Deck Building: Attaching the Ledger to the Wall
Deck Building: Attaching the Ledger to the Wall
Composite Deck
Choosing A Free-Standing Or A Ledger Board Deck
In terms of the deck's overall design, one of the most important decisions deck builders must make is whether to attach their deck to the house using a ledger board or whether to build an unattached "free-standing" deck. Decks built using a ledger board have the advantage of not requiring an additional support beam and related footings running next to the house - to support the ends of the floor joists closest to the house. Additionally, attached decks require less bracing. On the other hand, not all homes will allow attaching a ledger board due to the exterior surface and/or the shape of the home's exterior wall.
Free-Standing - Deck Not Attached: Not all decks can be attached to the house. The surface of the old stone home shown is too irregular to bolt on a ledger. Notice how freestanding decks must use at least two support beams (whereas attaching the deck to the house with a ledger board eliminates the closest beam). When designing a free-standing deck, it's always best to cantilever the deck's floor joists as much as possible on the ends closest to the house. In so doing, the footings for the support beam closest to the house are placed as far away as is possible from the home's foundation. This is important since the backfill around homes can take many, many years to settle. (Backfill is the soil used to fill in the hole around the home's foundation when the house was built.)
The end band joist that caps off the ends of the deck's floor joists is spaced away from the house about 3/4" and is attached by toe-screwing 3" long deck screws. Joist hangers are not needed. Alternatively, you may use solid blocking the same size as the deck's floor joists and nail them in-between the ends of the floor joists. Notice how the rim joist running along the side of the deck laps over the end of the board that caps off the deck's joist ends and is nailed in place with three 16d nails. Although not necessary, it's good insurance to reinforce the corner connections with a 90° reinforcing angle as shown. Ledger Board - Deck Attached: When a deck is attached to the house, a ledger board is bolted to the side of the house. To keep water out, metal flashing is carefully installed behind and on top of the ledger board (flashing is not shown). The ledger board itself is 0.40 treated lumber and is chosen for straightness. The rim joist running along the side of the deck laps over the end of the ledger board and is nailed in place with three 16d nails. Although not essential, it's good insurance to reinforce the corner connection with a 90° reinforcing angle as shown. To prevent puncturing the metal flashing underneath the ledger, special 1-1/2" long 10d double hot-dipped zinc coated joist hanger nails are used to attach the reinforcing angle and joist hangers.
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Important: Make sure to take the time to learn how to install
your ledger board properly. Unlike other parts of the deck, if something
goes wrong with the ledger board, the results could be catastrophic.
Even with a securely attached ledger board if there is even a small
water leak, it's going to be very tough to make repairs. The ledger
board can't be removed without disassembling the entire deck. When it
comes to the ledger board, get it right the first time.
Check Point - It's not unusual for do-it-yourself builders to
look for shortcuts. One area where it's important not to take a shortcut
is the proper installation of water-proofing flashing. The amount of
grief and expense even the smallest water leak can cause is
considerable. It only takes a pinhole for water to seep in and create
the perfect conditions for wood decay fungi to grow. For a nominal fee,
consider 
Always use the nail size specified for your hanger. When you're picking
your metal connectors out of the parts-bin at the building supply store,
make sure to jot down the required nail size and nailing pattern. In the
case of attaching hangers to a ledger board, we don't want the nails
poking through and damaging the metal flashing behind, so shorter
special 10d hanger nails may be used with a load reduction of 0.77 - the
load reduction is required when switching from full length 3" long 10d
nails to the shorter 1-1/2" long special 10d hanger nails. BestDeckSite
automatically factors in a load reduction for shorter nail lengths in
the hanger recommendations. Additionally, there will often be more than
one joist hanger height available at building supply stores for a given
floor joist size. As a matter of course, always select the tallest joist
hanger available since it will use more nails and consequently, be
stronger.Contact us for a FREE consultation and Estimate..
Decks 1-877-388-7360
Deck Building: Laying out the
Joists on the Ledger
Deck Building: Applying the Deck Boards
Deck Building: Attaching the Ledger to the Wall
Deck Building: Attaching the Two Outer Joists
Deck Building: Cutting the Ends of the Joists and Deck Boards
Deck Building: Determining the Level and Length of the Ledger
Deck Building: Digging the Foundation Holes and Setting the
Pier Blocks
Deck Building: Drilling the Holes for the Ledger
Deck Building: Facing the Deck with Band Joists
Deck Building: Installing the Girders
Deck Building: Installing the Railing
Deck Building: Installing the Remaining Joists
Deck Building: Introduction to Building a Deck
Deck Building: Locating the Foundation Pier Holes
Deck Building: Preparation of Deck Construction
Deck Building: Tools and Materials Checklist
Deck Building: Waterproofing the Deck
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Updated June 8 , 2008 , 8:11:00 AM.
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