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| The building of a deck
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Day three. The first two days were spent preparing the base, putting in concrete footings and building the piers that support the frame. The framing shown in this picture is Iroka (hardwood) with 150 x 75 mm main beams and 100 x 50 mm joists. Care was taken to construct a flat and accurate surface for the decking surface to be laid on.
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Constructional detail. This picture shows how the hardwood framing is fixed to the block support pillars. Substantial plated brackets are fixed to the blocks by 10 mm expanding bolts; coach screws secure the main beams. The joists are screwed to the main beams at each intersection. The Iroka timbers are deliberately limited in length and joined over a pillar to ensure that no distortion of the deck surface can occur.
The string on top of the joist is one of the lines along each joist to which the deck boards will be secured. This enables the screws to be lined up along the length of the deck. Sloppy alignment of the screws is very noticable and we take care to avoid it. Over 1500 of the stainless steel screws were used on this deck. |
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Day 4. The frame is now complete and some deck boards have been laid. The deck timber is Masarandubra, a west African hardwood. It has a nominal size of 145 x 20 mm with a grooved face. It is extremely durable and weathers to a soft grey if untreated. Maintenance is simply hosing down and scrubbing with a deck brush when necessary. The deck boards are screwed to the joists with 50 mm, # 10 stainless steel screws. Each screw hole is countersunk and pilot drilled and then re-drilled to give the shank a clearance through the board. |
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Day 8. The deck boards have been laid over most of the deck with the support posts for the railings built in as the surfacing progresses. The client has small children and to create a safe area for play, suitable railings and gates will be installed when the deck is otherwise complete. There are steps at each end of the deck. The panoramic shows the railings being installed on December 18. |
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