Sometimes the insides of our homes are not enough when it comes to living comfortably and feeling a bit freer. Some people don’t have a backyard, so instead, they have a bit of extra space on the front of their home that can be used. Obviously, the best way to use this place is by building a deck. But, this falls into the category of heavy-duty work, and it requires a lot of precision plus the right skill in order to do it correctly and successfully. Not to mention all the required tools.
However, with the power of the internet and the knowledge of those who are already experienced in doing something like this by themselves, learning how to do it properly is not such a difficult task. In today’s article, we’re going to help you make this a successful project while avoiding the top five common mistakes others do when building their deck. If you want to complete this DIY task but end up with a professional result, this is the right place to be. There’s a lot to talk about so let’s not waste any more time and jump straight into the content.
1. Rushing the material selection
In the “pre-production” phase of a deck-building project, there’s something called material selection. This is the period where you’ll carefully choose which materials you’ll use for the entire build, and you’ll sort them out by multiple factors, starting with durability and then moving all the way down to budget and availability.
This is a very important part of the process, and some experts would say that it’s even more important than the build itself. It’s worthless having a deck that’s not durable and can collapse at any time. So, avoid the mistake of rushing this and carefully choose the right materials. You can start by doing research about everything you want to use on the internet. If that isn’t enough, ask for advice from someone you know who specializes in material-choosing or is either a construction worker or a person who works at the hardware store.
2. Choosing the wrong type of footers
The footers are what holds your entire deck, and installing them in the wrong way or not paying enough attention to their stability can be a huge safety hazard. Simply said, failing to do this part of the project properly can be a risk of the entire deck collapse. This is where things get a bit more technical, and from there on we cannot really give you better advice rather than contacting a professional contractor for this part of the task.
Besides choosing durable materials and setting things up properly, we cannot help you much. Thankfully, contractors were never so easy to reach like they are in 2024. A few clicks are the only thing that separates you from getting a professionally built deck for your home. But, you can always use certain websites for good advice and personalized tips. For more information, rowlettdecks.com is a place where these things are featured.
3. Not using rails for your build
According to what some contractors said in the past, a very common mistake that people make when building their own deck is not adding rails. This can be a major safety hazard and something that can put your well-being in danger when you’re on your deck but not paying enough attention to where you are. Let’s say that you are having a mini-party on your deck, and you are just enjoying your drink chatting with people. You make one step forward and without realizing that you’re on the very end of the deck, you fall down and break something. It’s definitely an unpleasant event, and for you to understand the importance of rails, we have to give such a realistic example.
This can also happen when you use the wrong height for the rails. Make sure that they are the exact same height recommended in the building code. Each living area specifies a different height, so we are not sure which one will be right for your deck. But, we suggest you go as tall as you can. After all, safety is what matters the most.
4. Underestimating the difficulty of the project
Many of us like to think that we’re the best DIY-ers the world has ever seen, and this gets especially “dangerous” when ego comes into play as well. But, the truth is, we cannot compete with those who earn a living through building decks, especially not when we don’t even have the right tools for the job.
We don’t want to discourage anyone, but building an entire deck is a task that can take more than a month of non-stop work if you are planning to do this from scratch. You should plan your time ahead if you are really considering doing this on your own. Do not underestimate the project and all the mess that can be made when building. If you are an older person who cannot really do all this heavy-duty work, we recommend eliminating all risks and hiring someone to help instead.
It’s great to be enthusiastic and try doing it on your own, but if you notice that you are not on the right path, hiring a professional might be the best option after all. Such services are not very expensive but they are well worth the money.
5. Not using any form of water isolation
Last but not least, your deck will most likely be exposed to other external weather conditions, such as rain, snow, and hail. All of these things are basically water in a different form, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is for you to add some sort of water isolation to prevent withering and any potential damage that might be done to the wood.
After a lot of rains and snow, the water that slowly builds up inside of your deck can eventually bring it down if the materials loosen up completely from it.
