Good news: we made solid progress on building the deck. Huzzah! Bad news: we didn’t finish as much as we’d hoped. Harumph. It reminded me of our long-ago bathroom remodel, when we’d plan a big weekend with my dad and still only just get started by the end of the third day. That’s just how DIY projects often go. Midweek we had all of our materials delivered from the local lumber yard (about $1,000 including delivery and fasteners, metal hardware, and concrete for footings). Delivery went smoothly — the forklift fit into our low carport by a hair, which was a relief.
My dad arrived Thursday morning to help while Sherry kept Clara occupied, handled blog duties, took photos, and offered advice. We spent the first hour reviewing our plan so everyone was on the same page. The basic deck frame will have most of the deck attached directly to the house, meaning only two support posts will be needed mid-span (near points B and C on our plan). The county requires a footing inspection mid-project to confirm post-hole depth and width, so theoretically we could dig, get inspected, and then proceed. Instead we chose to hang the ledgers and install joists first because (A) that helps us place the footings more precisely, and (B) the inspector can flag any issues early so we don’t have to dismantle finished work later. Thursday’s focus was the ledger boards and joists.
Ledgers bolt or screw to the house and joists attach to the ledger using hangers, creating the framework for decking boards. There are important details to get right when installing a ledger: it must be fastened into the house’s band board (not just the siding or brick) and flashing must be installed to prevent water infiltration and rot. After searching for clear guidance, I found a helpful graphic that illustrates the flashing and ledger detail.
Our county requires back flashing but we decided to add top flashing as well for extra protection. Attaching flashing to brick required trenching out a horizontal mortar joint above the ledger by about an inch. I set the circular saw depth, used a masonry blade, and cut the joint — which produced a lot of dust. Clara watched from inside and, after a little dramatics about the dust looking like smoke, she settled in when we compared the white dust to snow.
We used vinyl flashing because our county doesn’t permit aluminum against pressure-treated wood and copper was much more expensive. I bent the hem on the flashing by hand, tucked it into the trench, and used a ruler to nudge it fully into place so it’d stay put.
With the flashing in, we moved to the first ledger board — a pressure-treated 2×8. I cut it to length, marked joist locations to meet the county requirement of joists no more than 16″ on center, and pre-drilled pilot holes in both the wood and the brick. The county specifies approved fasteners; we used hot-dipped galvanized lag screws, which are 1/2″ by 6″ (later we had to switch to 8″ screws so the threads would penetrate the band board). These screws were massive and required a lot of torque, so we hand-wrenched them. My dad improvised an extension using a scrap of pipe to give the socket wrench more leverage, which made driving the screws much easier.
We did hit a few setbacks: a few 8″ screws snapped, which required removing broken pieces and drilling new holes. By early afternoon, after over four hours of work, we’d only completed a portion of the ledger — slow going but steady. After lunch we hit our stride and finished the ledger on the brick side.
Next we tackled the ledger on the siding side. To align it with the brick-side ledger, we temporarily set a joist in a hanger and used it as a level reference. Because ledgers must not be fastened through siding, we removed a strip of siding where the ledger would go. Cutting into good siding felt nerve-wracking, but careful measurements and a steady circular saw cut allowed us to remove the necessary section without damaging the structure behind it. Clara, unsurprisingly, watched from the window as the saw and dust put on a show.
With the siding pulled back, I slipped flashing under the bottom edge so it overlapped and nailed it in place. I’ll seal those nail spots with silicone and run the required bead along the brick-side flashing as well to ensure water-tightness.
By about 6pm we wrapped up for the day. We didn’t get to measuring or digging post holes, and only one ledger side is fully installed, but the work we finished — careful flashing, precise ledger placement, and initial joist layout — sets a strong foundation for the deck. The framing and leveling steps are tedious but important for a long-lasting deck, so we’re glad to be thorough even if progress looks slow. We’ll be back to finish the ledger installation, dig the footing holes, and get the footing inspection scheduled. Slow and steady may not be glamorous, but it builds a solid deck.
And yes, I probably earned the “dirtiest” award for the day — sawdust and mortar dust left me with a distinct goggle line that Sherry found hilarious. We’ll keep you posted on the next phase. Until then, I’ll be trying to get the sawdust out of my eyebrows.
Anyone else tackling a project that’s taking longer than planned? Snags are inevitable, but getting things done right is worth the extra time. Hope to share more progress later in the week.