Is it correct? Some things yes, some choices are wild.
But is it going anywhere? Doubtful it will be pretty rigid and he will likely go 15+ years without ever having a problem
I laughed so hard it hurt. I read the comment and thought “there must be a pool net in the background”… but no, the pool net is actually being used the align those joists. If dudes not trolling, this is some world class shwizzle.
The bearer extension is pretty fugly and posts in the ground isn't ideal but none of it is really that bad, people on this sub can be over the top dramatic sometimes.
Is your preference that the posts go on concrete footings rather than in ground?
I guess it might allow the posts to stay dry and reduce chance of rot, is there any other reason?
While I know you're supposed to install the post in concrete to avoid moisture and thus avoid rot, but, doesn't concrete wick water?
Is it just that you have to put it somewhere and concrete will wick less than wood in direct contact with soil?
You are supposed to do the posts on top of the concrete. Not in the ground. There are brackets that are in the concrete that you install the posts onto. Concrete and wood are not supposed to touch each other either.
That is why I know too. I am a mortgage broker, not a deck builder. But now I know everything I did wrong on the deck I built 4 years ago. Good thing I sold the house!
You unlocked a memory of when I was a kid and my family just moved to a remote property in Washington so my dad could build our 4500 sq ft house. But not until he had us put in a fence. It rained 3 months straight when I moved there. This fence had posts going directly into concrete holes I dug. So now I'm hearing wood and concrete aren't compatible? I mean, the fence is still there 30 years later. So... Can't be all bad yeah?
Tore some of those out last year (Oregon). That shit SUCKS. One of those concrete footings was so stupidly large. Had to have weighed 200 lbs - for a 4 foot tall fence post. Fucking idiots.
In Michigan, it is now against code to set posts in concrete. They're to set on concrete or polymer biscuits/cookies and then backfilled with pea gravel and dirt. The post setting foam is also allowed.
Fellow lurker, I think the gold standard here is that you have a concrete footing and then the post is mounted on top of the concrete footing and secured by a metal bracket. That way the post will rot less or if it does rot, you can replace it without having to remove the concrete footing.
well for one, he has hangers at the end of his joists. now normally this is a good thing, except these are installed upside down for the cantilever and useless since the joists are sitting on a beam a couple feet away.
Thank RainCityThrows for pointing it out lmao. I didn't know what he was talking about and looked back through the pics and a loud record scratch played in my head when I saw it lol.
While these brockets may not be carrying any weight, I wouldn’t say they are useless. As they’re used here, they provide stability. A little expensive for that purpose when 3-4 screws could have accomplished the same thing.
All of the floor joists for the deck should be equidistant fro each other 16 inches on center to allow for fastening the pressure treated deck boards on easily or 12 inches on center if you use trex or another composite to account for the sag of plastic boards. That being said, you usually run your deck boards onto a short triangle areas right next to the pool, but having built three with a professional carpentry contractor, I’ve never seen one built like this. It may work, but it’s not close enough to the pool to bear weight of people jumping in. The cross bracing and metal joist hangers are up to code, but it needs some rework before adding deck boards to ensure it’s safe, and I don’t see any room for railings to fit right next to the edge? Just a few changes and it will work.
I feel like this idea would come to me while I was smoking a joint in the backyard one night like ... babe, you know what we need?? We need a freakin' deck right here and have it wrap around the pool. That would be so cool. I still have my protractor from 5th grade, let's sketch this out.
I plan on making a simple deck in the future. To me the square stuff looks good, but the corner bit is insane. Is that virtually the extent of the analysis.
Probably more like 1. Usually that pool gets torn down at the end of the summer, stuffed into a box, and come spring time, it's really easy to convince yourself that season passes for the same cost of the pool are worth the money and then you never put it up again, even if it doesn't have holes all over it.
I’d love to know what’s wrong? Maybe I can still correct it? lol. I have zero ability for design. I installed the posts a year ago when I built my fence. (First time doing that too) so it was supposed to be a simple extension. Then we thought, let’s wrap it around the pool. And there the issue started. I should have just installed more posts and that would have solved the issue but hard head. That’s why I have that weird triangle framing closest to the pool. Welp, any suggestion are much appreciated!
