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Home Improvement

2001-07-01 12:31:00

How do I attach a deck to a brick home?

Question:  We have a beautiful and rustic brick home just south of El Dorado.  We would like to add a deck.  Our friends have told us this can be somewhat complex.  How do we do it?

Answer:  Adding a deck to a home is usually a great investment   When the weather is nice, it's like having another room in your house.  If done right, it can add more than its cost to the resale value of your home.The key to doing it right is to plan every step out in as great detail as you can.  Decks can be as simple as a 10 ft. by 10 ft. flat square or as complicated as your lot, budget and imagination can handle.  A really good plan can help you set your budget and give you the confidence you need to move ahead.  A good plan will also help you explain to your buddies what it is they're helping you build.Attaching the deck to a brick house is a little more complicated than attaching one to a frame house, but not so difficult that it should stop you from having the deck you want.  In either case, one of the first things you do is attach a ledger board to the house.  The ledger board will be a 2 X 8 or 2 x 10 that your deck joists will frame into.It is important to get the ledger board set correctly because it determines how big a step down from the floor of your home you'll have and it secures your deck to the house.  It's recommended that you place the top of your ledger about two to four inches below the bottom of the door sill of your home.  Remember to allow enough room between the ledger and the sill for your deck material.Attaching the ledger to a brick home is done with 3/8 inch lag bolts screwed into lag shields in the mortar joints.  The mortar joints provide more holding power than the bricks themselves and if you ever make changes, mortar joints are easier to patch than the brick.  There should be two lag screws about four inches from each end of the ledger and one about every 16 to 24 inches in between.  It's a good idea to drill the holes in the ledger first and then temporarily attach the ledger with some makeshift bracing while you drill into the mortar joints using the ledger for a template.Some people like to build their deck without attaching it to the house at all.  They simply place piers and posts under the side nearest the house just like they do in the middle and the side farthest from the house.  There are two major caveats with that plan.  First, the deck may actually move away from the house.  Second, the piers nearest the house will be on fill while the others will be on undisturbed soil.  So, unless your home is really old you could get some uneven settling and you definitely do not want this.  Ask the people at the building material supplier where you buy your components.  They will be glad to help you with all of your questions and concerns.  Technology has made it so some can even design the deck on their computer while you are there and provide you with a 3- D drawing, material list, and a very close estimate of the  costs.