How to Build Your Own Custom Complete Deck

Call your local utilities to have the property flagged for underground utilities. This protects you from hitting a water, natural gas or electric line. Check local authorities to see if you are required to obtain a building permit for your deck. Do this before you start anything else.

Stake out the deck using construction twine and wooden stakes. Make sure your layout is square. Mark the outside perimeter with landscape paint to provide an outline to remove the grass. A sod cutter makes this job a lot easier and can be rented at a tool rental store.

Mark the location for each post needed for your design. Dig a hole for each post 6 inches below the frost line for your area. A permit agency can tell you this depth. A gas-powered post hole digger makes this job a lot easier.

Cover the area for the deck with a layer of landscape fabric. Cut the fabric with an "X" at each post hole location. Set a 4 by 4-inch post into each hole to keep the landscape fabric from blowing away, until you secure it in place. Weigh the fabric down with a 3-inch layer of gravel. Remove the posts as you work and place 3 shovels of gravel into each post hole as you go. This will keep the posts from ground contact when they are set and will help to keep them from rotting.

Set the corner posts in position and make that they are straight with the string line and plumb up and down the length of the post. Temporarily brace them in place with stakes driven around the post and scrap lumber. Use a hammer to drive in the wooden stakes and a power screwdriver to attach the temporary bracing material from the post to the stakes. Use a 4-foot level to check that the are straight. Pour a couple of 40-pound bags of concrete around each post. Add water to the concrete and use a scrap piece of wood to tamp the concrete tightly. Let the posts set until they are dry before proceeding.

Set all remaining posts. Make sure that they are touching the construction twine so that they will remain straight and plumb.

Attach the rim joist to the post using 3 1/2-inch lag bolts. Set the top of the rim joist 1 1/2-inch below the height of the door of the house. Keep in mind you need to add the thickness of the decking that you will be using when you make your calculations. Use a 4-foot level and a straight board to transfer the height to all of the posts. Use a pencil to mark where the rim joists will attach so your deck will be level. Cut the rim joists to length with a miter saw. The rim joists are the boards that surround the exterior of the deck that the floor joists will be attached to. For wide decks you may need to run a set of rim joists down the center to support the floor joists.

Screw the floor joist hangers to the rim joist. Check with your lumber plan for the size of lumber needed for your design. For a typical pressure treated deck, attach the hangers for 2 by 6-inch floor joists every 16 inches along the length of the rim joist. Use a scrap piece of 2 by 6-inch lumber to set the joist hangers they are level. Use 1-inch exterior deck screws and a power screw driver to attach them.

Measure the distance between the rim joists. This is the length you need to cut the floor joists with the miter saw. Place the floor joists into the joist hangers and screw them in place using 1-inch exterior deck screws.

Lay out the decking material on the top of the deck framing. The floor joists should overhang the rim joists by 1 1/2 inches on all sides. Cut the deck planks to length as needed so they will fall in the center of a floor joist. Attach the decking to the floor joists with two 1 1/2-inch exterior deck screws set 3/4-inch in from each edge of the board. This will keep the decking boards from splitting. If the deck is longer than 16 feet you will need to stagger the end joints between each row. This strengthens the deck.

Apply a quality deck stain or water repellent finish to the deck after it has aged for 30 days. This allows the pressure treated lumber to dry so it will accept the finish. Follow the instructions on the label for proper application.