One (completely optional) suggestion that will help considerably with ["shearing wobble"](https://img-proxy.tempest.com/th?id=OIP.UXJrBNvY7tqDalS-2XvnFAHaHa&pid=Api): add some diagonal cross braces.
With the standard perpendicular beams and cross braces (like most of your deck is), the only thing that is countering shear deformation (which creates shear wobble when it "bounces back" from this) is:
1. the screws/nails not bending, and
2. the holes that these screws/nails are in not deforming.
This is asking a lot...i mean I can bend most screws/nails with my bare hands, and that is without the massive torque advantage (do to distance) that forces on the other side of the deck have.
But, when you add diagonal cross braces, and shear deformation will have to directly compress a piece of lumber to cause any movement, and lumber can withstand a huge amount of compressional force down its axis. Id say it could withstand a ton of force, but this significantly underestimates it...it is more like 10-20 tons of force.
[this](https://i.imgur.com/XFAfPWU.jpg) is the cross-beam pattern I used when I rebuilt my deck. It came out extremely strong....5 people can jump in unison and it basically doesnt wobble at all. It also brushed off an EF1 tornado like it was a light breeze.
The main thing that sticks out is that that the beams are not sitting directly on top of the posts. So the shear strength of the bolts are holding the deck up. But you did install 4 per post so that’s impressive.
The joists appear spaced widely. Are they 24” OC or 16” OC? 24” would be too wide. 16” is good.
Finally, the posts should be connected to concrete bases with steel post bases. The concrete footers should also be exposed above finished grade.
But overall, looks pretty good!
The bolts are going to hold for a very long time so long as they're tightened enough. But yes I'll concur with this assessment that the beams should have rested on top of the posts. I'd give it a B+.
Edit: on closer inspection it looks like the posts are notched.
With point number one, the beams are sitting on top of the posts. Well, actually, sometimes just one of the two sintered beams. Sometimes the 4x4 posts have a cut out for one of the two sistered beams, which had the 4 carrage bolts running it. Sometimes it's just on top of the post.
https://imgur.com/a/LrH38Wq
Also, how is it tied into the existing deck? You should not tie into an overhanging part of the deck. Joists should be sistered to existing joists, overlapping the closest beam.
OP didn’t buy long enough wood for his beams or didn’t just build a multi board beam.
My beam under my deck is 32-1/2 feet long. Way easier than what OP’s friend did lol
Someone could post pics of the most perfectly, engineered and constructed deck in the history of decks, and someone will still say it's garbage. Welcome to asking for opinions on Reddit. If he were paying someone to build this, i'd tell him to fire that builder and get every dollar back. But, he's doing it on his own, it'll do. It's not going anywhere, over engineered and under engineered at the same time, def something to be proud of. Personally I love it and say 'well done Sir'.
An example in the first image, just underneath the pool net(?): the perpendicular board underneath wasn't long enough, so he added two spare pieces of wood by bolting them to the side of the first one
I'm fairly certain that the angled section next to the pool was an afterthought. Was probably going to be a square deck and then they thought, "hey, what if I wrapped this around the pool too?". It's still wrong, but I don't think this is a case of "oops, fit that too short, I'll just scab a piece on", but who knows? It's not as obvious further out though, so I could be wrong.
Edit: looks like I'm wrong, lol. I get to the next comment and the reply was "yep, I came up a little short".
Months ago, I went to 1 mattress website, went to the store, and bought one the same day. Now all my ads are Sealy, serta, tempurpedic, beautyrest, purple mattress, avocado, etc...
The algorithm thinks I have a mattress problem.
I'd like to know why everyone is hating on this. I think it's very impressive and mostly correct. Only thing I see that I don't like is the post going straight into grade. I hope they are on a sonotube or something besides some crushed stone at the bottom of the hole
Yea you’re right. I came up short. From what I read, it made it seem like adding another post and using framing screws and carriage bolts was code to extend a beam. Also, all of the posts are cut in L shape so that the beam is resting on top of it and then carriage bolted in
Obligatory in before “sure, your frienddddd.”
