Here are two questions about my deck flooring that will run along the entire west side of the house. I plan to dig out and fill with gravel and then lay cement slabs. On these, roofing felt and then joists. My plot slopes, so on the left side of the conservatory, there will probably be a bit more joist or adjustment with plastic feet. I prefer not to screw into the house and plan for the floor to be free-standing with a small gap against the façade. (The house has both a crawl space and a solid slab foundation.) The floor will be about 20 cm above ground at the lowest point and about 30 cm at the highest. The house is about 20 meters "long," and the floor will follow its contours from the hallway on the right to the laundry room on the left. We want everything at the same level. Later, we will add steps in front of the doors.
Questions:
1) Will the floor be stable, or does it need to be "locked" with cast pillars? Are there other ways to secure the floor from moving? Or is its own weight enough?
2) The lower part of the façades is exposed to water and snow, and it is often said that a wooden deck should be positioned a bit lower than the lower edge of the façade boards. Unfortunately, our house is low relative to the ground, and a floor cannot easily be positioned below the façade's lower edge. Consequently, the floorboards will need to meet the wall a bit higher up (2-4 cm). My plan is to install metal sheeting that covers the lower part of these boards and cut the vertical boardings above the metal. This way, at least water cannot seep in between the floor and the paneling. The small amount of water that runs along the vertical boards will drip onto the metal and run off. This has been done on the east side of the house where it has stood without issues for about 8 years. One reason there might not have been any problems could be the large roof overhang the house has. The drip doesn't get close to the wall. Any thoughts? See images!
Questions:
1) Will the floor be stable, or does it need to be "locked" with cast pillars? Are there other ways to secure the floor from moving? Or is its own weight enough?
2) The lower part of the façades is exposed to water and snow, and it is often said that a wooden deck should be positioned a bit lower than the lower edge of the façade boards. Unfortunately, our house is low relative to the ground, and a floor cannot easily be positioned below the façade's lower edge. Consequently, the floorboards will need to meet the wall a bit higher up (2-4 cm). My plan is to install metal sheeting that covers the lower part of these boards and cut the vertical boardings above the metal. This way, at least water cannot seep in between the floor and the paneling. The small amount of water that runs along the vertical boards will drip onto the metal and run off. This has been done on the east side of the house where it has stood without issues for about 8 years. One reason there might not have been any problems could be the large roof overhang the house has. The drip doesn't get close to the wall. Any thoughts? See images!
