# Forum Home Renovation Decking  Deck Building has begun

## oohsam

Hey guys
I am glad to say my project is finally lifting off the ground. 
We have marked out the area and are going to start digging holes this saturday. 
I have hired a dingo with post hole digger attatchments (200mm and 350mm) and a bucket, incase i need to scrape or level anywhere.  
We have decided to stay 1 meter away from the fenceline and put handrails all the way around the decking, and plant some shrubs in there.  
I will post images on saturday of my progress for all who is intersted.  
This project will run over a few weeks, completing each stage per weekend. 
1. Dig holes
2. Put in stumps/bearers
3. Begin setting joists
4. Lay Deckboards
5. Finish handrails 
Depending on time per day/weekend, we may do some of the stuff in one day.  
Peace.

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## oohsam

Ok Here is an update. 
Got all 40 Stumps in, cement in the base of every hole, posts resting on a brick at the bottom of each hole.  
The 3 outer stumps are large becuase of the handrail. We didnt make every second/third stump long becuase there are 10 stumps and couldnt get the spanning even, so the solution was to use stirrups for the hand rail supports and bolt to the bearer for support. Thsi way we could put the hand rails nice and even and achieve that proffesional look.  
Stump tops were cut to 5degrees on top so water slides off nicley. Bearers will bolt to side of stumps and joists on top at 450mm.  
Levels were acheved using a laser level. 
I have some digging out to do on the house line as the stumps are only comign up a little, will dig that dirt out and make a slight slope for water to run off when it rains.  
Enjoy the pics. More to come as we go along.

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## Spelunx

Wow, that a whole lot of stumps you have there!  
It's going to be a pretty big deck when it's finished.  
Keep up the good work.

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## oohsam

hehe yeah thanks
Its about 11 x 4....That whole area is totally unusable if we didnt have the deck there. 
We're really high up and from the deck once its finished you can see the whole city. Its really quite amazing.  
I am thinking of putting a roof on half of it later downt the track. Hopefully it wont be too hard.

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## oohsam

Hey all. 
Well after a long weekend, we have finally some decent progress.  
On saturday we got most of the bearers on. I had to go to an engagement so I only got 3 hours of work in. We measuered everything perfectly before we bought the bearers so we only managed to waste about 30cms of wood in bearers. Worked out real well.  
I had a look at protect a deck but it was too expensive so I bought soem of that black plastic that brickies use, staple gun on top of bearers and on sides to keep it neat. worked well just takes a bit of tiem.  
On saturday got all the joists on. Skew nails into the joist, and then joist straps (4) on every joist to keep it down and from twisting.  
I will be also protecting these with the black plastic, but I ran out of staples.  
All thas left now is to do the hand rails and put the merbu on...Should be fun. 
Its a massive area and its great that You can actualy walk on it now. I love it. So exciting!  
Enjoy the snaps...

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## oohsam

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## oohsam

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## brynk

lookin good bloke - some nice progress it is always rewarding when the hard work getting things level & square pays off! 
glad to see you have a good number of helpers too! i like the taper on the tops of the posts - how are you fixing your bearers to them? i didn't bother tapering my posts but we put some d(amp) p(roof) c(ourse) over the top end-grains & i also sealed them with candle wax. 
r's brynk

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## oohsam

Thanks Brynk! 
Yeah got the family in to help!! 
We used Screw Bolts. Predrill and BAM...with a ratchet its all in place.  
On the bearer closest to the wall i had to use long bolts with a nut as we couldnt get the drill to fit betwen the wall and the bearer so we couldnt predrill on that side at all.  
yeah the taper on the posts/stumps is ncie so the water just runs off..I like the idea of wax..I might just put some extra plastic on top once im done to cover the stumps up.  Wont hurt.   
Should I seal the end of the joists?