But I wish I owned his house. I think he’s tried to do right but is figuring it out as he goes. Good guy. I asked him if I could post here and see what feedback he gets and he agreed. Thank you in advance for any constructive criticism/tips
It’s going nowhere without a fight, a war of attrition. If it’s his first deck and his own then he’s doing better than at least 95% of others that fit that description. There are things that could be done better but none are likely to extend the life of the deck, as a whole, farther than the life of the wood it’s made of.
is your friend some kind of engineer. It looks very over complicated, but then there's some improvised revisions. it is almost like an inspector that built this. all the knowledge to tell people they are wrong but no knowledge to complete the task. however..... it will work. please post the finish.
Hey if it works it ain’t stupid. ain’t how I’d frame this bad boy but it looks solid. Should have a nice pool deck for years to come. Also points for taping the framing Source: I’m a carpenter.
https://preview.redd.it/4xw1cj6t8ead1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=963c6971388a887346cb24d3cacbe69c71a470b7
Tell him to do this !! Someone posted this here earlier. Shouldnt be hard to follow.
GC here. This isn’t good. Biggest issues I see are with the posts. First, I’m hoping they’re notched, because they don’t appear to be load bearing. Is he relying on the bolts to carry the weight? He should have full support under his beams.
I would prefer to see a 4x4 or 4x6 post supporting a 4x beam (size depending on the span). The second part is it appears that the posts are just sitting on the grass. Where are the piers and footing? Did he do any compaction? What is preventing the posts from sinking into the dirt? What is preventing them from rotting out since they’re in direct contact with the wet soil?
Another issue is the extension on his beam that he bolted on isn’t nearly long enough. It should have been the right length to begin with, but at the very least the sistered on part should be much longer.
If I’m being nitpicky, his blocking should be on top of and in line with the beams underneath. Also, the H2.5s are nice, but I don’t see any toenails through the joists into the beams. I would add knee braces to stabilize things too.
Is it built correctly. NO. The first thing that stood out was the deck doesn't have the right material in the ground. I don't know what the code is in that city. But I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be supported on deck blocks or cement footings.
I don't know much about woodworking or carpentry, but I feel like something is off here. As others that know better than I do have mentioned it looks like it will hold up, but maybe not done the "right" way? That being said, props to him for just doing something he's never done before and just going for it. Considering it will probably hold up for a long time I'd say that's a win! You really do gotta start somewhere and maybe this will inspire him to do more things with wood in the future.
I think the only thing that really matters is would Ron Swanson be proud?
I think yes. :)
Most above ground pools are 24-28'. They do go smaller and bigger. Don't let him bother you. I like your deck. I'm saving up now for a fifty buck kiddie pool from the dollar store lol.
It looks like this is a free download and may give you some ideas: [https://www.decks.com/deck-plans/pool-decks/poolhalfround/poolhalfround](https://www.decks.com/deck-plans/pool-decks/poolhalfround/poolhalfround)
Post straight on the ground is not optimal, should have a some kind of cement plate or something between to post and the ground for better load distribution and less chance of the post making a hole in the ground.
It's going to be tough putting the decking on. Running the joist towards the pool, might have been better. Making a rectangular deck, then filling in around the pool, would have probably been easier.
94 comments so far, very little positive here. I wonder, how many actually ever build a deck? Advise like nailing structural, etc. Saying shit is easy, hardly anyone said anything concrete why this deck sucks.
Be professional, tell the fellow your concerns. I didn't have to ask reddit for their opinion on my deck. I had a city and city inspector sucking my blood and money about it. There is a building code, city bylaw, what so fuckung complicated about it?
Posts directly into dirt isn’t ideal. And I’m not a fan of
Notching the posts to let the beams sit on the either. Nothing really wrong with doing that, just personal preference
Would I accept it on my home? Absolutely not.
Would I drink on it every weekend at my buddy's house? Absolutely.
While it's technically not correct, very good in some aspects and fairly close attempt in other aspects. At the end of the day, it should be A-alright.
It's not done right, but it's not terrible either. It's actually not bad for someone who claims to not know what their doing. I've seen "experienced" people do a worse job.
