How to build a LOW MAINTENANCE timber decking base
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- Опубликовано: 4 фев 2025
- It’s finally time to start building our decking! We’ve been delayed so much by the weather but we’re finally ploughing on with this project. As we’re building this on a North facing wall in the North East of England we’re really thinking about long term maintenance on this one. I really want a timber deck and I’m fairly confident this will have a life span of at least 20 years. Possibly more. Today we’re building the base then in part 2 we’ll finish everything off and talk more about finishes, wood treatment etc. Enjoy!
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#woodworking #decking #construction
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Hey folks, if you want to nerd out on the detail of exactly how much timber we ordered, how many fixings and a load of extra SketchUp shenanigans, head over to the Member Zone here: members.gosforthhandyman.com/decking-timber/ - Thank you for your awesome support! 🙏
Hi ❤
No contractor could match this level of detail without charging a fortune. The best advert for doing something yourself with longevity & maintenance in mind. Nice one Andy & Mrs Mac. I wish my wife could use a shovel!!
This isn’t on the level of contractor, but more of craftsman level - ❤ the level of quality on this👍🏼
@Keith-di8hd Under the decking perhaps 🤣
Thank you!! 🙏
@RUclipsModeration24are you the wife of @colingoode3702 🙃
@colingoode3702 She can. But she already does so much she has to leave something for you to do.
“Think maintenance!!” - the ultimate catchphrase that has really stuck with me since I first started watching this channel.
Splendid!! 👍😁
This is the most belt and braces, thorough approach to building a decking base I’ve ever seen. Nice one!
Thank you!
It's very much overkill, though
"I've got a hand saw down there but I've not worked out how to switch it on" - this is what earned my 'like'. It's the little things
18:16 That was the very honest "jeez" of a man who doesn't get surprised often, but when he does it's warranted 😄
I’ve seen many diy videos, but this one is by far the most detailed one and clear to understand. Fantastic job all around. Love it 💪💪💪🫵 ⭐️
I don't usually like the term "handyman" as it sounds jack of all trades ... and we know the rest. But i have to say, your workmanship is far superior than someone who specialises in just one trade. Absolute credit to you. A proper tradesman, and people "me included" can learn a lot from you and your channel. Great work.
Just seen this excellent video.
I made a similar deck 25 years ago. About 6m by 2.5m. It was on a similar gravelly base. I decided it was too much like hard work to use posts to support the joists.
Instead I used reclaimed railway sleepers which I put on the ground upside down to give a flat surface. They had enough creosote/tar/bitumen in/on them that I was not worried about them rotting. About 900mm centres. Occasional scraping of the ground with a mattock to get the sleepers at the correct level and to ensure that they did not rock. I then used 75*75mm treated fence posts as the joists at 600mm centres. This conveniently left the deck at the height that I needed.
The deck is still going strong after 25 years.
My only mistake was that I was told sleepers were 8ft long and when they arrived, I found that they were 8ft6in long and I had had the decking delivered cut to length, so had to trim all the sleepers with a bow saw.
Love your attention to detail! A great resource for me looking to attempt my first deck.
Bloomin' brilliant job.
I do love your videos Andy. It’s like watching poetry. I don’t think I can remember any other RUclips maker taking this level of care
Thank you so much!!
That detail of the plate in diamond instead of square is something that 95% of woodpeckers would miss or not care about.
Fantastic thorough job, you are clever. The maths side of it alone, getting everything measured and working it all out would have me stumped 😁
I couldn't do it without SketchUp. 😉
Hooray ! ... Andys back on the tools !
Finally!! Been trying to get this project started for 18 months! 😂
Wow, what a video. THE definitive guide to building a maintenance-free decking base. Thanks Andy, love your channel and this video. 👍
i am amazed at how much talent you have been watching for while take my hat of to you and your wife for building a fabulous house
Ha thank you - I just make it up as I go and hope for the best! 😁👍
Thank you for detail explanations. We've built our deck following your videos. Very useful comments and guidelines for anyone who wants to try on his own.
Thank you kindly for the informative video. I also REALLY appreciate you speaking by Metric instead of imperials. Thanks a lot
Glad to see you back to making main channel vids.
Beautiful piece of framework there, and that new impact driver is a monster!
And well done to Mrs Mack for getting stuck in!
Master deck builder! Scrupulous attention to detail, as always. Bravo!
