Floor Joist Close To Ground

If the floor of your house is close to the ground if you need to keep a deck low to avoid an overhead obstacle or if you just want to create a dry flat freestanding surface away from the house the techniques on these two pages should offer a solution.

Floor joist close to ground.

I want to build a deck close to the ground. But my friend wasn t. When measuring keep in mind that the typical deck joist spacing is 16 o c. How do i support them.

To find the actual distance between the inside edges of each adjacent floor joist subtract 1 inches from either 12 or 24 inches. So he has two rot fighting tips for deck owners and builders. Under deck drainage systems that are mounted below the joists cause damage in three ways. 1 the higher up above ground your house is the less ground moisture is a problem though uplift and wind wash become bigger issues.

For a simple rectangular ground level deck all you may need to visualize it is to lay out a string line with stakes to get the sense of the size. The joists were pressure treated lumber so i was surprised at how badly decayed they were. First they allow the wood to get wet over and over again as rain drips through the deck boards over the joists and into the drainage system below. What are the best decking fasteners to use.

Should i install a vapor barrier under the deck. You can bury concrete post piers to act as your actual piers as well. The distance between the centers of the tops of two adjacent joists. I realize that the joists can t just rest on the ground.

In some places the joists will actually touch the soil. Joist hangers would be fine. Wednesday march 6 2019 the minimum clearance between the ground and the wood structural floor joists and girders is primarily for prevention of wood rot that is caused by wood being too close to the moisture in the soil. In any area where there is wind simpson ties are important to join the beam to the post and the joists to the beam.

This sample table gives minimum floor joist sizes for joists spaced at 16 inches and 24 inches on center o c for 2 grade lumber with 10 pounds per square foot of dead load and 40 pounds of live load which is typical of normal residential construction. Low decks are sometimes a choice and other times a necessity. He sees it all the time. Ground level decks are known to stump.

Do try to leave at least a few inches of clearance though th facilitate air flow so it doesn t get too soggy underneath. Wood joists stay wet when a deck drainage system is installed below the joists. Builders can adjust their choice of lumber size and spacing depending on circumstances.