*full disclosure, I am by no means a professional woodworker, just passionate for frugal DIY projects 😉
You guys… I built a floating deck. By myself. I mean, I had some help, which I will share with you in a minute. But the bulk of it was all built by mom (& baby). From designing it to drawing it to nailing and screwing it together. The sick part is – I saved $4,500 by doing it myself…!
And because I’m a clumsy fool, I designed it specifically so I would not need to trim any lumber. I’ve seen Final Destination, so any sort of saw is out.
If the cost savings and simplicity weren’t enough, I did it in less than 48 hours. But I did it patiently.
How long does it take to build a deck by yourself?
I don’t want to mislead you, so here’s my secret to speed. Building a deck in less than 48 hours takes… patience
It wasn’t done in a weekend. It was completed over weeks. Cramming those 48 hours into a weekend takes two things:
money & plans
But since I’m super frugal and I started this project just to make our daily outside time more bearable, it started small and kept going from there.
So while I was alone with my baby and my husband was away at school, I started cranking out plans and hammering nails.
I started with a 10’x10′ mini-deck, but after I realized how EASY it was, I couldn’t stop. There are jokes that my entire backyard will be a deck before the next birthday party.
I spent maybe an hour every few days getting things going during our regular outside time.
Measuring dimensions, researching building codes, and finding my big deck energy. If you follow me on Instagram, then you’ve probably caught snippets of my deck building process! It was a sweaty, good time.
When I quit my job to work from home, my daughter and I created a new full-time mom & baby routine. We would play outside every day for at least an hour or two. The thing is our backyard is a dirt pit. It’s partially thanks to our giant, fetch-happy dog and partially just because it’s a fixer-upper.
So with all my outside time, I was sick of being filthy before 10am everyday! So I already knew I needed a deck, and now that it is all said and done, I have a 10’x22′ floating deck with a 2’X8′ step on one side.
How much does it cost to build a deck?
The short answer is the cost of the materials. But if you ask a “deck builder”, it’ll be 3 times that amount. I guess that is the standard market rate.
I paid just under $500 for EVERYTHING.
Before my daughter’s first birthday party, I called a specialized deck builder and asked for an estimate. He quoted me FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS. Frugal me said “thanks but fuck that”. The materials for his estimate ran about $1,200 so ummmm what?
If I learned anything from my finance degree, it’s the value of a dollar. I understand that he has a business to run and he needs to turn a profit and pay for his employees and other operating costs. Also, the time value of money says that I’d be paying for a much sooner completion date.
Not worth it. At least not for me. Like I said — patience.
I had predetermined that I would hire him if he came back at $3,500 or less. But I just couldn’t justify paying over 200% of the materials cost for the labor.
***I recently heard “don’t pay anyone for something you can do with your own hands” and it reallllly resonated with me. That’s one of my frugal principals and I feel it on a spiritual level!
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Why I built a deck instead of laying pavers
Despite just wanting a way out of the dirt, I knew it had to be made of wood. People come over and see the potential of our fixer upper, so we get a lot of suggestions. Everyone (including my husband) thought I was overreaching with my big deck energy. (I’m coining that term, btw)
Almost everyone told me to do pavers. But the thing is, that wasn’t going to work. We actually had pavers back there and they were more of a hazard than anything. The roots from the trees in our neighbors’ backyard are serious.
And did I mention the dirt pit? Sweeping is a pain, and lasts *maybe* 20 minutes with the dog and debris from those dang trees. I wanted a raised, platform deck with spaces for dirt and leaves to fall through. And I know what I want.
How to build a floating deck by yourself
This is the keyword I kept coming back to, and let me tell you it’s not easy to find “the perfect tutorial” for a solo amateur. Not that I thought it would be, but I wanted the simplest deck plans I could get my hands on.
I didn’t find it. It doesn’t exist!
So in addition to my backyard’s quirks, I wasn’t comfortable using a buzzsaw so all the DIY posts weren’t right for me.
But since I knew I wasn’t going to pay for someone else to do it, I had to find the best ways to hobble together all the tutorials I could find.
