We're in the middle of building a deck, and questions keep popping up. We've resolved some of the issues, but a few remain. The deck is 14x8m and slightly elevated at the front, so we really want the construction to be stable and secure.
We have the main beams and joists in place, and now we're thinking of installing posts for the railing before we continue with the fascia on one side. With the fascia on one side in place, we plan to lay the decking, then cut it to the right length and finish with the fascia on the other side.
Question #1
Dimensions of the posts for the railing. We were thinking of using 95x95 which we would bolt into both the main beam and the joist. To anchor it well, I was thinking of using through carriage bolts like M8x100 with a substantial washer on the other side. Do you think this will work? Is it overkill? Will 70x70 be just as good? We're thinking of one post per meter.
Question #2
We plan to use 28x120 decking, and by laying a fascia of 3 boards, we can lay the entire decking without joints as we'll have 3 different "zones." But when building the steps, we thought about making steps that are 170mm high and 290mm deep, which would fit well with 28x145 for the steps. Does it look odd to use 28x145 for the steps when the rest of the decking is 28x120? It should be possible to use 2x 28x120 + 1x 28x45 otherwise. I'm a bit hesitant to mix widths.
Question #3
Is it correct to first install the posts, then the fascia on one side, then the decking which is cut to the right length, and finally the fascia on the other side? We want to make it as easy as possible for ourselves, but it's the first time we're laying decking so we've definitely missed some "low-hanging fruit" .
Below is the intended plan. Small adjustments may occur around the steps to the door.
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