Ready to build your dream deck?
Time Multiple Days
ComplexityAdvanced
Cost$3000 to $5000
Introduction
This small deck is packed with features: composite decking, cantilevered seating nooks, a cedar pergola, custom railing, cascading stairs—all illustrated with solid, easy-to-understand construction details.
After more than seven decades of DIY work, we’ve built our fair share of decks here at Family Handyman. And we’ll most certainly build some more in the decades ahead! I really like the deck project here, which originally appeared in the May 2004 issue of the magazine, because it’s small but mighty, loaded with bespoke features. Like most deck projects, it’s also adaptable, so you can take or leave the various features here, or add to them as you see fit.
Also, if you do build this deck or another one, we’d love to see it. Just head over to our submissions page and share your work with us. Now, get to work! — Ryan Van Bibber, executive editor
This DIY wood deck isn’t huge—about 16 ft. wide x 18 ft. deep plus bays and stairs—but it’s big on features. The upper deck is just the right size for entertaining small groups—spacious but intimate. It has cantilevered nooks on both sides that provide space for seating and barbecue storage. The pergola shades the upper deck and the home’s interior from the sun, and it offers a space for hanging or climbing plants. The lower deck is a great place to hang out in the sun, while the cascading stairs flow into the yard and provide lots of space for planters and pots.
This deck has some out-of-the-ordinary construction details that contribute to its unique look. For starters, the deck joists run parallel to the house and overhang the beams to form the cantilevered bays on both sides. Rather than a bolted-on ledger board, special “long-tail” joist hangers support the deck at the house. The material is a low-maintenance composite decking material with a tongue-and-groove shape that allows you to hide the fasteners by driving them through the tongues.
The rail system combines horizontal boards for privacy and an open design of copper plumbing tubes at the top, allowing you to see out easily. These unusual details make the deck a bit harder to build, so you’ll have to follow the photos and drawings carefully to get everything to fit. If you have some carpentry experience, you shouldn’t have any trouble building this deck. It’s a big project, though, and will probably take you and a helper about two solid weeks to complete. You don’t need any special tools, although a power miter saw speeds up the work.
Planning Your Deck
For these small wood deck plans, you’ll find treated lumber, cedar boards and many of the metal fasteners at your local home center or full-service lumberyard. You’ll may have to special-order the tongue-and-groove composite decking (we used a type called “Geodeck”), the 6×6 posts and the special “long-tail” beam hangers. Make sure to use joist hangers labeled G-185. These have extra zinc coating to prevent corrosion caused by the chemicals in treated wood. Expect to spend around $7,000 on materials for this deck.
Before you order materials, submit a deck plan to your local building department. Include details for the footings, attachment to the house, steps and handrails, and brand of composite decking. Some of the details we show may not be acceptable in your area. A few days before you plan to dig the footings, call to have underground utilities in the vicinity of the deck located and marked (call 811). Then follow Photos 1 – 21 and Figures A – F to build the deck, rail and trellis.
Deck Plans
Figures A, B and C in these small deck plans show the construction details of the deck with a cutaway view, framing elevation and framing plan. Use this plan or adapt it to your own site.
Deck Blueprints: Figures A, B and C
Deck Blueprints: Figure D
Deck Blueprints: Figure E
Deck Blueprints: Figure F
Tools Required
- Adjustable wrench
- Chalk line
- Circular saw
- Clamps
- Cordless drill
- Drill bit set
- Framing square
- Hammer
- Jigsaw
- Level
- Miter saw
- Paintbrush
- Posthole digger
- Safety glasses
- Sawhorses
- Socket/ratchet set
- Spade
- Speed square
- Stud finder
- Wood chisel
Project step-by-step (26)
Step 1
Lay out footings
Start by driving two stakes along the house, centered on the outside beams. Drive nails into these stakes to mark the center of the beams. Next stake out two sets of batter boards about 1 ft. outside the perimeter of the deck. The top of the horizontal boards should be close to level with the top of the stakes near the house. Finally, stretch strings between the stakes and batter boards and square them to the house.
Use the 6-8-10 triangle method to establish lines that are perpendicular to the house. Measure 6 ft. along the house then 8 ft. out from the house and mark the string. Then measure between the 6-ft. and 8-ft. marks and move the end of the string line along the batter board until the distance is exactly 10 ft. Double-check your entire string setup by measuring diagonally from corner to corner as in Photo 4. Adjust the lines until the diagonal measurements are equal.