Awesome deck plans and free resources I used to DIY
Thankfully there are LOADS of free deck plans, information, tutorials, etc. But unfortunately everything is hyper specific to the particular space that it’s being built on. I was able to put together a hodgepodge list of rules and guidelines.
- Since I could only go 10′ wide, I went with this tutorial for the framing. This website has a ton of awesome information on work working in general. Everything from furniture plans to calculators. Which brings me to…
- A Deck Joist Calculator. This is critical. The joists keep the deck boards from bowing/dipping/collapsing. Even though it would only be about an 8″ drop if the thing collapsed, I didn’t want to worry about that (duh!) I maxed out our capacity load, which is why we threw a few extra deck blocks in here and there.
Universal Deck Building Tips
No matter what your plans look like, here are a few things that are unchanging.
- The deck boards should always be “bark side up” meaning the rings should be turned down.
There’s a debate about this, but it seems pretty logical to me. With the rings turned up, you create a cupping feature which just adds to water damage and warping. So the left board is correct.
- Spacing between boards is really up to you
I heard both ways. You need to space the deck boards (which we did with the first deck) and you shouldn’t space the deck boards (which we did with the second deck).
With the deck #1, we used a few nails to space the boards before screwing them down. It left a nice little space which is perfect for dirt and tree debris. But they spread even further over the last 6 months. It looks like a little too much n some places, but it’s better than dirt!
Deck #2 is only a few months old, and the shrinking hasn’t happened yet. I’m hoping it does, otherwise I wish I had just spaced them again. They are right on top of each other and I find myself sweeping too much for my liking.
If I had to do it again, I would’ve spaced the second deck just like the first.
- Ground contact Pressure Treated Lumber is the only way to go for all your framing, posts, joists, etc.
You could use whatever you like for the deck boards, but we went pressure treated with that too. There are just too many pests and risk of wood rot here in Florida.
There I am! All guts and glory with deck #1 beneath me! My cousin gifted me a 4′ level for Christmas and I had never received a gift so perfect hahaha.
MY order of operations
Everyone has their own way of doing things, but I am notoriously against a lot of standards.
Don’t get me wrong! The deck is sturdy. Completely sound. There are cement footers and deep posts. It’s not at all “wobbly”, which is something I’m very proud of! I have some half-ass tendencies, so this is a huge deal for me.
I did it in a way that worked for me, and me alone. The ways I was advised to build it required an extra person. And that wasn’t an option.
Some things I did differently are
- building the frame before plotting the post locations (I wasn’t about to level some strings)
- not securing the deck to the house (it’s not raised, and I only wanted it floating but house-adjacent)
- not cutting a damn thing! (most deck plans call for an inch off here, a foot off there. Like, why?)
- built & bought materials in phases (see below)
My Deck Materials List
My little brother would meet me and baby girl at Home Depot (and eventually Lowes) with his truck, and we loaded it up with that phase’s materials haul.
A few things to note:
- I always loved Home Depot, but Lowes has better pricing and higher quality lumber.
- Toward the end of my project, I would order everything online for in-store pickup. It made things soooo much easier for a mom like me!
Deck Building Tools I Used
- Post Hole Digger
- Spade Shovel
- Hammer
- Screw Driver
- Cro-Bar
- Deck Screws
- Nails (I don’t know why, they told me to)
I purchased the materials in phases for my budget’s sake. And maybe because I knew how limited my deck-building time was. I like to chip away at little goals!
deck #1
Deck #1 made me so happy! We finished it the day before New Year’s Eve and had a Christmas Tree Burning get-together on New Year’s Eve to break it in.
Call it a deck-warming party, if you will. It was so nice to be out of the dirt! There was still a ton of dirt, but we had a 10×10 pressure treated sanctuary of my own creation.
Here’s the finished product. So fresh & so clean… for the first hour.
Notice all the damn dirt? As small as it might be, my favorite saying around here is “it’s better than dirt!”
