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Porches & Decks

Ideas for covered area under deck

17 years ago

We are in the very beginning stages of planning to build a deck off of our 60s ranch (with daylight basement). Currently we have a steel framed deck with plywood boards and astroturf over that for the decking part. It is UGLY, but does provide the area under the deck with lots of covered space. We also have a storage shed built under one part of the deck.

Anyway, as I begin to plan I am looking for ways to keep some of the area under the deck covered, but not all. I have thought about that plastic or galvanized deals and attaching them at an angle. I have also heard of this rubber type stuff you can put under decks as well. Any ideas? We will not be doing this until April, but I want to get my ideas and budget in order!

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Comments (5)

bmmalone
17 years ago
i used the plastic sheets from HD. They have worked really well so far. I made sure i can take them down if needs be if they get full of leaves etc. So far no problem, plus it really has been wonderful to sit outside on a rainy day and just enjoy the rain coming down
mikeb_ny
17 years ago
BMM,
do you mean the corrugated lexan sheets, suspended under your joists? I am interested in doing something like that. What area of the country are you from? I am in upstate NY, where we get a lot of snow and ice, and I'm wondering if they will hold up in those conditions okay.
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We're digging up some rocks around our deck and berming it up to keep the under-deck area from flooding all the time. It's such a pain, all the water goes under the deck as it's leaving the slope of the hill we live on and fills up our window well. When it flash floods, the drain can't empty fast enough and if we don't run a portable sump pump, it cascades through the window and into our finished basement. The other window well was filled in with concrete. I'm looking at berming with a good ground cover to hold it in place rather than doing concrete in this one. The windows are non-functional as there is a huge deck over them. Anyway, onto the ground cover issue! I was considering Deutzia Nikko (short bloom time is a detractor) or a taller Nepeta Walker's Low (cats are a big detractor). I feel that after the area is bermed, it will drain well but still I worry about a water logged plant. The rest of the time, the plant will probably have mostly dry conditions, partial sun (afternoon sun). The linear feet around the deck is like 40 feet of space to fill, but it's only 12-18" from the driveway to the lattice at the bottom of the deck. Will Nikko make it on such a small amount of space? It seems like it would be the better of the two at keeping the dirt in place.
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If it's only 4 feet clearance under there I would just pave it w/the pavers from HD and store tools etc. under there, it is going to be a chore trying to crawl around under there and if you try and grow anything it is a chore to tend the plants, weed, etc. also it would breed mosquitoes because water would tend to stand and not dry off....sally
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They probably replaced the stairs because they were in disrepair and they replaced them before putting their house on the market. Same with the railing cap on the RH side. Don't worry, the new wood will quickly age and look like the old wood. :-) However, my concern would be that the new wood looks like regular lumber, not pressure treated wood. That won't last long outdoors. In any case, if you want them to match more closely NOW, then pressure wash the old deck and stain the whole kit & caboodle. Moving on to a cover: it looks like you've got plenty of shade from the trees. Why do you need additional deck cover? Bottom of deck: Are you trying to cover up the support posts or the ground below the deck? If the former, then plants and skirting are your options. Lattice isn't the only option for skirting. Google "deck skirting" and you'll see different styles. If the latter, then you just need to distract the eye. First, fill the underneath with pea gravel, which is a little more appealing than dirt. Then plant some colorful flowers in beds around the edge.
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I would not rely on the floor surface of the deck for waterproofing. A tile surface that has the waterproofing embedded below it is bound to eventually leak and will be more of a pain to replace when it does. This is especially tough if you want that surface to remain level and not have a decent slope to drain. You are much better off having a roof, be it a true membrane roof or something like the deck system that was noted above, below standard decking. Though I would also be sure to screen off any openings into the space between the deck and the roof or you are bound to get critters living up under there. Also be sure to detail it so that water isn't getting between the storage structure and the exterior wall of your house.
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chrisj1979
16 years ago
You could install some underdeck; it'll waterproof the underside of your deck and still allow the top surface to drain effectively. what's more, it looks great too.
john_hyatt
16 years ago
With a total rebuild I can recomend installing plywood over the joist system that has a slight fall to the outside,torchdown modified roof with all needed flashing,stringers laying in the direction of the flow,screw the decking to the stringers. Not past the stringers into the roof. John
billinpa
16 years ago
Home Depot also sells tin roofing in several colors. I plan on building a wooden frame covered top and bottom with the tin roofing on an angle. Sloping to gutters. Also making it removable for ease of cleaning.

The dry deck and underdecking is great stuff too. Just too pricey for me. I got a quote of 1200 for one system in materials alone.

I can diy my own for around $300.

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