Freestanding deck project

This seems like a large project, and it is, but it really only took 3 few days to do and 2 days of waiting for cement to dry. So I picked the dimensions of the deck with the idea of having no scrap lumber left over and a minimal amount of cutting. So lumber comes in 8, 12, or 16 foot lengths at my local lumber yard so the deck is 8 feet wide by 12 foot 3 inches long.  Since my deck wood is going to go the width I picked 8 foot exactly for the length so all my deck boards will measure perfectly.

So for lumber for the structure of the deck ;
(4) 12 foot 2x6s since my spacing is 24 inches.
(1) 16 foot 2x6 plus some scrap dimensional lumber that is about 24 inches for cross pieces.
(4) 8 foot 4x4 pressure treated posts for the foundation.
(12) 16 foot 2x6s for actual deck

The total was somewhere between two and $300 for everything I needed and this will last longer than me.

Other materials needed were 12 inch diameter cylinder sauna tube and 12 bags of cement for the foundation and then the post brackets (6) and also (5) column caps. You'll need joist hangers nails, and vinyl coated or galvanized 10 penny nails around 3 inches long.

So first I marked out my deck location with stakes and strings. I dug six holes 18 inches deep and 12 inches in diameter INSIDE the string boundary. The four corners and then two in the middle of the two lengths. I cut and put the sauna tubes in the holes and then mixed my cement and put it in. It took about two bags per holes. The other way to do this is use the cement in the bottom of the hole only and put a pier block on top when it dries.

I let my cement dry a day and then cut the sauna tube off and attached my post hole brackets to the cement. The cement was still a little soft so I let it dry another day.

Now  the eight foot 4x4 pressure treated pieces are going to go across horizontally the width from cement pillar to cement pillar. Everything will be level to the cement pillar that is highest in elevation so start there and have a buddy hold a board across with a level on it and then measure what from the bottom of the board to the top of the cement pillar on the opposite side from the highest cement pillar. Mine was about 6 inches. This will be the length you need to cut off that fourth 4x4 post. Nail this vertical 4x4 piece to the post bracket with joist hanger nails with a level on the top. Then nail a column cap on top of it. That first high cement pillar does not get a vertical post
 and therefore does not need a column cap.

Now put the 8 foot 4x4 across here and you can nail it in as well but don't nail the other two 4x4 horizontals in until you put a board across all three to make sure the ends are even so you don't have a diamond shaped deck. Now the next vertical post you cut you need to level both across the width and length to find out the length of this next post. And don't forget to account for the width of the 4x4 when measuring with just a level board. So my next one was about 8 inches, then 12 inches and so on since I'm heading to the lowest corner.

Nail in all your vertical posts and column caps and once you have checked the horizontal 4x4s for square you can nail them to the column caps. This is the foundation for your freestanding deck. Then I simply lay my 12 foot 2x6s across this base to be my joists and nail on the two 8 foot ends. Then I put my scrap pieces between the floor joists for stability.

Now I put some weather seal on this bottom joist section before laying down the deck. I used two wooden stakes on each end for my spacing between boards and starting screwing in my deck. Then I put deck stain on this and built a make shift rail with my one left over 8 foot 2x6 that I made my railing posts out of  and then used cable across.

I love working out my deck overlooking the blackberry patch and taking lunches in the sun out there. I just planted some boysenberry and climbing peas around it so they can grow up the rails.