Deck with recycled wood

gday fagersz

options abound for levelling!

• pack under the bearers until the tops of the bearers are level at each pier
• pack under the joists until the tops of the joists are level at each bearer
• plane the tops of the bearers if they are higher than on the pier
• plane the tops of the joists at mid span if they are higher than on the bearers
• 'good enough' or 'within a bull's roar' are my two favourites

now tools, my old mate archimedes can help you out with this task - you'll need a long (say, 20m) clear-pvc plastic tube filled with water & a bit of condes crystals (potassium permangenate) mixed in; start at one pier (say, the one closest to your existing structure) and get the height correct. set one end of the water-level against this pier, now move from pier to pier with the other end of the tube & set it in place against the pier:

• wait until the water levels,
• go back to the first pier & measure the height difference from the underside of the bearer to the water-mark (making sure to measure to the low point of the water)
• go back to the pier you are levelling & find out if you are spot on, low or high, and pack/plane accordingly
• repeat process for pier-bearer interface, bearer-joist interface, and joists mid-span

posts to decking join - if you can set your posts in the ground it is better. if this is no longer an option then your posts need to be mecahically anchored to the joists, and they will also need cross-bracing - what are the dimensions of your deck, joist & bearer timber, spans, how many posts have you allowed for, is it freestanding with posts all around or not (posts down one side leaning up against the house)? what kind of roof structure have you allowed for??

r's brynk

Thank you Brynk for that valuable information. Having a methodical method is exactly what I need having never done it before.

The deck is 500 cm by 1210 cm rectangular in shape.
There are 3 rows of 9 piers each row 167 cm apart with a ledger running along the wall (which I haven't put up yet) making the deck 500 cm from the wall.
The distance between each pier along the length of the deck is 150 cm.
There is one exception, there's an underground concrete tank that can't have supports built on it so 2 pairs of piers are actually 200 cm apart.

The bearers are 100 mm by 75 mm hardwood and the joists are 100 mm by 50 mm hardwood. The decking will be cyprus pine (old T&G which I need to clean up for the deck). I don't know how I'm going to do the roof yet because I haven't thought that far. I guess I'll buy 100mm by 100 mm pine posts.

So that's the plan, but I am heading into unknown territory.

Cheers and thanks again

Zanne