How to Make Your Own Wood Patio Deck

Measure the area for your ground-level patio deck. Create an 8-by-10-foot deck by using mason’s strings, a carpenter’s level and a carpenter’s square to ensure even corners.

Dig six holes evenly along the outside edges of the deck’s perimeter. Use a post-hole digger to make the holes 12 inches deep and 8 inches in diameter. Set one 8-inch diameter tube form in each hole, and level the tube forms 1 inch above the surface of the soil.

Mix and pour ready-mix concrete into the tube forms. Press one metal post anchor into each hole's damp concrete. Let the concrete set for the amount of time recommended in its package instructions.

Place two 2-by-6-inch beams together into the post anchors. Hammer 3-inch long nails into the beams, driving the nails through the holes provided in the metal anchors. Use angle brackets at the ends of the beams to attach 2-by-6-inch rim joists, forming a perimeter around your deck area.

Insert metal, 2-inch by 6-inch joist hangers every 10 inches along the inside edges of the beams. Set 2-by-6-inch pieces of treated lumber inside the hangers, and fasten them with decking nails.

Lay 1-by-6-inch decking lumber, or decking boards, side by side on the top of the joists. Attach the decking lumber to the underlying joists with decking screws, driving two screws into the center of every joist about 1 inch from the edges of the boards.

Trim the outside of the ends of the decking boards with a circular saw to create a smooth and even edge along both sides of the deck. Seal the deck with a clear, waterproof deck sealant.