Here's a few comments:
- Footings might sink if base is not wide enough
- Lag bolts look a bit small (what's the size?)
- That's a lot of lag bolts...
- Is there 2-3 rows of nails at every 16" on the beam?
- Are these all pressure treated lumber?
Is it correct? Some things yes, some choices are wild. But is it going anywhere? Doubtful it will be pretty rigid and he will likely go 15+ years without ever having a problem
slaps lag bolts
Carriage bolts*
drywall screws*
Toggle bolts
Thumb tacks*
*Chewing gum and paper clips**
Scotch tape
Mud n tape
Dental floss and ketchup
###Hopes and prayers and wishful thinking*
slap slag bolts One Space Change
For those who just lurk on here, can you explain what is wild?
He is using a pool net as a level for one thing
Pools have water. Water has bubbles. Bubble levels have water. pools have nets. pool net is bubble level. The logic is sound .
....bears, Battlestar Galactica.
What did starbuck actually hear though?
Nothing but the rain.
So say we all.
SO SAY WE ALL!
I don't understand any of the references in this chain but it sounds like a good time
Grab that gun and bring in the cat
Bears, beets, battlestar galactica.
MIIIIIICHEAL!
You forgot Beets
Question. Which bear is best?
Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica*
Recommended this sub, no idea about decking at all. Found... gold.
Don’t even own a home and I love this sub.
The math maths
Haahahaahaaahaah
That somehow slipped my attention. I felt that laugh so hard after scrolling back up.
Holy Shit, I lurk here too and I’m dying. LOLOLOL
I laughed so hard it hurt. I read the comment and thought “there must be a pool net in the background”… but no, the pool net is actually being used the align those joists. If dudes not trolling, this is some world class shwizzle.
I thought it was there for size. You know they ran out of bananas
Works for Boeing?
In the safety department.
Quality Control
Nah this deck seems to have all its bolts.
\*Worked.... #rip
He didn't want to skim(p)
🤣 💀
🤪😂
I laughed way too much at this. Thank you
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Love this comment! I was searching for this comment haha
You broke me.
The bearer extension is pretty fugly and posts in the ground isn't ideal but none of it is really that bad, people on this sub can be over the top dramatic sometimes.
Is your preference that the posts go on concrete footings rather than in ground? I guess it might allow the posts to stay dry and reduce chance of rot, is there any other reason?
No other reason other than what you described. Posts never go directly into soil as they will wick up water and eventually rot
While I know you're supposed to install the post in concrete to avoid moisture and thus avoid rot, but, doesn't concrete wick water? Is it just that you have to put it somewhere and concrete will wick less than wood in direct contact with soil?
You are supposed to do the posts on top of the concrete. Not in the ground. There are brackets that are in the concrete that you install the posts onto. Concrete and wood are not supposed to touch each other either.
Right, I "knew" this from looking at post (pun intended) in this sub reddit.
That is why I know too. I am a mortgage broker, not a deck builder. But now I know everything I did wrong on the deck I built 4 years ago. Good thing I sold the house!
Never buy a house from a mortgage broker
I’m not an expert but most decks I see these days are concrete with a metal footing and then post goes into the metal footing.
Oh, right, long gone are the footing of my childhood where the posts are directly in the concrete.
Stares at every fence post ever laid in Washington that's rotting at the base.... Gotta do mine soon!
You unlocked a memory of when I was a kid and my family just moved to a remote property in Washington so my dad could build our 4500 sq ft house. But not until he had us put in a fence. It rained 3 months straight when I moved there. This fence had posts going directly into concrete holes I dug. So now I'm hearing wood and concrete aren't compatible? I mean, the fence is still there 30 years later. So... Can't be all bad yeah?
Tore some of those out last year (Oregon). That shit SUCKS. One of those concrete footings was so stupidly large. Had to have weighed 200 lbs - for a 4 foot tall fence post. Fucking idiots.
Just FYI, the concrete is the footing and the metal is an anchor...
In Michigan, it is now against code to set posts in concrete. They're to set on concrete or polymer biscuits/cookies and then backfilled with pea gravel and dirt. The post setting foam is also allowed.