Thanks Andy. I'm about to help my brother build his decking. This is going to help massively. It will look great.
Cheers - hope you get some useful pointers from it!
Andy, you even did Morris dance in the hole the Mrs Mac dogged up.
Hi Andy, Good work on the framing of the deck area, Like the idea of the concrete bases to rest the posts on and ventilation holes for flowing air for the vent bricks, the base is shaping up well. Mrs Mac has done good digging work, this is going to be a good garden project cant wait to see the rest of the build. As always a great video Take care
Thank you - can't wait to get it all finished!
Very nice job! I might have used either brick with cement or galvanised L plates to support the decking on the concrete pads but I was very impressed with the detail you went into to protect the timber posts. I also liked the fact you carefuly calculated for the decking to go over the cill but nicely below the roughcast. I have always used galvanised nails to fix joist hangers and never had any problems. It's also even better if you use ring-shank nails. It's cheaper and faster but thats not to say there is anything wrong at all with using stainless steel screws.
But as you said there are many many different approaches to building decking frames and eveeyone has their personal preferences.
I like that you take the time and are doing things thoughtfully and carefully making sure to improve longevity. It's going to look fantastic when finished I am sure of that.
I love the fact that you and your missus get on with the work together when you can or take turns no wonder your home is lovely with such a partnership. I told another couple here on YT about what you have done and maybe you could advise them 'Laura Melhuish - Sprague' Oliver and Laura have redone their own Victorian and wanting to do an extension they want to hire a builder to do it and sure could use your advice on what to expect. I love your decking very simple and not over done I wish another couple here on YT would hire you to redo theirs 'The Sawalha - Adderley's' but that would also be up to them to ask you.
Maybe some storage could be built later for storage of whatever you use on this decking :) Everything you did made perfect sense to me would do exactly the same if I were to build one :)
Well, I'm just learning. Since my ideas are expensive. So thank you and the Mrs. For sharing
😊👍🏽💭 New sub.
I’m redoing my decking next week and I can’t express how happy I am to have stumbled across this video! Great ideas and alternatives to how I would have done things. I’ll be pinching lots of your ideas and ways of doing it. Thank you very much! 😬
Great attention to detail. Thanks again for a superb video. Just one thing to mention regarding health and safety is at 24:51 after you drill onto the concrete for the post anker you use your blower to blow the concrete dust away , creating a puff of dust blowing up into the air, you are not wearing a mask and it takes quite a while for the dust particles to settle down around you, meaning you would be breathing all that in while working around that location. I always use a vacuum cleaner to suck the dust and debris away it is much safer and cleaner as you're also not blowing the dust and debris from one place to another.
Regards, Chris.
Cheers! I generally hold my breath when I do that. 👍😁
Superb video my friend. All the little details you mention are gold dust . Love your delivery style, the handsaw joke gave me a little chuckle . New subscriber . All the best, Craig
This is how I'd build decking given the budget and time. Top marks Andy!
Cheers!!
Quote from the wife “not heard that voice in a while”! Welcome back. Love the attention to detail.
Cheers - good to be back! 😁
Some how the RUclips algorithm suggested your video and it just came in time. I may do a decking in my new place rather than resin bound. Food for thought.
Brilliant video. You make everything look so easy. Your explanations are very detailed for anyone who wants to attempt the project. Have followed the entire house Reno and love all your videos. 😊
Thanks Andy, I've been looking forward to seeing what you do with this, it's been such a lovely spring for doing outside timber projects ! I try and avoid timber wherever possible for anything at ground level now, I've spent years building stuff then spent more time maintaining and repairing it, I use a company called Filcris for this that supply a recycled plastic product that will never rot ! I really appreciate the detail you go into on these videos and the focus on maintenance, I'm still learning having been doing these sort of projects for 30+ years, RUclips is great when you find the right people to follow !
Special shout out for Mrs Mac, she's a trooper, and also why the hell do you need to go to the Gym ?
Cheers! Ha I put on 10kg since finishing the main extension 😬. The dad bod has to go. 😂💪
Outstanding work as usual, Andy. I am building a small workshop and have used self-levelling, height-adjustable decking pedestals from Ovaeda to support the timber floor joists 150mm clear of ground level. The whole construction is built on an area of 50mm PC slabs. Although I was building the floor level (obvs), the adjustable pedestals are ideal for incorporating a fall if required. They are made with polypropylene so water damage is not an issue. I highly recommend them.