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## brynk

gday oohsam 
i think you would be able to get away without sealing the end-grain of your joists. i sealed them to slow the rapid loss of moisture through the end-grain. as the treated pine is already equalised with the environment then it will not give up water. dunno how much water it will take on during periods of high humidity. also, once your joists have decking fixed to them they are considered fully restrained and would be doing little or no moving; r's brynk

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## oohsam

Ah yes. I see what you're saying about the joists..but with the spare time I have to do the decking it may take me a few weeks. bit by bit and its spring now and u know how the rains come heavy and long and then sunshine dries it out..its enough to warp my nice joists..hence why I have also left the braces on the beams for the hand rails. Dont want them moving too much till I get the cross beam for the hand rail on them. 
I just thought might as well do this stuff now while i can access it then I never have to worry bout it again.  
Do it once, do it right. 
(and cheap)

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## brynk

if you're putting the dpc down over the joists also then i wouldnt be overly concerned though what does it take to smear a bit of vaseline on the ends to tide them over until the decking goes down? 
if your beer rail is a while in the making then it may well pay dividends to seal the top end-grains of the posts from the weather, as these are ultimately face work then you would want them staying true when it comes time to mount the handrail. you could use virtually anything to do this (wax, bitumen, paint, etcet) if you are going to cut them down size later.

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## oohsam

Thanks brynk. I'll give that ago. It hasnt rained since so Im hoping the weather will hold out till friday coz I'll be putting the rest of the plastic on.  
How come u know so much mate?

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## clackerz

I always slap paint on all timber and where there are joins/cuts etc.  Anything to keep moistire away from the timber.
The previous owner to my house built a pergola and only painted the parts that you could see.  Then laid shade cloth over the top (not painted).
Obviously over time the moisture has gotten into the timber, and with 3 of the 4 sides painted the moisture had nowhere to go, so rotted from the inside out.
Some gentle persuasion and it came down (in pieces!) - all the bolts, nails etc where rusted through as well.

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## Paul2012

Is that correct that you have just attached the bearers to the side of the posts with screw bolts, will this be strong enough.  I'm about to build a deck wich will be 300 mm off the ground it would be a lot easier to do it this way I'm just not sure that this is the right way as all the books I have seen on building decks get you to make a cut in the post and have the bearer sitting on it and then bolt.. Any thoughts ?

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## silentC

> make a cut in the post and have the bearer sitting on it and then bolt..

  Yes that is the correct way. Bearer should be either be housed into the post or sitting directly on top of it.

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## oohsam

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## silentC

Actually someone here pointed out the other day that the load rating for decks is higher than it is for an internal floor in a house. I think you would find that if it was being inspected, it might not pass. Concrete for posts is not mandatory, you can use driven timber piles, or posts bedded in aggregate.  
It's part of the Building Code of Australia. I suppose you can say it's overkill in many situations, but they have to make it bullet proof, so obviously things are scaled up a bit to cover the worst case. However, when people are asking questions on a forum, I think it's good practice to quote what's in the code. Not that I'm all that conversant with the code, but I had a quick look in my framing manual and it is covered under Nominal Fixings - Bearers to Stumps/Piers/Posts.

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## pawnhead

I'd house them in, but as oohsam said, it would take a hell of a lot of weight to shear through the bolts, and I have seen them just bolted, unhoused, on those backyard makeover shows.
You'd have to make sure that the holes you're drilling are a tight fit for the bolts, but the problem is that the threads are often a slightly larger diameter than the rest of the shank. It would be an idea to whack a few 4" galv nails in as well.

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## silentC

> those backyard makeover shows

  I rest my case  :Wink:

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## oohsam

hehehe....I see what you're saying Silent C, about giving the correct info  :Smilie:

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## thebuildingsurv

Bolts with washers should have been used, not coach screws, but is no big deal just dont put them to close to the edges. The deck manual put out by the timber promotion council allows unhoused connections. They have a table which bases the amont and size of bolts on the area supported. Generally 2-m12 will take a heap of weight.

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## oohsam

Ah well waddya know, I used bolts and washers...NICE!

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## thebuildingsurv

sorry i thought you used srew type bolts

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## silentC

Yes it would seem to be acceptable for a deck, although I find that a bit contradictory, given other discussions we've had in the past regarding load ratings.

