Pouring Concrete Piers For Deck

The price of pouring concrete footings depends greatly on the length and diameter of the footing your deck needs.
Pouring concrete piers for deck. Hang a plumb bob from the end of one 2x4. When constructing a deck in an area that receives minor amounts to no frost these piers often serve as suitable deck footings. That s why concrete piers poured in waxed cardboard tubes and smooth wooden installing deck posts work well for below grade support. I am redoing some very poor workmanship under my front deck porch roof and we ended up needing to install brand new footings four feet down below the frost l.
A 12 diameter footing will require two 60lb bags of concrete per foot of depth. If you bed a pier in a concrete footing however you need to soak it in water. If the area receives frost the piers can be installed above ground. It is important to check local building codes for construction requirements in your area.
Precast concrete piers are engineered to accommodate joists for ground level decks without footings or posts and anchors set in footings. These requirements will include minimum diameter and minimum depth of the footings. The height of concrete piers isn t crucial on a raised deck because leveling the beam is a matter of adjusting the length of each post running between pier and beam. Lay two long straight 2x4s on the deck allowing them to extend out to the center of the two footing holes.
But even if footings are deep enough ice lenses can latch onto the rough surfaces of wood and concrete and lift footings and posts from the side. In this video this old house general contractor tom silva shows how to dig and pour concrete supports. Successfully construct a. By justin fink pouring accurate concrete piers.
Above ground deck piers are precast tapered concrete blocks with a wide base that are intended to rest directly on the ground or a concrete base. Bags of concrete can vary in price but start at around 3 50 for a 60lb bag. A dry pier set in a wet footing will draw moisture out of the concrete weakening it. Check out our deck footing frost map to help you understand how deep your footings will need to be excavated.
We will teach you how to determine the code compliant size of your footings based on the soil type and tributary loads. Learn everything you need to know about installing concrete footings to support your deck.