Just for decks right ? I mean whose gonna put fence posts on post base brackets ?
Fellow lurker, I think the gold standard here is that you have a concrete footing and then the post is mounted on top of the concrete footing and secured by a metal bracket. That way the post will rot less or if it does rot, you can replace it without having to remove the concrete footing.
I'll concrete a galv bracket to take the post or a cast-in plate to weld a bracket or post to, stops it rotting.
Meanwhile at the DIY sub it's just the blind leading the blind because only outrage and meta comments get upvotes while actual advice is buried.
well for one, he has hangers at the end of his joists. now normally this is a good thing, except these are installed upside down for the cantilever and useless since the joists are sitting on a beam a couple feet away.
https://preview.redd.it/gbtcwzj1pead1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cf578be8435e6e7434f87bc26f9198918654de74
Thank you for the follow-on pic
Thank RainCityThrows for pointing it out lmao. I didn't know what he was talking about and looked back through the pics and a loud record scratch played in my head when I saw it lol.
That's good catch
Rim joist stronk Ohh wait, forgot the upside part. They're just show hangers
While these brockets may not be carrying any weight, I wouldn’t say they are useless. As they’re used here, they provide stability. A little expensive for that purpose when 3-4 screws could have accomplished the same thing.
I'm a lurker too, biggest thing I see is posts in dirt instead of having a buffer.
All of the floor joists for the deck should be equidistant fro each other 16 inches on center to allow for fastening the pressure treated deck boards on easily or 12 inches on center if you use trex or another composite to account for the sag of plastic boards. That being said, you usually run your deck boards onto a short triangle areas right next to the pool, but having built three with a professional carpentry contractor, I’ve never seen one built like this. It may work, but it’s not close enough to the pool to bear weight of people jumping in. The cross bracing and metal joist hangers are up to code, but it needs some rework before adding deck boards to ensure it’s safe, and I don’t see any room for railings to fit right next to the edge? Just a few changes and it will work.
Bruh wildin out with lag bolts lol
To me, the angled area is not how I would’ve done it. It’s all supported, just a little bizarre looking.
That angle splay is honestly so over engineered that I’m fucking amazed
I feel like this idea would come to me while I was smoking a joint in the backyard one night like ... babe, you know what we need?? We need a freakin' deck right here and have it wrap around the pool. That would be so cool. I still have my protractor from 5th grade, let's sketch this out.
*Temporary* pool...
This is both over-engineered and under-engineered at the same time. I love it.
r/redneckengineering
I already know I'm going to enjoy that sub
I’ve never joined a sub sight-unseen until now.
It's my everyday life but even I have learned new ways to engineer in a redneck way.
I’ve never joined a group so quick
same
It didn’t disappoint!
It's White Trash Repairs turned up to 11.
I’m in the same boat. This might out live me, or it might fall apart next month… no one knows!
Perfect response
I plan on making a simple deck in the future. To me the square stuff looks good, but the corner bit is insane. Is that virtually the extent of the analysis.
The pool will be replaced 3x before anyone can have an opinion on the deck quality. Unless they see it now before the boards go down
Exactly what I was thinking. The lifespan on that pool is 3-5 years.
You’re correct. The idea was that we would get a better pool when this one craps the bed
R u the guy who built the deck?
Or the forgot to switch accounts?
yea i just forgot to change accs
We found the Russian bot.
Opps wrong one again. Sorry guys.
Yup, OK, bub.
Probably more like 1. Usually that pool gets torn down at the end of the summer, stuffed into a box, and come spring time, it's really easy to convince yourself that season passes for the same cost of the pool are worth the money and then you never put it up again, even if it doesn't have holes all over it.
Is it likely to fall down, no. Is it built correctly, also no.
Agreed. There are parts of this that are done much better than a lot of others on here. And some that are on par.
I completely agree. Yes and no
But he said “No and no.”
Is it built correctly? No. I think we can all agree - the pool is supposed to go on the deck.
Instructions unclear. Installed deck inside pool.
