The deck is officially done. Sound the celebratory cowbells! I actually finished it on Friday and we’ve spent the last few days crossing all appendages and waiting for an inspection (I couldn’t bear to share my triumph until I was actually sure it was a to-code triumph). The inspection finally happened yesterday afternoon, and – ta-da! – we passed. Relief flooded over me like all the sweat that I put into building this thing (lesson learned: build decks in the spring or fall). Here she is in all of her wood-riddled, approved-by-the-county glory:
It’s definitely an upgrade from the tiny rotting balcony that we started with:
We thought it’d be great to have it done when Sherry’s mom came to visit from NY today, so I put my head down, powered ahead, and sweated through my belt for one last leg of this deck building marathon.
Admittedly it was a bit more of a marathon than I expected. We originally thought this deck would take us three or four weeks of on and off work to complete, but between the heat, thunderstorms, inspections, equipment rentals, material deliveries, summer travel (we ended up being gone more than half of the weekends since starting) and generally being a one-man show who has never built a deck before… it took ten weeks instead. But that doesn’t make the victory any less sweet to me.
I actually kind of enjoyed having an excuse to go outside (despite the extreme weather) and tinker around with something during the occasional Clara nap or Saturday morning. It was weirdly peaceful – getting to ignore emails and diapers for a few hours and just saw stuff. And of course having my dad’s help with the auger when it came to digging those post holes was the best. Nothing like a father/son project to get the serotonin pumping.
So if you’re wondering how long a deck project could take, I think an experienced team could knock something like this out in a week (you’d need a few days to pause for inspections in our area, so a weekend wouldn’t do it). But if you’re doing it almost entirely alone as a first-timer, and can’t work all day every day (maybe you can devote a few afternoons or evenings during the week and a day or two every other weekend like I did) it might realistically take you a month or two – depending how inspections go, if it’s raining for two weeks straight, etc. But I can promise you one thing: there’s an insane amount of satisfaction when you sink that last screw.
Now let’s rewind for a moment and I’ll try to breeze through how I got the stairs and the railing done. Once all of the decking was laid down, I cut and attached the remainder of my four posts (you can read more on how I did that in this post).
Even though the stairs were next on my list, getting the railing posts up was important to help me plan the stair stringers – which are the diagonal boards that run down the side of the staircase, where the steps actually rest.
You can buy pre-cut stringers, but I tackled cutting my own (to save money and time since that’s the lumber they provided in our delivery). Figuring out the lengths and angles of everything was kinda scary until I found this website that did most of the math for you. Thank goodness for the world wide web.
Once I had my rise (the height of each step) and run (the width of each step) calculated, I learned a cool trick from this video for marking your 2 x 12″ board for cutting. I basically clamped a straight edge (in my case, a piece of scrap wood) to a framing square (the L-shaped ruler) so it intersected at my measured rise and run. Then I could hold the scrap wood flush against my board and the framing square would create a perfect guide for marking my cuts:
With the length of my board marked, I broke out my circular saw and carefully cut along the lines.
You’ll notice above that despite looking cut from above in that last picture, the triangular pieces weren’t falling away. That’s because the circular-shape of a circular saw doesn’t always allow you to reach those deep corners all the way through. So I went back with my reciprocating saw to finish the cuts all the way.
Once one stringer had been cut (and tested in place to make sure it fit) I used it as a guide to mark and cut two more 2 x 12 boards, since I’d need 3 total stringers for my 48″ wide steps.
So here are my three cut stringers in place. You’ll notice the one in the middle has a weird extra piece in its center. That’s because a not-so-conveniently located knot in the wood caused the tip of one step to break off. Rather than go buy (and re-cut another whole board) I just patched it by cutting and screwing a short piece of wood to patch it (making sure it would be to code first).
To attach the stringers to the deck I used these angled hangers that I snagged at Home Depot.
Oh yeah, and I was sure to check that the steps were level the whole way down. Don’t want wonky steps now, do we?
Speaking of wonky, I did install some blocking between the stringers. They weren’t perfectly level themselves, but they’ll be completely hidden, so that’s okay. The point was that by using equal sized scrap boards the blocks still served their purpose of keeping the steps an equal width the whole way down (we didn’t want the steps getting subtly narrower or wider on the way down).
Next came setting the posts that would support the staircase in the middle and the bottom (using the footing holes that I dug back when I started the deck). To attach these posts, I decided to use these anchors I found at Home Depot this time around.