They look great! I think we'd need a full concrete slab under them since we'd need a lot of them. Look good though!
@@GosforthHandyman aye, my PC slabbed area is a sort-of 50mm slab effectively and I have 27 pedestals under a floor that is only approx 2.7m x 3.5m.
thanks, this quite helpful for beginners too
Your deck will be wonderful. You will be able to sit out there and enjoy it for many years. And your lawn is beautiful.
Thank you! The lawn is looking a bit sorry for itself where the timber has been sitting for a month. 😬😂
With regards to the hand saw on/off switch. Andy read the manual, even I know that! And I’m Australian 😂😂 Great channel mate.
I never read the manual!! 😂😉🍻
Good ol' Geordie humour
Good work Andy. That's a very strong base for timber decking 👍
I build my decks very similarly. I do opt for post shoes (Toolstation) instead of dpm/edpm as lifts the post off the concrete and gives me a solid fixing down to the foundation.
I also found the bituminous paint flakes off when exposed to sunlight, so have opted for joist tape instead.
I have found that with bituminous paint as well.
I looked in to those but I think they were a bit too tall and would have interfered with the notches in the post. So I went for the lazy option. 😂👍
In my opinion, I’d leave Just as it is. With no boards on top because it looks Absolutely Bloody Cracking! Great job mate 👏🏾👏🏾
Well done Mrs Mac you always do a good job. Nice video Andy as always. Thank you.
She's a grafter! 👍💪
Good point about sealing the wood. I've seen people get that wrong before trying to be over safe. Too much sealing can be just as bad as not sealing at all!
Defo!
OMG this video is absolutely amazing can’t wait to watch it properly later. This is exactly how I wanted to do it so i will definitely ask some questions or watch rest of videos. Thanks sooooooooooo much you legend
Impressed that you found the height for deemed planning permission. It's quite well hidden in the PD regs and trips most people up. That said I think the Portal does outline 30cm if people even consider the need to check for planning permission.
Yeah it's well hidden away! Technically we'd probably be covered as it was on the plans of our main extension anyway. But good to play safe. 👍
Nice job that frame is solid and will last a very long time
very well build this nicely done quite professional,i would like to know the type of wood used and the size for the structure here
Great video, and expertly built. I might have to show new starters this video instead of having to teach it haha
Excellent job I'd say it will be still there in 40 years
Incredible attention to detail!
Great to see you back on this channel Andy. A great start to your decking project and at a level of detail that would not be matched by most. Love the idea of 'Think Maintenance' before starting a project, potentially saving heartache in the future. Cheers.
Great to be back - still got so much editing to do! 😂
That's very Very clean and professionally done ✔️
Excellent built. Attention to detail is great.
Definitley better than 90% of contractors
Cheers!
Great video Andy, its always good to see the progress steps on how things are coming along. I just watched your door frame video the other day, I had to remove the mother of all door frames in my Edwardian house, i kid you not it was built like a tank ( the door frame that is lol).
Great build and fun to watch. I had a similar project and i settled on composite deck and aluminum frame. Not for everybody of course but i asked similar questions to you and i wanted a do once project with minimal maintenance. Jet washed it the other day after 2 years and it looks brand new
When you said about the inset step, I thought you said "insect step" and I was thinking, why on earth would you need a step for insects to climb up 😀. Nice work on the base, lots of good tips for keeping the wet out of the house construction too, thanks
Hahaha ... yes that's what I heard too the first time he said it ... finally, later, the penny dropped
😂😂
Hi Andy. Brilliant video as always. I have an 18v DeWalt drill and driver as I left my 10.8v with my son in France and had to retrieve it months later. The 10.8v is still going strong despite using it for long screws to secure sleepers. I can’t justify Festool kit, however much I’d like to, and ‘turning on’ a hand saw had me laughing out loud 🤣. The decking I’ve just finished is nowhere near as detailed as yours, was made out of what was left of the previous deck and the garden furniture fits it perfectly. My plans to replace my 22 year old pond liner in the spring has gone on hold until Autumn as the lilies are sprouting. I use carpet under it as well as sand as protection against stones etc. It is a substantial 22’x13’ and has three feeder ponds. I also have a waterfall and stream. If you are interested, and you tell me how, I could send pics or videos? That’s long enough. Have a restful night 🌞
Wow that sounds amazing Ray! Drop me a note via gosforthhandyman.com/contact/ and I'll reply so you can send pics by e-mail. 👍😎
Neat job done, Andy! Lots of attention to details I've not seen on any other deck build video, love it!