Phase 1: framing
- 2 2×8″ at 10′ PTL
- 1 2×10″ at 10′ PTL
- 9 2″x6″ at 10′ PTL
- 2 2″x6″ at 8′ PTL (for the step framing, one was cut into 4 2′ segments for joists)
- nails… smh
These are all my joists/beams! They lay right over the concrete slab (which was a huge help in establishing a solid foundation) but I still needed posts on the closest two corners.
I used bricks/pavers/whatever I could find to prop it up while I leveled it.
don’t mind us.. just fantasizing about being out of the dirt lolPhase 2: securing it to the ground!
Thanks to my little helper (& the baby was there too! haha!). My husband came home for Winter Break and helped me make sure the deck was perfectly level before we set the posts in concrete. I was nervous about that bit! I wanted some extra hands at this point.
- 4 4×4″ at 4′ deck posts (these were donated by my father-in-law, otherwise I would’ve purchased 2 8′ posts and had them cut in half at the store.)
- 2 bags of Quickrete, fast setting concrete mix
- 7 Galvanized, reinforcing L-angles
Phase 3: put a top on it
- 21 5/4″x6″ at 10′ PTL deck boards
- 5 5/4″x6″ at 8′ PTL deck boards
- a whole hell of a lot of deck screws
My daughter just had to have her own tool set because of this project. If you look really close you’ll see a tiny hammer 😉
the first board!!
I don’t know how to pose, but I had to give Tano some instagram-husband practice!
In all honesty, this might have been the ONLY screw I put in on deck #1. I much preferred a hammer and nails back then. Using a screwdriver made me a little uncomfortable too, so installing the deck boards was my husband’s job on deck #1. (thanks babe!)
Screwing all of these does not take too long. It could be done in about 3 hours with an extra power drill battery ready to go.
Another pretty finished product shot looking so clean next to nothing but DIRT. Ahh see what I’m saying?!deck #2
Deck #2 was a total after thought. I was happy with my mini-deck, and frankly I didn’t think I could extend it. Not because I wasn’t capable (obviously lol), but because the ONLY crawlspace under our house starts exactly where deck #1 ended… I wasn’t about to just build a deck over the only entry point for the cable guys!
Everyone has some backyard quirks.
Still, my deck was so small that I couldn’t even imagine it cute and styled. There wasn’t enough room for much of anything. So I started wielding my measuring tape again and thinking about what we could do.
BEHOLD! My cabernet induced genius decided to create a trap door for the crawlspace!
I took the last board off deck# to leave the frame exposed as a lip for the trap door the lay on.
It sure looks creepy right? Now you can understand why I wanted it hidden so bad! haha!
I used my kid brother as a guinea pig to determine the depth of the crawlspace frame and drew around the dang thing.
The crawlspace frame is 4’x2′ (the opening of the space is.. similar)
Now that I had a solution to my 10-foot-limit, I said Go big or go home! At this point I felt “experienced” with my 10′ deck and had a little catalog of free online resources to help me make sure my weights and joist spans were sufficient and safe.
Phase 1: framing
- 1 2″x8″ at 12′ PTL for that front piece
- 2 2″x8″ at 10′ PTL
- 3 2″x6″ at 12′ PTL interior joists
- 2 2″x6″ at 10′ PTL
- 2 4″x4″ at 4′ PTL deck posts
- 3 joist hangers (since I couldn’t drill/nail from the other side)
Phase 2: framing the crawlspace
I used 1 of the 2″x6″ at 10′ PTL and had the cutters at Lowes divide it into 1 4′ piece and 3 2′ pieces. Since I can’t cut myself, all of the cutting was outsourced either at the store or through my brother-in-law.
The 3 2′ pieces are for the underside of the “door” which is actually just a drop in slab.
I placed posts on the other side of both corners of the frame.
Phase 3: put a top on IT!
- 24 6″x5/4″ at 10′ PT deck boards
I placed deck blocks halfway between the 3 12′ joists before I lined up the boards and screwed them down one by one every day or so. Each board got 12 screws (2 per joist beam/joist)
Note that I did all the screw-driving this time. My husband was out of town for all of the construction of deck #2.