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## oohsam

Hey all, 
Well, I only got 5 boards laid on Sunday, it was great weather (actually pretty hot) and I was on my own..its tricky carrying 5m long boards from the garage, placing them down, measuring, cutting and putting them back in place, then predrilling every hole, then countersinking every hole.. 
(Bunnings were out of stock of the carbi Tool bits...damn) 
I have 2 power drills so its not a big deal.  
Boy Can i tell you how much I love my new Makita Impact driver!
What I have found, is that I need to predrill every hole, wether its on the end of the board or not, otherwise, the head of the screw snaps off..its not a big deal though...Screws are expensive $40 for 250 screws, i think I got ripped off, but no one in my area had them.  
Im a little worried that the 53mm long screws maybe too short..The boards are 140mmx22mm which leaves 21mm of screw in joist..
Hope it holds... 
i was using the 5th board screwed down method and fillin the gaps to lay the boards on the first 5 boards..but since I was working so slow, I realised that it would take me some time to get the boards down..I work full time and have 1 hour of daylight a day plus weekends to finish the deck. 
Due to the weather raining and sunshine every day, I was worried the boards would shrink/expand etc and then my gaps would be bigger/smaller if I did that, so Im diong 5 at a time.  
I laid 2 boards down when i got home last night, took me 20 mins, so Im getting better.  
Hope to have it finished by sunday. Still have to run the wires for the lights, shouldnt take too long.  
Enjoy the snaps.

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## Loki429

Hi Oohsam 
The deck's looking good! I know what you mean about stuggling for time doing it after work. That's why I opted to take some annual leave and work on mine full time. I've found I'm able to concentrate better and don't waste as much time packing and unpacking tools away each day. Keep at it - its worth it in the end. 
Re the screws I believe they will be fine. 53mm screw - 22mm deck leaves 31mm into the joist. Plus the screws are countersunk meaning almost another 5mm will be going into the joist. That's about 36mm total - plenty! 
The screws I'm using are 50mm macsim stainless steel. I measured them end-to-end, exactly 50mm. Perhaps your ones are measured differently and don't take into account the size of the head? The price you paid is about right though; I paid $164 for 1000. 
cheers!

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## silentC

> I was worried the boards would shrink/expand etc and then my gaps would be bigger/smaller

  Hate to tell you this, but that is going to happen anyway, like it or not. Also don't be surprised if some of your butt joints open up too. I had one open up about 3mm. Boards don't shrink much longitudinally, but they can and do.

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## oohsam

Loki - Thanks I feel much better about the screws. All i need I think is 2 days off to get the boards on. I prefer to cut all the boards, then drill all the holes then screw everything in, You get into a good flow when you're doing one job over and over. Much easier than swaping tools all the time.  
Silent - I know they will shrink, i have seen some shrink quite a bit, on the butt joints too. Im just being paranoid. I want everything to turn out perfet..but it wont!

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## silentC

Thing is, after the first week or so, you'll never look at it! 
Oh, that is until it's time to put on the deck oil  :Smilie:

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## Loki429

> All i need I think is 2 days off to get the boards on.

  That's what I thought  :Doh: 
Once you're in a routine and don't break any tools then you should be ok however. I'm sure some of the professional deckers here will be chuckling at this and saying that they'd have it done by morning tea break!  :Tongue:

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## oohsam

Yeah, I read from others experiences, I bought 3 bits for the screws for my impact driver, and 5 drill bits...havn't snapped one yet but if I do, I can be safe that I dont have to go bunnings 5 times a day like I have been.

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## UteMad

> Yeah, I read from others experiences, I bought 3 bits for the screws for my impact driver, and 5 drill bits...havn't snapped one yet but if I do, I can be safe that I dont have to go bunnings 5 times a day like I have been.

  
Square drive bits are a lottery.... We buy them in packs of 10 and run 3 impact drivers at once... All holes are predrilled and counter sunk... Some decks i will shatter a tonne of bits others i wont break a single one but  never would i turn up with less than 6 - 10 bits...
Its good to see your having a go at a decent size deck....
I hope it all works well for you and as to the speed of us paid deck guys  and our methods well that is a fine tuned thing developed over 100's of decks so enjoy your project and learn from any mistakes....
Bolting bearers on the sides of posts with either nails...screws ...bolts... what ever i have always seen as cheating but i constantly get beaten and see guys doing it all the time the worst is a few gas gun nails into the posts as every handy bob owns a gas gun now...For speed for example i would have put all your posts in the ground 200mm longer then leveled the bearers to them and cut the tops off after which is way quicker...If i was pressed for time as yours was so low and if i had 2 blokes on site we would have pre checked the posts bolted the bearers on then put the posts in the holes leveled the bearers and packed them off the ground to level put all the joists on then put the concrete in and gone home... Whollah deck structure all done in 1 day....... Possibly not as big as yours but none the less 1 day and posts checked in aswell... 
Once again a great size deck to do first go ...Enjoy your efforts & learn from any mistakes and best yet you wont make them again when you return the favour to all your helpers for there decks LoL 
Cheers Utemad