Cheers!
Brilliant thanks Andy, planning a deck build just now! Off to the members zone for more.
Decking lights thoughts would be something i’d like to see . Top quality decking insulation there. 👍
Cheers! I've yet to find deck lights that don't fail after 2 years. Something I need to research a bit more. 👍😁
Hey Andy, I shan't be putting you in charge of my cattle any time time soon! Great job and I'm looking forward to seeing the finished thing.
Ha ha thank you! 👍😁🍻
Hi Andy very impressive build which as many have already stated , would be very expensive to have done professionally . But as with all your projects it’s all down to planning , and particularly in your case quite a high level of ability . As regards wood versus plastic I’m all for plastic if it’s 100% recycled , but at the moment it’s very expensive. So no doubt you have come to the same conclusion , and made an informed decision . 👍
Cheers! I also have concerns about the long term recyclability of composite but I don't have a particular axe to grind. I just know where I am with wood. 😁
Another great video, thanks Andy.
I also had a good experience with tcfixings when I used them for a project in the garden.
Hi Andy, I’ve been watching your channel since you started renovating and extending your house, maybe a little while before that, I can’t remember. Anyway I’ve been nagging my husband for a small shovel like the one you used to dig your holes for the deck. Where did you get yours from, please? I’ve looked in the hardware/garden centres where I live and can’t find one. I’m desperate for one now, I’m getting too old to use the bigger ones as they’re too heavy for me to handle now. Please help me find one. By the way, your deck is a big one! Thank heavens predictive text didn’t kick in then! It often does when I’m typing and I’ve got myself into all sorts of trouble with it. Love your channel. Hello to Mrs Mac. He has an angel helping him, you tell him I said so. ❤️😂😂
The brand name is Roughneck. Screwfix or Toolstation sell them. Approx £12
@@peterpuchalski817 Thank you. Most helpful. 🙂👍
Yup that's the one! Was a special request from Mrs Mac. It's her favourite shovel. 😁
@GosforthHandyman they are great for getting into tight spaces or small trenching. btw Great work on the decking. Regards the joist tape. I've just got some that I saw Robin Clevett recommend. HD Protect. Extra wide 118mm and these were £60 each. But I'm protecting Oak Joists on a 3m x 3.6m balcony, so I want to protect it for many years. Hopefully it will be worth the investment.
@@GosforthHandyman Excellent. Thank you. ❤️
Well that’s a relief, I was waiting for this but jumped the gun on starting mine. Apart from not treating the coach screws (I will get to those though) I did all the things you suggested including expensive tape. Looking forward to the next episode.
Fantastic stuff - hope it all went well!
Wonderful attention to detail and an absolutely solid build for the rest of the project. Nicely explained step by step too. Thanks for sharing. Subbed!
Thank you and welcome on board!
Well that was handy, im building a deck next month, thank you
Brilliant work
"Sack that!" - haha, that absolutely tickled me.
Great video and very informative. Just checking, what depth were the concrete pads?
I love the attention to details Andy. Fantastic.
Nice job brother
Jakers with this weather lad, who knows when you'll get to stick that tape. I'm over the channel in Ireland and the rain just won't let up. We've had one day of summer so far - 19th May. That was it. It's rained since and temps of 13 celsius - I mean seriously, I've seen Christmas days warmer than that. What's going on? Anyway, rant over. Looking forward to seeing the rest of it come together. Never would have thought of the diamond plate. Good point (no pun intended). Right, I'm away to start building an Ark.
Love your videos. I always learn something from them. Thank u for sharing your wisdom.🎉
Great to see you doing a build project.
Looks fantastic so far.
Can't wait for the next video.
Cheers! Just wish the weather would sort itself out! Raining again! 😭😂
Restoration Tim style over engineering there Andy! This will outlast you and your kids! Fantastic job.
Lovely job mate, you and the wife do a cracking job regardless what you're tackling. I must say though, I quite liked the original river pebbles with the plant pots. I would have been tempted putting in some nice decorative slabs to make a patio seating area for some patio furniture, but thats just me. No hate though, geat effort again
Looking forward to the next one Andy.... that base just looks solid as hell even at a glance.
