Deck Piers and Footings

Building Deck Support Footings

Introduction: When building a deck, the deck piers and footings are important components of deck construction. They provide the solid support foundation that supports the entire deck. The deck design determines how the live and dead loads are transferred from different sections of the deck to the concentrated load points with the ground.

The more support post and footings your deck has to distribute the total load the less weight each footing will need to carry. Before building deck support footings consider the following tips.

The deck footing posts are attached to the deck and rests on a footing at ground level or below the ground level. The deck footings act to spread the heavy load of on the deck surface onto the ground to support the entire structure. If piers (columns of cement) are used as a support post they must set on footing pad. Without proper footings, deck support posts will sink into the ground under the weight of the deck.

Before installing the footings the frost line must be taken in consideration. The footing must be placed below the frost line to prevent the deck from moving (heaving) during the frigid winter weather. If the footings are not below the frost line the support post will rise when the ground freezes causing damage to the whole deck. Your local building inspector or code office can advise you of the requirements for your area.

If you live in an area where winter freezing is not a problem you don’t have to be concerned with frost heaves. Nevertheless, a footing is still required; it just does not have to be buried as deeply in the ground. Local soil conditions and the climate will determine the size and depth of your footings. Generally a footing that is 12 x 12 inches and 2 -3 inches in debt is adequate to support most decks. Depending on how many support posts are installed a precast concrete block will suffice for a footing.

Deck piers and footings are just as important as any other component of your deck and must be constructed to adequately support the entire deck load. If in doubt it’s better to error on the safe side and constructing the piers and footing larger rather than smaller to insure the deck is properly supported.

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