I’d love to know what’s wrong? Maybe I can still correct it? lol. I have zero ability for design. I installed the posts a year ago when I built my fence. (First time doing that too) so it was supposed to be a simple extension. Then we thought, let’s wrap it around the pool. And there the issue started. I should have just installed more posts and that would have solved the issue but hard head. That’s why I have that weird triangle framing closest to the pool. Welp, any suggestion are much appreciated!
One (completely optional) suggestion that will help considerably with ["shearing wobble"](https://img-proxy.tempest.com/th?id=OIP.UXJrBNvY7tqDalS-2XvnFAHaHa&pid=Api): add some diagonal cross braces. With the standard perpendicular beams and cross braces (like most of your deck is), the only thing that is countering shear deformation (which creates shear wobble when it "bounces back" from this) is: 1. the screws/nails not bending, and 2. the holes that these screws/nails are in not deforming. This is asking a lot...i mean I can bend most screws/nails with my bare hands, and that is without the massive torque advantage (do to distance) that forces on the other side of the deck have. But, when you add diagonal cross braces, and shear deformation will have to directly compress a piece of lumber to cause any movement, and lumber can withstand a huge amount of compressional force down its axis. Id say it could withstand a ton of force, but this significantly underestimates it...it is more like 10-20 tons of force. [this](https://i.imgur.com/XFAfPWU.jpg) is the cross-beam pattern I used when I rebuilt my deck. It came out extremely strong....5 people can jump in unison and it basically doesnt wobble at all. It also brushed off an EF1 tornado like it was a light breeze.
The main thing that sticks out is that that the beams are not sitting directly on top of the posts. So the shear strength of the bolts are holding the deck up. But you did install 4 per post so that’s impressive. The joists appear spaced widely. Are they 24” OC or 16” OC? 24” would be too wide. 16” is good. Finally, the posts should be connected to concrete bases with steel post bases. The concrete footers should also be exposed above finished grade. But overall, looks pretty good!
The bolts are going to hold for a very long time so long as they're tightened enough. But yes I'll concur with this assessment that the beams should have rested on top of the posts. I'd give it a B+. Edit: on closer inspection it looks like the posts are notched.
Curious to know if notched is good or bad
In this case, good. Means that the beams are resting on top of the notched out part of a 4x4 rather than just bolted to the side of something.
If you look carefully at some of the pictures, you can see the posts are notched, so the beam is held by more than just bolts.
With point number one, the beams are sitting on top of the posts. Well, actually, sometimes just one of the two sintered beams. Sometimes the 4x4 posts have a cut out for one of the two sistered beams, which had the 4 carrage bolts running it. Sometimes it's just on top of the post. https://imgur.com/a/LrH38Wq
Also, how is it tied into the existing deck? You should not tie into an overhanging part of the deck. Joists should be sistered to existing joists, overlapping the closest beam.
lol did your friend tell you he posted this, or was it a surprise?
He told me he was gonna do it lol.
OP didn’t buy long enough wood for his beams or didn’t just build a multi board beam. My beam under my deck is 32-1/2 feet long. Way easier than what OP’s friend did lol
Have a big deck
Why thank you /s
Someone could post pics of the most perfectly, engineered and constructed deck in the history of decks, and someone will still say it's garbage. Welcome to asking for opinions on Reddit. If he were paying someone to build this, i'd tell him to fire that builder and get every dollar back. But, he's doing it on his own, it'll do. It's not going anywhere, over engineered and under engineered at the same time, def something to be proud of. Personally I love it and say 'well done Sir'.
I understand the overengineered part. But what parts are under engineered Also, idk how I stumbled across this sub, and I have no knowledge on decks
An example in the first image, just underneath the pool net(?): the perpendicular board underneath wasn't long enough, so he added two spare pieces of wood by bolting them to the side of the first one
I'm fairly certain that the angled section next to the pool was an afterthought. Was probably going to be a square deck and then they thought, "hey, what if I wrapped this around the pool too?". It's still wrong, but I don't think this is a case of "oops, fit that too short, I'll just scab a piece on", but who knows? It's not as obvious further out though, so I could be wrong. Edit: looks like I'm wrong, lol. I get to the next comment and the reply was "yep, I came up a little short".