Step 2
Dig footings
After marking the locations for the deck footings, dig the holes to the depth required. Make the holes at least 12 in. in diameter to allow room for slightly adjusting the position of the 6×6 treated posts. Mix two 80-lb. bags of concrete for each footing hole and shovel it in. Nail a 6-in. 2×4 to the bottom of a longer 2×4 and use this to tamp and flatten the top of the footings.
Step 3
Flashing and joist hangers
The beams in these deck blueprints are supported by 6×6 posts and are connected to the house by special “longtail” beam hangers. The details of installing flashing and attaching these hangers to your house may differ from what we show, but a successful installation hinges on two key points.
Remove the siding from the level of your finished deck on down. Next, slide No. 30 building paper and galvanized flashing under the siding and nail it with galvanized roofing nails.
Nail the hangers into solid wood or consult your building inspector for the correct way to fasten the hangers to concrete, brick or block if necessary. Use 16d common hot-dipped galvanized or stainless steel nails to attach the hanger to the house and to the beams. Measure carefully to make sure the hangers are the correct distance down from the top of the deck surface and that they’re level with each other.
Step 4
Square the frame
After the beam hangers have been attached to the house, the next step is to construct the beams and install them on temporary supports.
Since the tongue-and-groove decking boards fit tight together, without space for water to run through, slope the deck about 2 in. away from the house for drainage. Do this by leveling the beams and marking the temporary 2×4 supports. Then, measure down 2 in. and make another set of marks.
Line up the beams with the lower marks. Tie all three beams together with a 2×10 across the front. Then square and brace the beams.
Step 5
Attach the posts
With the beams in place, it’s easy to measure for the posts. Just cut them a little long and drop them into the holes. Place the uncut factory end of the post down for the best rot resistance. Then mark the post at the bottom of the joist and cut each 6×6 post at the marks. Connect the posts to the beams with metal post-to-beam anchors. Double-check that the beam assembly is square. Then fill the holes with the soil you removed, packing it as you go.
Step 6
Add joists
Cut the 2×10 joists and tack them to the beams, positioning them according to the dimensions in Figure C. Check that the overhanging sections are square to the main deck. Also sight down the front joist and outside joists of the overhanging sections to make sure they’re straight. When you’re confident everything’s square and straight, fasten the joists to the beams with hurricane ties. Overlap the cantilevered joists in the middle.
Step 7
Frame the lower deck
Attach the beams for the lower deck section to the two outside posts with special inverted flange joist hangers. Cut and attach the corner posts and square the assembly as shown in steps four and five. Nail joist hangers to the beams. Use a 2×10 scrap to aid in positioning.
Step 8
Add joists and blocking
Cut the joists to fit inside and attach them with metal joist hangers and galvanized joist hanger nails. Add a row of blocking down the center to increase stiffness. The extra joists and blocking on the front of both the upper and the lower sections are needed to support the deck board that forms the stair nosing.
Step 9
Start the decking
Set a full-length deck board to overhang the joists by 1-1/2 in. and screw temporary blocks behind it. Cut six deck boards for the cantilevered section and press the tongues and grooves together. Measure the overhang (it should be 1-1/2 in.) and nail the first board into place. Unscrew the blocks and slide the decking back.
Step 10
Nail the decking
Slide the tongues and grooves together and line up the ends. Then nail through the tongue into each joist at the angle shown. Use 10d stainless steel ring shank nails.
Step 11
Cut in stair nosing
Run the edge of your saw bed against the straightedge to cut a straight line for the recessed stair nosing board.
Step 12
Close up
Remove the tongue at one end with a chisel to allow a tight fit. Nail on the stair nosing board.
To avoid having to rip the deck boards lengthwise and expose the hollow inside, we planned the deck framing to accommodate full-width boards. Adjust your framing dimensions if you use a different-width deck board. With careful planning, you’ll have 1-1/2-in. overhangs.
The horizontal 1x6s in the railing cover the hollow ends of the deck boards. We left a 1/2-in. space between the deck boards and rail to allow water and debris to escape.
Step 13
Prepare the posts
Mark the 1-1/2-in. notches for the six 4×4 corner posts to fit over the joists and decking. First, cut them with your circular saw. Pry out the cutout piece and clean up the notch with a sharp chisel. Notch four 4×4 posts for the ends. Drill 1-1/8-in. holes 3/4 in. deep for the copper railings (Figure D).
Step 14
Notch for the posts
Mark the corners and end post locations on the decking. Notch out the decking with a jigsaw to allow the posts to fit tight to the joists.
