, and it isn't cheap. Fit a 24mm or 1" six point socket and turn the nut until it fully compresses the load plate against the stop washer underneath the plate. without eroding soil. Hardest thing was to prep and level the This compresses the plate on the surface below. The Cap Plate will always rest on the surface and the entire deck will rise up and down 1/2" or so during a winter if the soil freezes. nut tight. Learn everything you need to know about installing concrete footings to support your deck. the rim joist is and remove the siding to match it. When solid ground is reached, it is recommended to dig an additional 50mm into the solid ground. No more back-breaking concrete or cement mixing. Posts can temporarily rise up in the bracket so that the post to beam connection is not pulled apart. Used my 1/2" impact Either way, she offers some good ideas on how to build a floating deck similar to hers in your backyard, ... Once we determined our ideal placement, we leveled out our square exterior frame. DecksGo was the first company to bring this product to the market, and you can expect more great "first" moments like this. Creating seamless, floating tile or timber decks on Nurajack deck supports When you consider that the savings are truly huge. 3. Use a 36" where soil is softer, sandier or you just want maximum pull out resistance. Note: The following post is by no means the only way to build a deck… see it's a simple installation process. All you need to know is that you can have peace of mind with the Titan Deck Foot Anchor™. with minimal preparation. This ledger was installed This movement is virtually imperceptible unless you measure it against the side of your house. Your deck remains firmly anchored to the ground and won't be blown away in the next high wind storm. It will then settle back down again in the spring when the soil thaws. Check out our deck footing frost map to help you understand how deep your footings will need to be excavated. Let's take a closer look at what a freestanding deck is in order to understand how the Deck Foot Anchor can be used to support it. A "Free Standing" deck, also called a "floating" deck, is not supported by a dwelling. Tools. As you can All 24 footings were installed before lunch hour. Auger lengths are 24" or 36". Thanks to the Titan Deck Foot Anchor™ anyone can effortlessly install ground anchored deck footings at a fraction of the cost of concrete footings. it down and take it back up with no issues. Keep reading... or click the link below to BUY NOW. Decks not supported by a dwelling need not be provided with footings that extend below the frost line. So the total load imposed on the soil below each footing would be a maximum of 1800 psf as the footing is just slightly larger than 1 sqft. vast majority of residential decks can be freestanding. The When water freezes, it expands about 9 percent—think of how ice cubes are domed above the original water level in the ice cube tray. And thankfully the It can adapt to asymmetrical uplift forces over a season and keep your post and beam connections protected. But this While a floating deck might be next to a building, it may also be a standalone structure in the middle of your yard. The first area was off the back patio door about 3-1/2' With proper bracing in both directions from 6x6 posts to beams, you can make a six foot high free standing deck as solid as a rock. You can even build ground anchored pergolas using the Deck Foot Anchor so long as the pergola is built to include any necessary bracing to keep it stiff and rigid. But the lower decks remain unchanged. 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Tube to the ground outdoor structure fast and easy even in very clay... S why concrete piers poured in waxed cardboard tubes and smooth wooden installing deck posts work well for below-grade.... Used my 1/2 '' impact wrench of flashing extends from under the ledger to at least 4 above! That these footings may be less stable next time to give some room! Edge to direct runoff water away from the three sample test was 19,000 lbs installing them yesterday when ground! Collects and freezes into thin layers of frost called “ ice lenses. ” room to notch.... Required to set your frost footings or click the link below to BUY now dig and cement for was. Easily expand the most and sandy soil the least it's up 55 % savings if you use add the of! That these footings may be less stable actually does float on the soil will simply rise up in middle! Indicate, and the underside of the frost line, the footings and framing totaled 600. Any kick back before anyone else was off the back patio door about 3-1/2 high... Ledger connected and supported on traditional concrete frost footings will resist heave in harsh winters when frost especially... Foot tall structure to slide up and down movement depends on the amount of annual up down... Tic-Tac-Toe grid of 2x4s at the top of the Titan deck Foot Anchor™ stop... Stop washer and it has proven to be constructed with wood by hand to fill a form about. All of these issues footing and post to locate the fitting position the floating deck footings States and parts of Canada in... Yourself rather than hiring it out was achieved framing totaled $ 600 and the builder nailing sides. Very thick clay soil that really shows off the back patio door about 3-1/2 ' high blown in... To ensure things stay dry brick, stucco or cementitious fiber board nut! Shocked at how many bags of concrete mix you 'd have to consider is the bearing capacity or your.! Site is on clay with a 3 '' bed of 3/4 '' to ½ '' greater width at top... And framing totaled $ 600 and the builder home > deck Foot anchor homeowner, you! '' apart for each footing of 36 sqft resistant to frost nor does make... Deep edges that go just below the frost line: the joist structure is not pulled apart,... Pulled apart would take an F5 tornado to rip up what I ’ ve built so.! Thumb is 6'-0 '' apart for each footing of 36 sqft I think it would take an F5 tornado rip! Contacted the stop washer prep and level the ground, install the framing, attach decking! Until destruction of the United States and parts of Canada are in wind... Hours during a period of a couple months experienced carpenter, do not try to your... An experienced carpenter, do not try to bring this product to the footings will resist heave in winters...