I basically set them in some wet concrete (after carefully marking where they needed to go to line up with my steps – which admittedly was a somewhat maddening process). Then I let them dry.
Since my concrete needed 4 hours to cure, I filled some of that time by beginning to cut the wood for the steps. We wanted the steps to match the decking, so we used two 2 x 6″ boards for the base of each step (which included a small overhang) and a 2 x 8″ board for the back of each step.
Once my concrete was dry and my post anchors were solidly in place, I set my posts, checked that they were level, and nailed them into place. You can see this anchor was not 100% exact in its placement – but that’s part of the reason they’re open on one end. That wiggle room was a lifesaver.
So here are all of my posts set (but not cut to size yet) and a random assortment of step boards just loosely laid in place. Looks kinda like a staircase. Looks kinda like a hot mess too.
Oh yeah, and I bolted the posts to my stringers the same way I bolted the railings to the end of the deck.
Then came the task of screwing all of the step boards into place. This task took surprisingly long and a surprising amount of screws.
With all of the stair boards in place, I turned my attention to the guardrail. The first two parts of the guardrail were the 2 x 4″ rail boards that would span between the posts on the top and bottom. Our county requires no more than 4″ gap between the deck and the rail (it’s also known as a sweep space, so you can easily sweep debris off the deck). I saw someone use a 4 x 4″ post as a guide for this since it’s an easy way to keep the rail level so I did the same thing. Worked like a charm.
Attaching the railings to the stairs was a bit more involved since I had to make sure I was meeting several standards for how much of a gap was at the bottom and how high it had to be compared to the nose of each tread. Once I had figured all of that out, just cutting the angles and keeping things in place while I screwed it all together made my brain hurt a little. But eventually I got all of the railing pieces in place.
Oh, and you may notice that the four posts attached to the deck got significantly taller. I had to replace my original posts because I realized too late that I had cut them too short to satisfy the railing height requirements on the steps. It’s a long story so I’ll just leave it this: it kinda sucked and that’s why it’s nighttime when this photo was taken. Oh well live and learn. They weren’t going to be staying that tall, but after replacing them once I decided this next time that I’d cut them in place once I was certain my railing height would pass inspection – just to avoid any more surprise do-overs.
The next day I could finally start putting the balusters in. Those are the vertical pieces on a standard deck railing. We debated doing something more intricate or modern (like all horizontal rails or a built in planter) but opted for the traditional look because that’s what we have out on the patio side of the house (there’s a fence and a railing out there). Both that railing and this one are visible from the living room (out various sliding doors) so we wanted them to match. I’m also glad we went the traditional route because it was super easy to do (since I could use my post as a guide to meet the spacing requirements again).
The last part of the guardrail is the rail cap, which is the flat ledge on the top. It’s made from a 5/4 x 6″ decking board. Cutting those angles and notches around the posts was an adventure too, but I won’t bother you with the details. In short: I lived to tell the tale!
Oh yeah, and you can see now that I eventually cut all of my posts down to size when I was sure they all met code. Thank you reciprocating saw for that.
When it came to attaching the balusters to the stair railing, I didn’t even attempt to pre-cut them to size like I did on the other railing. Instead I temporarily removed the rail cap I had cut and screwed the balusters into place with the excess length extending out the top. Then I used my reciprocating saw to cut them down so the rail cap would sit flush again on top of them for a finished edge.
With the balusters in and rail cap back on, I started putting the finishing touches into place – like this handrail that we’re required to add since our stairs have more than three steps.
And we added these decorative wood caps ($8 at Home Depot) to the posts at the top and bottom of the stairs. They attached with just a little bit of caulk and definitely make things look nice and finished.
And with that, the railings – and therefore the steps – and therefore the entire deck itself… was finally done!
I have to admit, I’m still kind of impressed that I made this.
And what do you do when you’re proud of the deck you just built? Naturally, you text your mom.
Well, your mom and your bro-friend.
Although being totally built and county approved doesn’t mean it’s totally done. We still need to seal it (we’ll be tackling that as soon as we catch our breath and research the right product for the job) and of course we need to furnish it. As for the budget breakdown, once we seal it we’ll share the full rundown. Until then, you can find me sitting out on the deck, sans furniture, drinking a nice cold soda. Or telling Sherry that I’m not building another deck for at least ten years. Yes sireee, I’m glad to have this done. Although to anyone wondering, I still think demoing our first house’s bathroom and rebuilding that from the studs was the hardest project I’ve ever done. But the deck is hanging in there at second place. Anyone else finishing a deck or some other project that took longer than you expected but is still intensely satisfying to have checked off the ol’ list?
