Going to build a deck where the floor should be just under the patio door, above one of the basement windows (see picture). Now, I understand that it is not always a good idea to attach a ledger board to a brick facade as it may not be load-bearing. So my question is how do I know if it's a load-bearing facade or not. Does anyone have an idea by looking at the picture? The house was built in 1946 if that can be a clue.
If I can't attach the ledger to the facade and instead have to build a freestanding deck with posts close to the wall, is there any risk of "disturbing" the drainage that runs around the house if you put down posts?
Grateful for thoughts!
If I can't attach the ledger to the facade and instead have to build a freestanding deck with posts close to the wall, is there any risk of "disturbing" the drainage that runs around the house if you put down posts?
Grateful for thoughts!
Clarification: the deck floor is supposed to go between the basement window and the patio door in the picture, so pilings will likely be needed since the deck will be almost 1 meter from the ground. But you might mean that you don't need to attach the deck to the facade? Good to know that drainage is not affected if I do need pilings on the inside.Oldboy said:
The drainage should be below the basement floor level, so it is not affected.
The fill material closest to the wall should be well-draining, so the footings do not need to be buried particularly deep as there is little risk of frost heave.
The fill material closest to the wall should be well-draining, so the footings do not need to be buried particularly deep as there is little risk of frost heave.
Ok, thanks. Do you have any thoughts on whether it would be possible to attach the load-bearing beam to the facade or not? Which is still plan A.useless said:
From what I can see, it is one layer of brick, then an air gap, and then a thicker layer of brick. Which perhaps means that it is not a good idea to attach the beam to the façade, or deeper?
It's a concrete wall / concrete foundation. Ah, you mean attaching, for example, planks vertically to the concrete foundation that reach up to the beam and support it?
You can do something similar to what I did, see hereSkåneskutan said:
That's right, that could work. At the same time, I'm thinking the support beam should be attached to the lower brick row (see new image). Behind that brick row is the basement's concrete ceiling. And just below that brick row comes the basement's concrete wall... It might still be suitable to attach a support beam to that...Krokkodriljo said:
I don't know, but that's what is stated in the hundreds of descriptions, numerous YouTube clips, and even more forum posts that I have read in preparation for this little project. It seemed pretty smart to anchor the deck to the wall and in that way avoid a bunch of pillars and also get lateral stability. But I'm open to all solutions.
I think it's good to have the deck completely separate. You avoid making holes in the facade, and if you need to get under the deck, you can just pick it up. Moisture-wise, I also feel it's better to have a small air gap between the wood and the wall.
Probably no big differences in risks or costs, but I see it as a completely unnecessary maneuver to attach it to the facade, with unnecessary risk for problems/hassle.
If the supports are not heavy and stable enough to handle lateral forces, you can use braces. An alternative to high supports is regular concrete slabs and a lower framework/wood supports, or regular low supports with wood posts. This way, it's easy to add braces for lateral forces. Which solution you choose is a matter of personal preference.
Probably no big differences in risks or costs, but I see it as a completely unnecessary maneuver to attach it to the facade, with unnecessary risk for problems/hassle.
If the supports are not heavy and stable enough to handle lateral forces, you can use braces. An alternative to high supports is regular concrete slabs and a lower framework/wood supports, or regular low supports with wood posts. This way, it's easy to add braces for lateral forces. Which solution you choose is a matter of personal preference.