How to Build a Pier Diagram

Side View

• 1

  Draw lines for the ground level and the water level. You must know how far down the ground is from the water. You can measure this by tying a heavy object to a rope and dropping it in the water. Pull it up and measure the part of the rope that is wet. Repeat this process several times to make sure there are no sudden drops in the ground elevation.

• 2

  Indicate where the piles will go. Piles are posts you will drive into the ground that will hit bedrock or solid ground. These piles will stabilize your pier. Your pond, lake or ocean shore will have soft ground for several feet. You will need to drive piles through this soft ground to a more solid layer of rock or earth. You can check your county surveyor’s geological survey if you need exact measurements to bedrock. Piles can be made of steel or hard wood.

• 3

  Draw the footing. The footing is the base that will rest on the piles. You should build this from concrete. Your diagram should indicate the size of the footings. This should include not only the length and width, but also the thickness of each footing.

• 4

  Illustrate the piers. Though the entire structure is called a pier, this is also the name for the upright supports that will rest on the footings. The piers support the deck you will walk on. These will be made of wood and can be shaped any way you want, as long as they will support the deck.

The Deck-Top View

• 5

  Draw the framing for the deck. This part of the diagram should show the cross braces that will support the deck flooring, as well as the side boards. Put in enough cross braces to prevent sagging of the deck boards you will be adding.

• 6

  Draw in the top boards of the deck. Show how these will be nailed down to the frame. Estimate the number of boards you will need to make the surface of the deck.

• 7

  Show how you will attach the deck to the pier supports. The frame of your deck must be bolted to the pier supports, so draw a close-up view that shows how and where you will place those bolts.