Decking is a great way to accentuate the look of your house. It gives you extra space to sit and relax but decking also increases the property’s value. It also becomes the focal point of your house. If you have decided to take up the deck project, we have got the popular ground-level deck footing options. This will simplify your task of finalizing the best deck footing option for your place. You get freestanding, low deck and concrete footings also, but depending on the type of ground level deck that you want to set up, you can go for concrete decking solutions.
Popular Options For Ground Level Deck Footing:
Before exploring the different ground level deck footings, let’s have a quick overview of ground-level decks. These are also called floating decks or platform decks. These decks are not attached to the house. It might be next to the building or a standalone structure in your yard. Footings, beams, layout and structural pattern need to be installed in such a manner that there is no abrasion on the soil and yet the deck gets set up easily. It must be strong enough to bear the weight of the structure and the traffic on it. Here we are highlighting the popular ground level deck footing options.
1. Deck Blocks: If you are looking for a cheaper yet sturdier option, then deck blocks are the right one for you. These are easy to install. All you need to do is to place them in the right spots and level them up. The deck blocks though are easy to use but they have certain limitations; because of their smaller size, you need to place more of these for them to easily bear the weight.
Price: These are the cheaper options. You must spend around $8 apiece.
Pros
Easy to install.
These are a cheaper option.
The brackets and joist options are a good one with which you can easily set the deck up.
Cons
They might not look attractive as you need to install more of these to support the structure.
2. Concrete Blocks on Gravel- Like deck blocks, these are also a cheaper option. They work the same as the deck blocks and are laid on a gravel bed and then levelled using a string line.
Price: You can buy concrete blocks at the rate of $1.80 per piece, and the gravel bag of 50 lbs will cost around $4.60 apiece. If you wish to install a floating deck of 10*8 ft, you will need 12 blocks per ft. and four gravel bags, so you must spend a total of $40 on this.
Pros
Cheap option
Ease of installation
Cons:
Difficult to work with
These are easily visible and hence are not very attractive.
3. Anchor Ground Spikes– Are you looking for a more aesthetically pleasing ground level deck footing option, then you must consider anchor ground spikes. No need to spend on gravel, concrete or cement blocks. These anchor ground spikes are going to do the needful. These anchor ground spikes are driven into the ground using a large mallet, followed by attaching a square bracket on the top.
Pros
Not heavy, so easier to work with
Easy to install.
You can easily handle and maintain the angles screw, angle brackets and joist location.
Cons:
Require a lot of strength to hammer it down the ground!
More expensive
Concluding words
These are some of the popular options for ground level deck footings, you can also find other alternatives, but these are going to be costly. Your end objective is to build a strong structure and not an inexpensive one. So, make your choice wisely.