Decking Legs

[Adrian80]

Hi all,

Im looking to build myself a ground level deck.

Been watching loads of youtube videos, and there appears to be a difference in technique around the world.

Most people are digging posts, pouring a small concrete pad, wait for it to dry, then back filling with either concrete or soil.

However, i tend to think having soil next to the post is only going to lead to rotting issues, whereas back filling with concrete will be a bit more expensive, and a pain in the arse when the post do eventually rot.

just wondered what peoples thoughts were?

also they seem to get a lot of smooth deck boards in other parts of the world, can you get them in the UK.

thanks
A

 

[JohnD]

wood in contact with the ground or damp concrete will rot, but it is a cheap and easy way.

I have been so enraged by the amount of work in digging out rotted posts that I now use metal post sockets, on concrete pads, or concrete fence spurs, with the post bolted to them but raised 150mm above ground level. I soak both ends in wood preserver, even if they are supposed to be pre-treated.

Unlike fences, which are prone to sideways forces from the wind, shelters and decking posts are predominantly loaded downward from the mass they support, so I don't believe they need such a lot of concrete.

 

[Adrian80]

I think in the USA they dont really have the damp problems of the UK.

as for post socket do you mean things like this?

or

 

[Adrian80]

If so i think i wound need some forms to make it all nice and level and easy to bolt things down.

 

[JohnD]

yes indeed.

Although the concrete below ground can be a ugly lump, you can put a simple wooden form round, say, the top four inches to make a neat square of convenient size for your foot. Take the shuttering below the surface so the unsightly mass does not show if the ground should settle, or be moved away by hoeing or digging.

My own are not a masterpiece, but look fair. I brought the pads above ground to reduce the risk that water or mud would lie on them.

edit
I used the ones like your orange pic, though, before fitting, I used an anti-corrosion primer, then painted the socket dark brown to blend in with the stained wooden post. Also swapped the BZP nuts and bolts for stainless, and used stainless coach screws to bolt them down. You can also get a version with rebar underneath to cast into the concrete (no bolts needed). The socket is formed to prevent the post touching the bottom, where water may lie, and there is a drainage hole, you can cast a small groove for water to drain out and off the pad, I used a pencil.