Step 15
Attach the posts
Drill 1-in. countersink holes and 3/8-in. clearance holes in the posts for the lag screws. Cut the copper tubes and set them in their holes. Plumb the posts with shims and attach them with lag screws.
Step 16
Notch the 6x6s
Cut a test piece from a 6×6 scrap and use it to check the deck notching and as a guide for laying notches on the 6×6 pergola posts. Mark the waste with a scribbled line to avoid confusion. Use a circular saw to cut the notches and finish them with a handsaw.
Step 17
Attach the rails
Cut the lower rail caps to fit (see “Marking and Cutting the Lower Rail Cap,” below). Butt a 3-3/4-in. block against the copper tube and clamp it in place. Predrill holes. Then drive 2-in. deck screws to support the 1×6 caps. Cut, fit and nail the 2×6 top rail into place.
Step 18
Marking and cutting the lower rail cap
Fitting the 1×6 lower rail cap is challenging, since it’s notched around each post and mitered at the corners. The key is to mark boards in place whenever possible. See “Marking and Cutting the Lower Rail Cap,” below. Even though the cap fits between the posts at about 21 in. above the deck, mark the notches at deck level. This will ensure that the posts will be parallel to each other when the caps are screwed in.
Cut the 1×6 lower rail caps, allowing extra length. Mark the post locations. Then use a speed square to mark the 3-1/2-in.-deep notches at these locations. Saw out the notches for the posts.
Step 19
Mark the intersection
Mark the intersection of the two tails. Make another mark on each cap where they intersect at the post. Connect the marks and cut the angle with a power miter saw or circular saw.
Step 20
Cut the pieces
Lap the cut piece overtop and mark the angle on the lower piece. Cut this angle and check the fit.
Step 21
Install the horizontal 1x6s
Wrap board ends with 1 x 6s.
Start at the top and work down, using 5/8-in. blocks to maintain even spaces between boards. Cut the end of the 1x6s square and overlap them at the outside corners. Plan the overlaps so the butt ends of the boards are facing the sides of the deck where they’re less conspicuous. Measure down to the decking at opposite ends before nailing each row to keep the boards parallel to the decking.
The lower boards hide the treated framing. Cover the ends of the boards near the stairs by wrapping the boards and 4×4 posts with 1x6s. You’ll have to rip and notch the 1×6 boards to fit. See Figure E.
Step 22
Construct the stair platform
Rather than notch 2x12s to make traditional deck stair stringers, we chose to build and stack platforms. This method requires more lumber but eliminates complicated layout work. If the top surface of your deck is 42-1/2 in. above the ground, you can build the two sets of steps exactly as shown in Figure A. Otherwise you’ll have to adjust the rise or change the number of steps to fit your situation.
To simplify the design process, draw the entire stair system actual size on a large piece of cardboard (Figure F). It takes an hour or so but helps prevent mistakes. Codes vary slightly, so check with your building inspector before constructing the stairs. In general, plan for a rise (distance from the top of one tread to the top of the next tread) of between 6 and 7-1/2 in. and a tread about 10 in. (11 in. with the nosing).
Rip 2x8s for the lower stair and build the stair platforms. Stack and level them. Nail the platforms to the deck and to each other. Dig footings and pour concrete pads for the bottom stairs. Cut 6×6 posts to support them.
Step 23
Risers and treads
Finish the stairs with 1×8 riser boards, ripped to fit, and treads. On sloping lots, you can regrade the lawn a little to make the lowest rise more consistent.
Step 24
Place the 2x12s
To avoid having to special-order 22-ft.-long beam material, simply splice shorter pieces as we show here. A single 2×12 has enough strength. The second 2×12 simply improves the appearance. Start by arranging the 16-ft. 2x12s for the best grain and color match at the splices. Then lay out and cut one tail (Figure A) and use it as a pattern to mark and cut the three remaining tails. Use 2-1/2-in. deck screws to connect the beams to the notched 6×6 posts. Install the first layer. Then nail the second layer to the first with 2-1/2-in.-galvanized casing nails.
Step 25
Attach the lattice boards
Mark the top of the 2x12s for the 2×4 lattice boards. Cut the 2x4s to length and mark the beam locations on them. Align the marks and screw them together with 2-1/2-in. deck screws.
Step 26
Finish the wood parts of your deck to protect and preserve them
We applied clear exterior oil finish for the most natural look. The drawbacks to clear finishes like this is that they don’t protect against graying as well as finishes with more pigment and they must be reapplied annually. In general, the more pigment, or color, a deck finish has, the greater protection it offers.
Originally Published: May 07, 2019