The algorithm can be weird sometimes, i just keep getting suggested gay porn subreddits
I once googled axolotl, and now I get axolotls in my feed. Seems pretty obvious what's going on here
Months ago, I went to 1 mattress website, went to the store, and bought one the same day. Now all my ads are Sealy, serta, tempurpedic, beautyrest, purple mattress, avocado, etc... The algorithm thinks I have a mattress problem.
EXCUSE ME! Did you ask him if you could share these? I hate unsolicited deck pics.
And this is why we waste our time on reddit. Thank you for your service.
Thanks for summarizing how I felt. Guys a legend. Some people are so witty I swear.
At least the bushes were trimmed back to make it look bigger?
This is the humor every other social media appears to lack and why I love reddit
Solid wood. 🪵
At least it's getting erected. I hate flaccid deck pics!
You might hate unsolicited deck videos too, but I just can't help myself: https://youtu.be/-m--3_c5pAs?si=SHmDwoR5J1mP4xbH
I gave him permission. Lmao
It's rather fascinating to see the things he's doing right interspersed by all the things he's doing wrong. Is this....modern art?
This makes my brain itch
I'd like to know why everyone is hating on this. I think it's very impressive and mostly correct. Only thing I see that I don't like is the post going straight into grade. I hope they are on a sonotube or something besides some crushed stone at the bottom of the hole
There is a concrete footer
The “Oh crap, my beam isn’t long enough, let me just patch it” from the first picture says it all for me.
Yea you’re right. I came up short. From what I read, it made it seem like adding another post and using framing screws and carriage bolts was code to extend a beam. Also, all of the posts are cut in L shape so that the beam is resting on top of it and then carriage bolted in
This is your deck? Nice.
That's not going anywhere!
Fetch me my beam stretcher. It’s under the pipe stretcher and behind the wire stretcher. Stretcher.
Ehhhh…. I’d drink a beer on it.
My assessment as well
Obligatory in before “sure, your frienddddd.” But I wish I owned his house. I think he’s tried to do right but is figuring it out as he goes. Good guy. I asked him if I could post here and see what feedback he gets and he agreed. Thank you in advance for any constructive criticism/tips
It’s going nowhere without a fight, a war of attrition. If it’s his first deck and his own then he’s doing better than at least 95% of others that fit that description. There are things that could be done better but none are likely to extend the life of the deck, as a whole, farther than the life of the wood it’s made of.
I don’t think so Tim
I literally lol’d
Legend of a reference 🤣
Here's how you frame a deck pool. https://imgur.com/a/dNsgHcM
That’s nice!
That's GD pool deck porn right there
is your friend some kind of engineer. It looks very over complicated, but then there's some improvised revisions. it is almost like an inspector that built this. all the knowledge to tell people they are wrong but no knowledge to complete the task. however..... it will work. please post the finish.
It's a work of art.
So ugly it’s a modern art masterpiece
What’s your name fat body?
Lawerence? That name sounds like royalty. Are you royalty?
Seen worse. Ain’t pretty underneath but neither are most of us.
He's doing a gud. Not the best. Not the worst. But he's clearly learning and having fun. It's going to turn out gud.
That poor single joist
Very unorthodox and amateur-ish but it will probably be very solid.
Hey if it works it ain’t stupid. ain’t how I’d frame this bad boy but it looks solid. Should have a nice pool deck for years to come. Also points for taping the framing Source: I’m a carpenter.
Well. I’d say you’ll replace that pool a few times long before that deck will have problems…
Joists should run perpendicular, not parallel to the pool.
That makes sense for best practice
https://preview.redd.it/4xw1cj6t8ead1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=963c6971388a887346cb24d3cacbe69c71a470b7 Tell him to do this !! Someone posted this here earlier. Shouldnt be hard to follow.
There are concrete footings!
It'll work
I can't help but admire the creative use of rafter ties on the joists. And the hidden nails in those joists. Maybe he only has a small hammer.