In fact, I had to do it all myself because I was determined to have it all done for my baby’s second birthday (& I did!). But my husband didn’t get into town until the day before. At that point there was only one thing left to do.
Phase 4: drill the door
This was surprisingly the hardest part! Ultimately, this is what the bottom side of the door looks like:
The most important parts of this door are the “mini-beams” at the edges. Without these, the door deck board collapse under your feet. But notice the beams only go as wide as the opening (or a little less) to sit within the lip I left. That was the goal!
Mind you, this picture was taken an entire year after the deck was built. We finally had a reason to access the crawlspace and just lifted my little engineering brilliance off like it was designed to do. Forgive me, I’m just super proud and love this stuff…!
And hey! I even got use out of it. It wasn’t pretty, but it worked and my husband didn’t want to do it lol.
if you found this helpful, please share it on pinterest
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Love it! I’ve been getting ready to build something like this around a pool. You gave me confidence that I can totally pull it off. Good job!
Thank you, Kira!! That’s so exciting & I’m glad I could inspire you. It’s easier than they let us believe haha let me know how it goes!
I have a crawl space issue too and want to understand better how that part worked out.
I’ll have to update this then! I’ll get to it this week 🙂 but just so you know, it worked out well. We don’t need to use it too often, so that helps. Stay tuned!
Was the $500 just for the 10×10 portion of the deck or for the whole thing?
It was for the whole thing!! I was able to acquire a few materials through word of mouth amongst family and neighbors. But all the lumber cost me less than $450 🙂
As a single homeowner who can’t afford those contractor prices, and am able to DIY a lot of construction projects myself, your post is amazing.
You’re the first person to even mention this about the deck boards (The deck boards should always be “bark side up” meaning the rings should be turned down. There’s a debate about this, but it seems pretty logical to me. With the rings turned up, you create a cupping feature which just adds to water damage and warping. So the left board is correct.) so thanks for that tip!!!
I will keep this post handy and upfront on my Pinterest feed. Thanks again!
Thank YOU! I’m so glad you found it helpful and I could help with your future deck. Sufficient planning and research is key!
I saw something that may be of interest for the rest of your sandy yard. Someone had dug down/out 2 inches, filled it with “hard pack”, leveled that and tamped it down. Then another inch or so of hard pack on top of that, spread river rock, and tamped that down (with felt atop it, to ease the wrists while tamping it in). Voila! No paving, but solid footing without the sandy or muddy.
Some people said they’d mixed a little cement in the “hard pack”, to add more rigidity.
Hard pack is what’s used on unpaved roads to stabilize it.
I’ve seen walkways done this way, and would like to do a few walkways and small patio with this technique. Unfortunately I have a lot of good sized rocks in my soil so I’ve been dragging my feet.
Wow, for the cost and fun, and practical reasons, this is unbeatable. Sweeping dirt in between. Yeah!. I was contemplating on concrete, which of course is expensive and perhaps bit of a critical preparation, it is concluded, deck it is! Nice tips/ tutorials! Good job Construction Mom!
thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it and decided on a deck. I had too much fun and still love it!
I have been looking at ideas on building a floating deck. I do understand about all the dirt. I don’t have sand like you do, but red clay of Georgia. What did you use for covering the ground to keep weeds from growing through? You are amazing. Your little girl is going to learn so much from you.
Thank you
Thank you Ashley for the great detail Tutorial, I have a small backyard and always want to have a deck somewhere and finally found a spot for a 5′ x 11′ deck and don’t want to spend too much on it. As much as I like to build one, still not so confident to do it myself with all the different options. But after your guidance I think I will give it a try, thank you and Great Job!!
Congratulations! I’m so happy for you and your deck-to-be! Thank you.
