Good news: we made measurable progress on the deck build. Huzzah! The less-good news is we didn’t finish as much as we hoped. That’s DIY for you—ambitious plans, realistic pace. I keep flashing back to our 2009 bathroom remodel, when long weekends with my dad were intended to finish everything but ended with us just starting the tiling when he left. Still, that’s how most home projects unfold. To rewind: mid-week we had all our materials delivered from our local 84 Lumber store—about $1,000 total, including delivery, screws, metal hardware, and concrete for the footings. The delivery went smoothly, especially once we realized our carport just barely clears a forklift. Close call.
My dad arrived on Thursday to help while Sherry took care of Clara, handled the blog, took photos, and consulted as we went. We spent the first hour talking through the plan so everyone understood the sequence of steps. That was my chance to triple-check the plan and my dad’s chance to get up to speed. The framing plan 84 provided shows the overall layout for the deck frame (we’ll add stairs later and describe that step when we get there). Note: the plank pattern we plan to install is different and can be seen in another post referenced below.
That drawing might not be very detailed, so here’s the key thing: the deck itself (not including stairs) only requires two posts (near labels B and C) since most of it attaches directly to the house. The only county inspection required at this stage is a footing inspection, which verifies that post holes are dug to the correct depth and width. We could have dug the footings, gotten the inspection, and continued, but Sherry and I decided to start hanging ledger boards and joists first. Doing so helps us place footings more precisely and gives the inspector a better chance to spot any problems early—before we commit to the entire build.
Ledger boards are fastened to the house on both sides and joists attach to them, creating the span for decking boards to be installed. Simple in concept, but there are important details—especially when installing the ledger. The ledger must fasten into the structural band board, not just the siding or brick veneer, and you need proper flashing to keep water out. After extensive searching, the closest clear illustration I found online was this diagram from decks.com, which shows how flashing and the ledger interface with the house.
Our county requires back flashing, and we decided to add top flashing for extra protection. I struggled to find good guidance for flashing against brick until I found the “Flash The Ledger Board” steps in One Project Closer’s deck tutorial. The process started with trenching out a horizontal mortar joint above the ledger by about an inch. I set the depth on the circular saw, used a masonry blade, and cut the trench.
It made a lot of dust. Clara and Sherry watched from inside through the sliding door, and Clara shouted “fire is hot!” because the airborne dust looked like smoke. Once Sherry explained the white dust was like snow (Clara loves Frosty), she calmed down and enjoyed the show. No fires were harmed in the making of this deck.
The trench allows a small hem on the end of the flashing to tuck into the mortar joint and be wedged in place. The county doesn’t allow standard aluminum flashing with pressure-treated wood, so I used vinyl flashing. Copper was an option but cost a lot more and seemed fussy to work with. I cut a test strip of flashing, folded the hem by hand, and set it into the trench with the help of a ruler to press it fully in.
Here’s the first piece of flashing tucked into the mortar joint; it will lie flat against the house once the ledger is fastened. The ledger on the brick side ended up broken into three sections to work around obstacles like the electrical meter on the right. The local electrical authority approved our build, though that lower meter height means someone reading it might have to crouch. Local rules vary widely—some areas require the meter at eye level, which could prevent a deck in that location—so always check with your utility provider before building.
With flashing in place, we started installing the first ledger board—a pressure-treated 2 x 8. I cut it to length, layed out joist locations (county code required joists no more than 16″ on center), and marked screw locations. I used a scrap 2 x 8 to transfer joist locations so I wouldn’t place screws where hangers would attach.
Our county is very specific about fasteners. The guidelines require particular lag screws and spacing; the screws needed to be no more than 23″ apart, but I chose 16″ spacing to match the joists and make layout easy to remember.
After pre-drilling pilot holes through the wood and into the brick, my dad held the ledger while I started the first screws at each end to hold it temporarily. The fasteners are heavy-duty HDG lag screws: 1/2″ diameter, 6″ long, with hex heads. My drill didn’t have the torque to fully drive them, so we hand-wrenched each one.
My dad’s clever fix—slipping a two-dollar scrap pipe over the wrench handle to extend the leverage—made driving the screws much easier.
We did hit delays. The county requires laminated screws to extend through the band board, so our initial 6″ lag screws weren’t long enough; we had to buy 8″ screws. The longer screws worked but were more brittle—one snapped during installation and had to be extracted, then we drilled a new hole and started over. By 2 p.m., after more than four solid hours of work, we had made slow but steady progress.
After lunch we found our rhythm, and in the next couple of hours we completed the ledger board on the brick side. With that finished, we turned to the siding side of the alley. To ensure both ledgers would be level, we temporarily tacked a joist in place and used it to set the ledger height. The joists will sit in metal hangers that we loosely nailed for now.
Because ledger boards shouldn’t be fastened through siding, we removed a strip of siding where the ledger would sit. I measured up from the temporary joist to allow for decking thickness plus a small gap to prevent moisture from being trapped against the siding, then marked a straight cut line down the wall. A laser level would have sped this up, but we left ours at my dad’s house.
Clara once again watched intently from the window, more interested in seeing her grandpa than the tools. I set the circular saw depth so I only cut through the siding and not into the structure, and followed the line carefully. The saw made a lot of noise and dust; at one point Clara ducked into the curtains to escape the ruckus.
After prying the siding free, we exposed the sheathing and were able to slide flashing underneath. I cut flashing pieces to length, tucked 5–6″ up under the bottom edge of the siding so it overlaps, and nailed it in place. I plan to seal the nail heads with silicone caulk and run a bead over seams on the brick side as well to prevent moisture intrusion.
By about 6 p.m. we called it a day because dinner was ready and a thunderstorm was forecast. We didn’t get to digging post holes or finish both ledgers, but we did a lot of critical, time-consuming setup—leveling, flashing, and framing—that sets the stage for a durable deck. Progress in these early stages is slow but important; it prevents problems later and creates a solid, long-lasting result.
Also worth noting: I probably earned the “dirtiest” award for the day. Between cutting mortar and removing siding, I was covered in dust—and Sherry was especially amused by the goggle line across my face.
Next up: finish installing the remaining ledger sections, dig the footing holes for posts, and schedule our footing inspection. We’ll report back with photos and a status update. Slow and steady progress is the name of our game—especially when you can only work evenings and weekends.
If you’re currently working on a project that’s taking longer than planned, you’re not alone. Home projects always throw curveballs—unexpected complications, special fasteners, stubborn materials—but getting it right is satisfying even if it takes more time. Hope to be back with more deck progress later in the week. In the meantime, I’ll be trying to get the sawdust out of my eyebrows.
Pssst—see how we started planning the deck here, how we cleared the alley here and here, how we chose materials here, and how we obtained our permit here.