Psst- Want all the deck details? Here’s where we shared our vision for the space, removed the plantings and the old balcony, selected our materials and documented our first day of building. Then we dug our post holes, failed our first inspection, revised our plan/dug more holes, and set posts. Then we installed our joists, did some last minute prep for deck boards, started laying decking boards, whipped up a mood board and finished laying deck boards.
MJB says
My brothers helped my husband build a deck and they assure me that you must stand back and admire your work at least one minute for every 10 worked. There is something very satisfying about looking at a completed difficult project.
My two cents on stains: we used an Olympic product with a clear deck-colored color (light tan). Our deck looked natural, only better and more evenly pigmented. It wore well too and we clean the deck and re-apply every three years or so to keep it looking fresh.
Nette @ This Dusty House says
You guys did a great job on this. I can’t wait to see it after you get it all (wait for it…) decked out!
See what I did there? :P
Seriously, I can’t wait to see your plans for the table and styling come together. It’s such a wonderful little space!
Carra says
I am so proud & envious at the same time! The deck looks AMAZING!! I really want one in my backyard too! Come on down to FL and hook me up :)
jeannette says
i’m not sure you know how inspiring this is. how does mohammed move the mountain? one teaspoon at a time.
i don’t even know you and i have a tear in my eye.
Sherry from BC says
Wowza! It looks so good. Can’t wait to see it all stained an furnished but you should be mega proud. Maybe you can have a Labour Day BBQ to celebrate your labour! (Yep I am Canadian, can U tell?) I love the zipper detail and the steps look great…..must admit steps scare me…..don’t think I could ever tackle a set of those. I have been mega busy over August purging and getting my attic bedroom in shape. I can’t believe how much crap I have squirreled away in my attic. It isn’t even all mine but from other family members that needed a place to store things and then forgot about them. Anyway, my goal is to have the crap winnowed down to stuff I really want to keep in the storage area and the bedroom painted and carpeted by the end of September. I am using carpet tiles as my ultimate goal is to blow out the whole attic floor to the studs, redo all the insulation, add an little bathroom and skylights and have a spectacular master bedroom. That will have to wait till I accumulate some cash though so I plan to put a home stay student up there in the meantime to add to my bankroll. Keep the detailed job posts coming cause I really learn a lot. Can’t wait for your book.
Cackie says
Looooookin’ good y’all.
Go Hoos!!! ;-)
Penny says
WHOOAAAAA! HOW AWESOME IS THAT DECK?! YOU PEOPLE ARE AMAZING!! Sorry I yelled at you. CONGRATULATIONS!!
YoungHouseLove says
Apology for yelling accepted. The all caps was actually appreciated in this case. THANKS. :)
-John
Andi Ross says
Looks great! :-) good job!
A tip I got from my Dad is since you used treated lumber, wait a few months before sealing otherwise it won’t penetrate as well.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip Andi! We hear that some can be applied sooner and some you should wait on. We’ll be sure to follow the directions when we find the right one :)
xo,
s
Stephanie says
WOW! The deck looks absolutely AMAZING! Great job, John!
I can’t wait to see it all stained and decorated. Will be even more amazing.
I’m getting new front steps but I don’t have to do any of the work or pay any of the money. That’s the condo associations job! Serious perk of living in a townhouse. And I am super dorky excited about my new steps.
Wrenaria says
Gorgeous! Nice work, John! Now I totally wanna come to a string light lit dinner party on your deck. <3
Jenna at Homeslice says
WOW. This was a serious DIY. I am so impressed- it looks amazing, especially for a first-timer!
Lynn @ Our Useful Hands says
You must have made your bathroom reno sound too easy peasy because I read that whole project (back when I was a YHL newbie, my has the time passed) and it didn’t seem like it was as hard a project as this deck beast. But whaddoiknow? I’m not the one swinging the sledgehammer. Haha! Congrats on building and finishing this deck of yours. Who says men can’t give labor? :o)
My best, Lynn
*I don’t know if I have conveyed how awesome a job this was and how proud I am of you two fellow humans…if not, oh well, such is the internet barrier.
Ashley says
Holy shnikes! Awesome job, John! I think your blogosphere should be invited over for a party to test it out/admire it. All together we couldn’t possibly weigh more than 5 elephants, right?
YoungHouseLove says
Ha! I’m not sure I want to test that 5 elephant theory quite yet…
-John
Jasmine says
Great work John! All that hard work will make the deck that much more enjoyable to you-enjoy!