I have been scoring the internet trying to find an affordable simple deck to cover the soggy mess of red clay mud that runs along the back of our house. I know I won’t pay someone and I do not care to use a saw if I can avoid it. Your plans are a God send since I am bound and determined to start this project before spring. I am 60 years old and have a few helpers, but hope to do most of the work myself. I bookmarked you page and will be heading to Lowes for supplies soon. Thank you!!
Yes!! I’m so excited for you! I know how frustrating it is trying to find the “perfect fit” of a template, so I’m happy to hear you were inspired to just go for it 🙂 it’ll be fun and entirely your brainchild!
I Never leave reviews, but your kindred spirit and this deck project so inspired me to end a Hello and thank you so much for presenting this deck project in such a precise and practical way? I think it is AMAZING that you figured out a way to not cut any boards!! That little bit of ingenuity is something that I’m going to copy from you! Wow you are such a caring and sweet person. Thank you so much for taking your time to inspire me with this practical aND very well presented deck project! I can’tAitkin to get started on my deck….I’ve put it off for 7years. Thanks Craig
Hi Ashley, I love your deck and I’m trying to convince my husband we can do the same but he insists we will need to spend a lot more money because he is worried about the quality of the wood and how it will hold up. How is your deck holding up after a couple of years? Have you had to do any type of maintenance?
Hi! It’s been almost two full years since we finished the 2nd part, and there is no sign of rot or any damage despite getting swamped with tree debris and plenty of hurricane-esque weather. The pressure treated lumber has held up very well! However, like I mentioned in the post, I do wish we’d used the same spacing for the 2nd part. That side tends to hold more debris and water.
Regardless, we were planning to stain and seal the wood within the next year because we wanted to give it time to properly weather itself and let the treatment settle. Some people do this around 6 months, but we’ve held out and it honestly still looks awesome! I’ll be sure to share our sealing/weatherproofing when that happens!
I’ve learned that cedar and redwood are naturally rot/insect resistant, but I was sold on the chemicals considering the incredible risk of termites around here. The cost savings are just a bonus! I would price out both and see if you’re willing to swing the difference, but honestly I’d still be afraid of the same amount of wear and tear :/
That was long winded, but I have one more thing to add. Haha! The deck and screws is still in good enough condition that I could remove boards and replace them as needed which is a huge relief. I fully expected for it to need a facelift around the 10 year mark and was more worried about the screws than anything!
This was an awesome article to read! Congrats on your deck! I loved your quote ,“don’t pay anyone for something you can do with your own hands” . This is so true and I also feel this in my soul! I recently did the same as you did researching and looking for tutorials on deck plans. After making my own deck measurements and plans for a 10 X 24 floating deck, I went for it and actually had Lowe’s deliver all the deck material to my house. I think it was worth the $75. delivery fee. My dad and I worked on it over a long holiday week . A little each day like you said patience. The hardest part for me was leveling it. I say next time go all out with the circular saw and drill. Once you get comfortable it becomes second nature. 🙂 It is an awesome feeling to build something useful with your own hands!! Thanks for sharing.
My husband has been planning to construct a wooden floating deck at our backyard, that’s why we’re currently looking for a lumber supplier. It’s a great thing that you shared how important it is to find treated lumber so pests will be avoided. Also, we’ll keep in mind to buy materials in phases so it won’t be heavy in the budget.
Ashley, thanks so much for sharing your deck building experience. We are thinking about doing the same in our backyard. What’s holding us back is the pressure treated wood condition. Did you dry the wood before building or did you start building as soon as you bought them from the store? I built a picnic table and within 6 months it warped a bit. Is your deck experiencing anything like that?
Hi serina! I started building as soon as nap time came around after each haul. Same though. I excluded the nail width spacing while building the 2nd half since I started it after noticing some warping/shrinking in the original deck, and the biggest difference I noticed was that the warping period has been extended. If that makes sense? The spaced boards warped quicker than the not-spaced boards, despite my husbands fears of dry rot from tree debris. It’s taken almost two years for the deck addition to catch up to what happened in the first 6 months of the original.
I hope this helps shed some light!