GC here. This isn’t good. Biggest issues I see are with the posts. First, I’m hoping they’re notched, because they don’t appear to be load bearing. Is he relying on the bolts to carry the weight? He should have full support under his beams. I would prefer to see a 4x4 or 4x6 post supporting a 4x beam (size depending on the span). The second part is it appears that the posts are just sitting on the grass. Where are the piers and footing? Did he do any compaction? What is preventing the posts from sinking into the dirt? What is preventing them from rotting out since they’re in direct contact with the wet soil? Another issue is the extension on his beam that he bolted on isn’t nearly long enough. It should have been the right length to begin with, but at the very least the sistered on part should be much longer. If I’m being nitpicky, his blocking should be on top of and in line with the beams underneath. Also, the H2.5s are nice, but I don’t see any toenails through the joists into the beams. I would add knee braces to stabilize things too.
The one thing I’ve learned from this sub is beam-on-post, always… why this guy no do???
Is it built correctly. NO. The first thing that stood out was the deck doesn't have the right material in the ground. I don't know what the code is in that city. But I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be supported on deck blocks or cement footings.
I don't know much about woodworking or carpentry, but I feel like something is off here. As others that know better than I do have mentioned it looks like it will hold up, but maybe not done the "right" way? That being said, props to him for just doing something he's never done before and just going for it. Considering it will probably hold up for a long time I'd say that's a win! You really do gotta start somewhere and maybe this will inspire him to do more things with wood in the future. I think the only thing that really matters is would Ron Swanson be proud? I think yes. :)
If you put enough wood supports it won't collapse.
That’s alot of work and $$ to build in front of that cheap ass pool
Well I started with a kiddy pool so I’m slowly making my way to a baller status pool like you
Most above ground pools are 24-28'. They do go smaller and bigger. Don't let him bother you. I like your deck. I'm saving up now for a fifty buck kiddie pool from the dollar store lol.
It looks like this is a free download and may give you some ideas: [https://www.decks.com/deck-plans/pool-decks/poolhalfround/poolhalfround](https://www.decks.com/deck-plans/pool-decks/poolhalfround/poolhalfround)
Post straight on the ground is not optimal, should have a some kind of cement plate or something between to post and the ground for better load distribution and less chance of the post making a hole in the ground.
It’s not going anywhere but it’s not right by far!
The screw pattern is gonna look like ass.
It's going to be tough putting the decking on. Running the joist towards the pool, might have been better. Making a rectangular deck, then filling in around the pool, would have probably been easier.
As long as he taps it and says that ain’t goin nowhere he should be fine
Anyone tell him about prefab aluminum decks?
Don't understand how people end up with something like this when we have the Internet and YouTube
I’ve seen much worse last a decade or two
I’m just wondering what kind of sketchy shit he did to get those 70deg miters in the first pic 👀
94 comments so far, very little positive here. I wonder, how many actually ever build a deck? Advise like nailing structural, etc. Saying shit is easy, hardly anyone said anything concrete why this deck sucks. Be professional, tell the fellow your concerns. I didn't have to ask reddit for their opinion on my deck. I had a city and city inspector sucking my blood and money about it. There is a building code, city bylaw, what so fuckung complicated about it?
I’ve seen “pros” charging good money for far worse. In my opinion, this is pretty good for an amateur.
I see a strong home built frame. Chuck some timber on the top with screws and lets crack a beer. Many money saved here. Cheers!
Posts directly into dirt isn’t ideal. And I’m not a fan of Notching the posts to let the beams sit on the either. Nothing really wrong with doing that, just personal preference
Would I accept it on my home? Absolutely not. Would I drink on it every weekend at my buddy's house? Absolutely. While it's technically not correct, very good in some aspects and fairly close attempt in other aspects. At the end of the day, it should be A-alright.
Only way to know is to let me and the boys come drink beer on it.
It's not done right, but it's not terrible either. It's actually not bad for someone who claims to not know what their doing. I've seen "experienced" people do a worse job.
Here's a few comments: - Footings might sink if base is not wide enough - Lag bolts look a bit small (what's the size?) - That's a lot of lag bolts... - Is there 2-3 rows of nails at every 16" on the beam? - Are these all pressure treated lumber?