Amy in PA says
Looks GREAT!!!
Stephanie says
So, Sherry grew life inside of her (Clara), and now you have created a deck, with stairs, that people can safely stand on. I’d say that makes you pretty much even! ; )
YoungHouseLove says
I agree! :)
-John
Sandra T says
Uh, no. I’m sure Sherry would agree!
Linda says
Well done, young man, well done!!!
Alisa D. says
Looks fantastic! Job well done!
Leah K. says
Awesome job John!
Izabela says
John that looks amazing! It was fun following your progress on this. I think Santa ought to be very good to you this year :)
jbhat says
What an amazing accomplishment. And now you get to enjoy it! I’m picturing round party lights strung across it from rooftop to rooftop, like in Little Italy. Oh, you’re going to have so much fun out there.
jbhat
Katherine @ Grass Stains says
First things first: Great job on the deck! I’ve loved seeing it come together.
But I do think it’s HILARIOUS that Jeremy’s text response was so much more encouraging and over-the-top than Mom’s. “Wow”
YoungHouseLove says
Yeah, my mom’s always been “brief” when it comes to texting. My sisters and I joke that she always sounds angry when she texts because it’s usually just one or two words, no punctuation or anything. And a simple “Ok” or “Yes” sound pretty curt even when you don’t mean it. Sherry and I say her standard text reaction is “Neat Cool Wow” – but I guess I should be wondering where my neat and cool were this time!
-John
Stephanie says
My mom’s text replies are very brief too! She is usually so effusive so it comes across as “mean” but it’s because these older folks don’t have the smart phones : )
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, that’s so funny! Totally John’s mom!
xo,
s
Meg says
Ah, man. I think I’m a similar age to John’s mom . “Older folks”? Man! Now I’m depressed!
YoungHouseLove says
John’s parents are the sprightliest folks I know! Has John mentioned that his dad can run faster than him? Still beats him at every race. Haha.
xo,
s
heather s. says
It looks great! One question – I’ve never seen a deck with a bottom platform on the stairs like yours has. Any reason for it? It seems unnecessary since steps normally just go down to the ground.
YoungHouseLove says
It would’ve made the height of that last step a little high (and not to code) so I left that bottom step there. It’ll also help Clara get up more easily at this age. Eventually we’ll probably add something more than dirt there (maybe a small patio?) so I may cut it off eventually.
-JOhn
Bonnie Morscher says
Wow! I am impressed even more with the steps than the deck. Stairs are crazy hard, I found out the hard way. Good job, John! Enjoy your “pretty deck.”
braelin says
WOW. Super impressed. Congratulations on such an accomplishment!
Koliti says
John, that’s not a marathon – that’s a friggin’ Double-Mega-Triathalon! You’ve finished with Flying Colors!
Spectacular & Awesome – I am so happy for your success.
I was amazed at all that was involved to build a firm foundation for your deck. Now that all of the “parts that you will see and use on a daily basis” are complete, I am in awe of all it took to make that happen. Love your attention to detail.
John, congrats on your beautifully crafted deck!
Kim W Rily says
Congrats on finishing that in Virginia insane summer heat and humidity! Should have taken pictures like you did after you came down from the attic.
I’m pretty sure my dad did that once. Putting in a fence or a deck. And from now on, he says that he’ll let Sears do all the work. :)
Great job!
YoungHouseLove says
Ha! I’m beginning to think your dad has the right idea.
-John
Christy Niebaum says
It’s amazeballs. Seriously. So proud of you, John! *Internet high five*
jessica@fourgenerationsoneroof says
Wow! It looks great. I think I would shoot myself 5x over if I attempted this project. I’ll leave this stuff to my dad :) I would be kissing that deck too! Nicely done and yes, you should be very proud of yourself. BIG undertaking for sure. Happy Wednesday!
Cady says
I saw the UVA hat and I’m having that “I swear I recognize him” moment. Of course, this might be because I’ve been reading your blog for the last month. I was an Econ/English double major, class of 2004 at UVA (I lived in Echols first year), and went to Fairfax High School. Hopefully we have run into each other and my mind isn’t really going (pregnancy brain is pretty wild).
Congrats on being done with the deck and we pre-ordered the book over the weekend! Wahoowa!