In your framing section for Deck one you have 2- 2×8 at 10′ and 1-2×10 at 10′ listed with the 9-2×6 at 10′. that is 12 boards, but in your picture I only see 8 boards in the picture. Can you tel me which boards you used for framing and what position you placed them?
Totally! I should have posted a picture of my “plans” but they were on college ruled paper and “my dog ate my homework” might be a realistic excuse… But the 2×10 is for the step side. I wanted it to be tall enough to cover the cement slab. The 2x8s cover the other two exterior sides, and the 2x6s are the joists and carries all the way to the house wall.
Love your article!!! Very informative and gave me the boost to feel like I could do my own as well. Was wondering if you could tell me how you did your step? I saw the pic of what it looked like underneath. Did you connect it to the main deck? Or was it free floating and just rested near the deck?
Can you tell me how you made it? Lumber, etc.?
Thank you! You did a great job!!!!
Nice guide on DIY deck building, cheep and efficient.
Great article !
Can this deck be built on uneven ground or a small slope from the patio doors being highest ground?
I’d say so. The only level ground under my deck is the cement slab. Otherwise the ground is wavy with tree roots and will never be leveled (by me)!
Hi there! Do you have this blog with photos anywhere else? I can’t seem to get the photos to show for me!! ?
I’m having the same problem, I cant see any photos!!!
ahhh the worst! I’m working with my tech folk and kinda totally freaking out?
You said you put your 4×4 posts in concrete. Did you pour concrete footing and attach the posts with footing brackets, or did you dig a deep hole and just pour concrete around the 4×4 posts. I hope my question makes sense.
totally makes sense! I dug the hole and poured quickrete around the posts. since I already had the frame built, I was able to level them from the joists.
Would LOVE to see this too! We’re just planning a deck and finding the cost pretty scary. Any updates on getting the photos working?
woof! So sorry I thought they were fixed. I just upgraded my hosting though, so we should have enough server space these days 🙂
Thank you so much for this tutorial! I am in the same position and can’t find what I need exactly. Is there a reason your deck could only be 10×10 or was that so you didn’t have to cut anything? I need to 12-14 x10 and I can’ t find the framing info. Can you point me in the direction of where the material list might be? I’ve been searching and searching! Thank you!
Hi Brittany! I started with 10×10 because in addition to the crawlspace, the opposite direction leaves a small (3ft or so) walking space around the deck. We have a triangular lot! My materials list and framing list is in “phase 1: framing”!
I really enjoyed your article, but I’m very confused about how you did the footings. Did you do the corners and rest everything else on the ground? Every floating deck tutorial I see has a footer every few feet. If I do the math on that, that could be a couple hundred for those footer blocks alone. It only looks like you used a few, though, and you don’t say how it’s supported in the middle. I understand the first one is on a slab, which helps a lot; but what about the second one? Thanks, I appreciate it.
I’m glad you liked it. Yes, i’ve seen my fair share of footer-happy posts too, but the idea of loading and unloading them gave me nightmares. I only used 2 cement footers under the 2nd deck., to support the midpoints of the interior 12′ joists. The others were 10′ and attached to the crawlspace which has cemented posts at the corners, so i consider that a “footer”.
HI Ashley,
I plan to build a deck also, thanks to your smashing tutorial. I am only planning a 12 x 6 deck though because I have a very small space in my back yard that wont grow anything and is full of rocks. (Long and skinny) I plan to put a deck right over it. So I like your idea of framing first, then leveling; that was really helpful. I have some cement blocks and tools already so I am thinking I will only need to buy the wood, screws, and metal supports. I am going to challenge myself. I saved $300 from selling various household items…I am hoping to have money left over after my deck is completed. I will keep you posted! You’re awesome!
This is amazing. Great job! I always love DIY projects. That’s how I started my small business. From humble roots! What’s your next project?
Best,
Joe – Deck Builders Lake Charles LA
I am a single mom looking to re build my deck that has many holes and needs to be replaced. This looks easy to do. Thanks for the post. I love that it was under $500. I will definitely let everyone know how it turns out.
Yes please! That’s incredible. Good luck!