Curved Deck Designs & Structure

Appeal

• Decks provide additional seating adjacent to the house or around a hot tub or swimming pool. A curved deck design blends well with natural surroundings while offering a visually appealing space for casual gatherings for friends and family. Nature does not produce straight lines outdoors, and decks with curved lines harmonize beautifully with the graceful contours of leafy trees, flowering shrubs and evergreens.

Length of the Curve

• Whatever the size of the curved deck you wish to construct, there are some elements of the design you must take into consideration. Think about the length of the curve, and where you will place the radius. If you opt for a very gentle curve, you can lose the visual effect and produce an uninteresting structure. A curve that is too tight can be difficult to construct, since decking materials can splinter when bent to match the radius.

Laying Out the Deck

• To lay out the deck properly taking the design and structure into consideration, measure the area where the deck will be constructed and draw the deck to scale on graph paper. Draw the curve by using a compass. When you create the curve on the actual deck, use a length of string to create the predetermined radius.

Supporting the Deck

• Figure out where the joists will be located in relation to the curve to make sure they are supported. If they don’t have enough support, you can change the radius of the curve or add additional footings and beams. To build a strong foundation, use 4-by-4-foot posts and dig holes for the footings to meet building codes. For example, the local building code may require that holes are 10 inches in diameter and 48 inches deep. Pour the concrete and insert J-bolts in the center of each footing, and fasten the J-bolts after the concrete is set.