#Concrete deck blocks how to#
#Concrete deck blocks install#

Some are made with notches designed to hold standard-sized posts, beams and joists. Precast concrete deck blocks are popular for building decks.

#Concrete deck blocks how to#

The small bearing area of a pier block limits how much load they can support.Īlso Check: How To Paint The Deck Here Are Your Options: These soils can often support several thousands of pounds per square foot. When you dig below the topsoil, you often hit a layer of dense clay or possibly a sandy gravel mix that Mother Nature has compacted for thousands of years. The soil probably contains lots of rotting organic material. As you dig, if the soil smells like a swamp, thats also a bad sign. You dont want the soil to compress at all when you build on it. Both of these characteristics mean topsoil is compressible. Topsoil is the worst as it contains lots of organic material and air. Poor soil can often be easily identified. Your local building inspector can offer you lots of insight as he/she should be very familiar with the soils in all the neighborhoods he/she inspects.

Thats the most important thing you should be concerned with. Most homeowners dont take into consideration the bearing capacity of the soil upon which the deck will rest. Thus, the 20-inch footing creates 314 square inches of bearing and the 24-inch footing has 452 square inches of bearing on the soil. A typical deck pier footing that might be specified by an architect or engineer might be 20 or 24 inches in diameter. How Much Weight Can A Concrete Deck Block HoldĪ concrete deck block can support quite a bit of weight as it normally has a footprint of 12 x 12 inches. Many jurisdictions have height requirements for those not needing a permit, though. Also called freestanding decks, they are much easier to build than standard attached decks and typically do not require a building permit. You May Like: Fire Pits On Decks Safety What Is A Floating Deckįloating decks are wood decks that rest on the ground and are not attached to any structure, including your house. Concrete footings will support greater loads than deck blocks due to the increased mass and wider bearing area. On the other hand, the cost of in-situ concrete and the associated cost of soil excavation makes concrete footing the more expensive option. Deck blocks are fairly cheap and do not require much labor to install.

#Concrete deck blocks install#

Also, concrete footings require considerable amounts of soil to be excavated, whereas minimal digging is required to install deck blocks. Deck blocks are much quicker to install than concrete footings, as they are preformed units. How Do Deck Blocks Compare To Concrete Footings And PiersĬoncrete footings and piers are popular options for deck foundations, and you may want to know how deck blocks compare to these.Īccordingly, the two will be compared under the following: This article will hopefully help educate you and explain how to build a shed foundation with deck blocks. There a few different types of foundations, some will be referenced and described. How To Build A Shed Foundation With Deck BlocksĪ foundation is the most important aspect of your project since the whole project rests on it. This is one place in which too many is much better than too few.

For a smaller shed that wont be stuffed with heavy motorized gadgets, you can go to a support every four to six feet. The average 12 x 12 shed, for instance, will use at least 18 blocks. That lawn tractor is heavy, and even a few cans of paint can add a surprising amount of weight.Ī good rule of thumb is to use one block support every three to four feet for a shed that will see normal use. Youre not done, though, because you still have to guess how much weight will eventually go into the shed. Its hard to know how much your shed will weigh, although if you buy a pre-built shed, you may be able to find out from the manufacturer. That may sound like a lot, but its tough to calculate how many you will need from that figure. Solving Several Problems at Once – Titan Deck FootĪ single 12×12-inch deck block can hold up to 2,000 lbs.