Tools and Materials
Product costs, availability and item numbers may vary online or by market.
Planning for a New Deck
Before you begin your project:
- When you have a deck to build, check with your local building department and homeowners association regarding permits and building requirements. Note the elements of the project that require inspection and plan your work accordingly.
- You’ll need to dig holes for the deck footings that’ll support the structure, so call 811 to have underground utilities marked.
You can use our online Deck Design Tool to create your deck plans, get a cost estimate, build a materials list and more. Keep these factors in mind:
- When planning size and making a deck, make sure you’ll have enough room for your outdoor furniture and that you’ll have enough room to move around.
- Think about size in terms of the decking as well. Deck boards are typically 5-1/2 inches wide, so try to plan a deck size that won’t leave narrow pieces at the ends.
- If you don’t know how to make a deck, take your time as you review your plans. The plans you created are the blueprints for the deck. Follow these deck blueprints and you’ll slowly see your plans unfold.
- Create your design so that the railings are clear of windows and out-swinging doors.
If you're not ready to do the installation yourself, Lowe’s can install your deck for you.
The cost to build a deck depends on various factors, including the type of wood used, how large the deck will be, labor, the features you want incorporated into the deck and more.
Decking Materials
One of the first steps of deck building and when you design a deck is deciding between a wood deck or a composite deck. Pressure-treated lumber (top right) is the standard material because it withstands weather. Most pressure-treated lumber is wet when delivered directly from the store, so you’ll need to let it dry before staining — typically for six months. As an alternative, consider upgrading the decking and railings with composite decking (bottom right) and vinyl railings. Make sure you read our Deck Planning and Materials Buying Guide to get details on different options.
This series of articles and videos shows you how to build a deck with each material.
Even if you plan to use composite decking for your deck building project, you’ll typically build the underlying structure (beams, floor joists, rims joists, posts, etc.) with pressure treated lumber.
Deck Construction
The basic deck construction for this project consists of:
- The foundation and 4-inch-by-4-inch posts
- 2-inch-by-10-inch beams
- 2-inch-by-4-inch diagonal bracing
- 2-inch-by-8-inch framing and joists
- 5/4-inch decking
- Stairs
- Railings
For larger decks, you can install parting boards — also called pattern boards — in the middle of the decking. These decking boards run perpendicular to the rest of the decking, creating an eye-catching design. They also allow you to use shorter deck boards and can eliminate the need to butt boards together to span the width of the deck. You can eliminate some of the necessary posts by attaching a ledger board to your house, but it can cause problems later if not done right. It’s a job usually best left for the pros. Our deck is freestanding, so it won’t be attached to the house. A freestanding deck should be no more than one inch away from the house.
Decking boards have a common (or nominal) measurement of 5/4-inch thick. While you might think of this as 1-1/4 inch, the standard reference is 5/4 inch. Note that the actual thickness of a 5/4-inch board is usually 1 inch. The common/nominal 5/4-inch measurement indicates the thickness of the board before trimming, drying and planing at a sawmill. The actual measurements indicate the final dimensions. You’ll see these measurement references when you’re shopping for dimensional lumber.
Laying Out the Deck Area
When you have a solid plan, you can mark the layout with strings and batter boards made from 2-foot furring strips and screws. See Making and Using Batter Boards assembly instructions.
Instructions
Working With Pressure-Treated Lumber
Guidelines
- Use fasteners and hardware labeled for treated lumber — stainless-steel or hot-dipped, galvanized screws.
- If the lumber is wet — it typically is when delivered from the store — butt it together tightly when building. Pressure-treated wood shrinks as it dries.
- Drill pilot holes in the ends of boards to prevent splitting when you nail or screw them together.
- Use wood rated for ground contact when necessary for the project.
Safety
- Wear a dust mask and eye protection when handling or cutting wood.
- Wash your hands after working with treated wood.
- Dispose of sawdust and waste according to local regulations.
- Don't burn pressure-treated wood.
- Don't use pressure-treated wood as mulch.
Read more about pressure-treated lumber and wood preservatives on the EPA website:
Next Steps
The next stage of the project includes how to set the posts and how to build a deck frame. See How to Build a Deck: Post Holes and Framing and take a look at the entire deck series to see all the stages of building a wood or composite deck. See How to Design & Build a Deck to see how to build deck stairs.