YoungHouseLove says
You look familiar too, Cady! I was Media Studies 2004 and lived all the way out in Dunglison first year. I went to TJ in Alexandra for high school so there’s certainly have been chances we ran into each other. I worked at the Newcomb Information Desk and was in The Whethermen so that’s another chance why I look familiar. :)
-John
Lisa in Seattle says
John, this is an incredible accomplishment. We are so happy for you!!! The other day we were in Big Orange and I stopped at the fence materials section, touched an anchor reverently, and thought, “John Petersik built a deck out of raw pieces just like this with his own two hands.” Amazing!
YoungHouseLove says
Ha! That’s so kind of you to think of me, Lisa.
-John
Vel criste says
Congratulations! A big “hew” to both of you! I feel like I’ve done this “with ” you since I saw each and every step of the way on your building this massive undertaking!!!!! Great job you guys!!! Celebrate, relax and enjoy!
Theresa Rivers says
That is the most amazing project I have seen you two do to date! It is beautiful. You should be drinking every cup of coffee and having every single meal out there. It is SO nice! Congragulations.
Ali says
Congratulations John! I am very impressed with all your hard work and for doing it solo most of the way.
We just finished a deck extension which was not nearly as involved as your project (smaller and lower to the ground, therefore no permits needed) with 3 people, and we were proud of ourselves! I hope you are soaking up all the glory for your hard work.
Are you planning on adding any lighting – either overhead or in the stairs or railings? That’s our next step and I would love to hear how you go about choosing lighting, etc.
YoungHouseLove says
We thankfully have an outdoor light out there already but we’d love to add string bulb lights draped overhead! Will keep you guys posted as we go for sure!
xo,
s
BeccaK says
AWESOME. This looks really, really great. I can’t wait to see it all “decked out” with lights and furniture, and a bunch of relaxed inhabitants!
Vanessa says
Wow! It looks great! Nice work, John!
Jeanna Walton says
Good for you!!! I’m so glad the hard part is finally over!! It looks great, and well worth the wait. Can’t wait to see it styled, and enjoyed by your family :)
Jean says
Wow! That is seriously awesome sauce!
sally G says
It looks great. I’m impressed! I can’t wait for the twinkle lights. That space was made for them!
Blake says
Benjamin Moore’s Arborcoat is great for sealing decks. I put it on mine after it was rebuilt three summers ago and it’s held up great.
Deck looks fantastic!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Blake!
xo,
s
Taya says
Yay! It looks great! Way to go, John!
p.s. I love the “Dear Clara” letters! So adorable!
Katie says
Beyond impressed! I wouldn’t even know where to begin to build stairs.
Aly says
Wow you should be completely thrilled with yourself. This is absolutely gorgeous! Can I borrow you for, say, 10 weeks?
On a totally unrelated note, my husband and I went to a Kelly Clarkson concert Sunday and she did requests of covers. One song she sung was the fun. song and, yes, I absolutely thought of Clara the whole time. She totally “wormed” her way into my brain!
YoungHouseLove says
No way! Sounds like a fun concert. She performed at some festival I had to go to for work (I was helping manage a booth offering free hand massages with my client’s new lotion – I wasn’t giving the massages, but it was still creepy). The point of the story is that I got to meet her afterwards and she was super nice.
-JOhn
Keri Beth says
That is one fantastic-looking deck–and those stairs and railings look totally professional and “finished.” I am impressed! Go John!
Joy says
Awesome! it really is great and the worse part is done… enjoy it!
Morgen says
That looks amazing, but I had no doubts it would. You guys take DIY to a whole new level! Congrats on getting it done and surviving the heat!
Gina says
You did such an amazing job! I never saw the “before” pic til today and WOW!! I love how it’s a little cozy PRIVATE area to just relax and warm nights, you have no idea how many times I look at our neighbors while we’re out on our deck and wish we’d put a 20 foot concrete wall up haha. They’re good people just loud!
Karla says
Freaking awesome! I’m so impressed with everything you two do and the projects you tackle. Amazing. John – you really rocked this one. Hope you get to enjoy a few drinks on some chairs!
Kim says
That does look amazing and you should be very proud of yourselves! We have a deck that I love/hate. Staining/sealing is my nemesis. I just tried this new product, Flood from Home Depot, which has received great reviews online, and I couldn’t be more disappointed. Nothing washes off of it. I re-stained in early July and it has black stains all over from my kids’ shoes. I don’t know what you’re planning on using, but I won’t use this when I have to re-stain in 2 years.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip Kim!
xo,
s
Maggie Rose says
Three cheers for John! The detail on the stairs and railings really makes this look like a pro job. So impressed (and I’ve been reading a long time!).