Building a Deck (house, contractors, inspections)

[franklin9150]

I have a friend that is going to put a deck in his backyard. It will be roughly 14' x 16', with stairs leading into the yard. He got a quote for the materials from Lowes. He is also having a local contractor come out to give him an estimate. Does anyone know of any reputable contractors to do the job? How about doing the job himself (with help, of course)? Thanks,
D

[sapphire]

Lowe's should be able to hook him up with a contractor. They will usually recommend several.

As far as doing it himself--yikes. We just did our backyard, well, we're still doing our backyard, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. We did bricks, and my back still hurts. I suppose if you have woodworking talent, the right tools, plenty of patience, and the physical stamina to do the job, go for it!

We just happened to be short the talent, tools, patience, and stamina. Know where we can pick some up?

[kevcrawford]

If you know your way around a circular saw, it's really not too hard. But it does take a tremendous amount of patience. When you start cutting and measuring, if you rush one measurement and are off by a little bit, it'll snowball and the whole thing will be off. They have some great books on the subject at Lowe's. But if you're not suited for that stuff, I'd get contractor recommendations from Lowe's as well. Also talk to friends.

[goodmanm]

Will it be attached to the house or freestanding? How high off the ground is it? IMHO attaching it to the house or having it high off the ground adds a degree of difficulty for which I would have someone with experience take care of.

FYI - I built a 16x16 freestanding deck about a foot off the ground off my back door. Materials ran about $900.

[the_dimwit]

I've helped build both elevated and on or near-ground decks, always attached to the house. In my opinion, goodmanm is correct. An elevated deck requires a lot more experience and skill than one just above the ground. For example, an elevated deck will require post-holes and posts set in concrete. If you live in city limits you'll need an inspection of the posts once they're set. This deck will most likely take 2-3 weekends due to the complexity and any delays in inspections.

On-ground, however, is much easier and can be done with lego-like blocks that have notches cut into the tops. These blocks become supports for the cross-beams, and the decking goes on top of the cross-beams. You can build a deck like this in a weekend.

--Dim

[franklin9150]

Thanks for all of y'alls replies. The deck will be attached to the house and about 2' off the ground. He settled on a contractor that he believes will give him a good deal.

[Latinocowboy]

I built my deck for about $4 per square foot, using 2x6 and expensive deck screws. Some contractors were quoting me around $7-12 per square foot, but not using 2x6 lumber throughout.

[apies1819]

Well I reccommended my dad's company to someone else on the board and they used him

GoodDay Enterprises

Contact is Pascual Segovia
ph 210-632-8560

You can say his WONDERFUL daughter reccommended him ha

[banker]

Originally Posted by apies1819

Well I reccommended my dad's company to someone else on the board and they used him

GoodDay Enterprises

Contact is Pascual Segovia
ph 210-632-8560

You can say his WONDERFUL daughter reccommended him ha

Does he use trex lumber?

[apies1819]

I have no idea.
HaI work for a mutual fund company and have no idea what trex lumber even is.
I can ask him though.