How to Build a Deck

Start at the house. Mark where the deck meets the wall, then run string lines out to square the corners of your 8x10 footprint. Craig sprays orange marks on the ground for each post hole. Getting this square now saves a lot of grief later. Measure the diagonals - if they match, your rectangle is true. Take your time here.

Dig a hole at each marked spot with a post hole digger. You want to go below your local frost line so the posts don't heave when the ground freezes. Craig and his helper trade off on the digger to keep the holes tight and straight. Pile the dirt nearby - you back-fill with it later.

Drop dry concrete mix into the bottom of each hole to form a solid footer. Craig pours it in straight from a container and sets the 4x4 post down into it. The dry mix pulls moisture from the ground and cures in place. Once the post is plumb, back-fill around it with the dirt you dug out and tamp it down firm.

Fasten the ledger board to the house, then build the outer 2x8 frame around your posts. Before you nail anything off, lay a long level across the framing and get it dead level. This is the part that makes or breaks the whole deck. If the frame is level and square, the boards go down easy. If it's off, you'll fight it the rest of the build.

Now fill in the frame with 2x8 joists. Craig sets each one on a joist hanger and nails it off, tying the whole floor into the 4x4 posts. Space them consistently so the deck boards land solid on every one. A nail gun speeds this up, but you can hand-nail the hangers too. This is the skeleton the whole deck stands on.

Start laying pressure-treated boards across the joists. Craig butts each board tight against the last one on purpose. Wet treated lumber shrinks as it dries, and that leaves a clean gap of about 3/16 of an inch on its own. Screw each board down at every joist. Work from the house out toward the edge.

Where a deck board runs into a 4x4 post, you have to cut it to fit. Craig marks the notch, then follows the line with a jigsaw. Take it slow and stay just outside your pencil line - you can always shave a hair more off. A clean notch here is what makes the finished deck look tight around the railing posts.

With the floor done, frame your steps down to grade and stand up the railing sections. Craig drills the balusters and top rail off to the posts. Keep the railing height to code for your area, usually 36 inches. This is where the deck stops looking like a job site and starts looking finished. Snug every screw.

Here's the payoff. Once the boards are down and the railings are up, Craig adds skirting around the base and stains the whole deck a warm brown. Let treated lumber dry out for a few weeks before you stain, or the finish won't soak in. Stand back and look at what you built - a solid 8x10 deck with steps and railings off the back door.