Ain't going anywhere! 👍😁
Great video as always! like the idea of not attaching the frame to your house which is what I've seen alot. The only issue I have is the drain gulley would be in the way of where my joist would run. How can I get around this have you any ideas
This video is super super helpful, I'm planning my own small deck. Considering all the risks of rot and the need to prevent that with multiple membranes and bitumen paint, is it easier to just use steel stirrups instead of posts? Any particular drawbacks with that?
great build, alot of inspiration. Could i ask what bolt size you use for the concrete fixing. THanks
Nice video and information. Appreciate it. A question, why use full sized posts and not just put together two short joists(glue and screw)? It is cheaper, faster and should be equally as strong and resistant with the same treatment as you did with bitumen paint and capillary breaking materials.
Tidy, clean and precise. As usual!
Great vid, was wondering why not put the bitumen paint on instead of the tape? Would that work as well cheers
Interested in the tape reasoning. My tightness twitched at £60 a roll when theres a gallon of blackjack left in the tin!
Apparently it seals around the holes from the fixings. I also twitched... several times. 😬🤞
@GosforthHandyman I had to rebuild decking around my Hot Tub a couple of years ago. That lasted about 20 years without any protection. I used that decking tape on the rebuild and used it to seal end grain as well as top seal the frame. Expensive yes, but quicker than bitumen. I used Jouplast Plastic Adjustable Decking Risers for support, so no timber in contact with the ground. I used composite decking boards to finish. More than happy with the outcome.
Great timing! Looking to do a deck in the next 2 weeks so im glad this popped up!
Hope it's useful - best of luck!
Just watching you use the dpc and rubber pads under the posts and thought if when you still had wet concrete you sunk a few say 10x10mm batons sloping away from the centre,on removal of these batons you would create a channel for the water to drain away to the edge of the pads, thus preserving the base of the posts, what do you think ?.
Just once, I’d like to see a video where the soil is like the boulder-city in every garden I’ve ever had!
Of just left over building debris!
Super easy to follow tutorial and very helpful. One question, I notice your support posts aren’t secured to the concrete footings, is that because the deck is below 300mm in height and would they need secured if the deck was higher?
You're the third youtuber to upload a decking video this week.
Ha seriously??! Game on!! 😎
I have a wood cabin (1400kg) that was erected without proper support. I went for Blooma plastic supports. Each pad takes up to 500kg. Without proper concrete pads I installed the risers. Cabin has never moved, sunk or anything. The great thing about these risers is they are indestructable, keep timber away from moisture and easy to level the joists.
Do the blooma risers allow for slope (i.e. do they tilt) and are they on concrete? I am looking at them to put a deck over my current block paved patio
@@MrEspadrilles the surface needs to be pretty flat and level, aside from that the screw section does have some slop in it. The great plus is each pad doesn’t have to be spot on as you just adjust the height to suit the joists. I should add that the surface under my cabin was just loose stone, I dug out as much as I could, then used concrete blocks set on cement.
They look great - don't go high enough for this deck but it's something I might have a play with at some point. 👍
@@GosforthHandyman I believe you can get extensions, there are other companies making similar products. Mine have been installed since 2016 and so far so good!
@@JohnnyMotel99 Thanks, I think that's exactly the route I will go down, blocks built up to height needed, with the risers on top. Brilliant
Another great video 👍 what mix did you use for the concrete?
Can't beat attention to detail Andy !
🤞
Nice Andy, air flow and keep as much as you can of the ground what else can you do. Looks very similar to the way Robin C built his. 👍🏻
Cheers - I'll need to take a look at Robin's vid and see how we compare! 👍
Nice job 👍
Be interested to hear your thoughts on using decking tape over the bitumen paint? Is it just for speed or is it better?
Great Job ! Thanks for the guidance ! Every day is an education. Cheers bud 👍
No worries!
Great deck. Only thing I'd do differently is - those holes cut for the ventilation in the joist look to be somewhat toward the bottom, which is the bit of timber in tension. Those holes (if you have to have to have them) really should be dead center in the timber (height wise); and need reinforcing with four 'floor joist stiffeners' (basically a long angle section that you fit to reinforce the joist where you've done the hole).
Go Mrs Mac! 💪🏼 Legnen…..dary! 😉
She's a grafter! 💪