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## oohsam

Thanks UteMad. 
Yes, This is my frist time working with wood actually, and Im still a young fella (26!) I learn pretty quickly and learn little tips as I go along to make my life easier...dunno how..it just happens! 
I've just laid another 5 boards in 1.5 hours, considering the first 5 boards took me 5 hours, thats a pretty big acheivement!! LoL  
I have not had any trouble with my square drive bit yet. I've sheared some heads off the screws, and I've split the end of 1 board but I know why these things happend and have taken preventative measures. 
at .60c a screw, Im trying to save every one! LOL.  
U know, we were actually considering bolting bearers to stumps and putting the stumps in set in concrete and have most of the subframe done that way, and it be all level...but we opted against it. We had access to a laser level, which helped us set up our levels, so it was pretty easy.  
Thanks again utemad, it is good to hear good things from a tradie!

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## UteMad

> Thanks UteMad. 
> Yes, This is my frist time working with wood actually, and Im still a young fella (26!) 
> I have not had any trouble with my square drive bit yet. I've sheared some heads off the screws, and I've split the end of 1 board but I know why these things happend and have taken preventative measures. 
> at .60c a screw, Im trying to save every one! LOL.   
> Thanks again utemad, it is good to hear good things from a tradie!

  
Don't let 26 worry you....I opened up on my own at 23 as a self employed tradie and that was fun.... No stubble and asking customers twice my age for 10 to $20K all i ever heard was are you going to go on holidays now with all that money LoL.. I only have a handful of years on you now... 
Snapping the screws is usually from using too small a pilot hole. 10G screw uses a 1/8 pilot hole... Make sure you countersink enough to set the head flush... or by buying 8-10G screws with chipboard shanks instead of true 10G wood screws... I would be unlucky to snap a single screw on a deck unless i hit another fixing thats in the joist which usually only happens on batten down decks where there are dyna bolts etc... 
Carbitool make a countersink and pilot in one for around 40 - 50 bucks its what we use for all our projects buy the 10 gauge one it will save you time 
good luck with it post finished pic 
cheers utemad

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## oohsam

hehehe 23!! Thats damn young. Good on ya though. It seems as though You're pretty succesful. I've seen ur website a few times.  
I have 9g screws...and am using a 3mm pilot hole. I will go out this weekend and buy a carbitool bit if I can find one. 
Should the pilot hole be a little bigger? Some of the screws are going beyond the countersink and sinking into the Merbau to get it to sit flush wit the joist, as some of the boards are warped and slightly wavy, the screws are holding them flat...so I find that sometimes I have to tighten the screws beyond 'flush' to get the board to hold down. Since they are self countersinking screws and have the little nibbles on the heads, they are lodging themselves futher down into the merbau.. 
Will a bigger pilot hole fix this? 
Cheers.

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## UteMad

> hehehe 23!! Thats damn young. Good on ya though. It seems as though You're pretty succesful. I've seen ur website a few times.  
> I have 9g screws...and am using a 3mm pilot hole. I will go out this weekend and buy a carbitool bit if I can find one. 
> Should the pilot hole be a little bigger? Some of the screws are going beyond the countersink and sinking into the Merbau to get it to sit flush wit the joist, as some of the boards are warped and slightly wavy, the screws are holding them flat...so I find that sometimes I have to tighten the screws beyond 'flush' to get the board to hold down. Since they are self countersinking screws and have the little nibbles on the heads, they are lodging themselves futher down into the merbau.. 
> Will a bigger pilot hole fix this? 
> Cheers.

  No a bigger pilot won't fix it and if you say went to 4mm it would make it worse as the pilot being bigger makes it easier for the the self countersinking head to pull down into the boards without pulling the board down.... You can slow your driving speed down which is easy if your using an impact driver just blip the trigger went your nearly up to flush which will make it harder for the head to self counter sink or slightly lesson you counter sink depth... Merbau is a softer hard wood but with 90mm boards it shouldn't  be a prob ...we geenerally leave the screws 1/2 mm lower than the face.... I gather your not using the little trim head 9G screws? They should have a head approx the same size as a standard chipboard screw.... 
cheers utemad

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## oohsam

Ok I see. 
These are the screws Im using...They are made by "Power Fastners" They are trim head screws..The thread does not go all the way to the head.

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## UteMad

> Ok I see. 
> These are the screws Im using...They are made by "Power Fastners" They are trim head screws..The thread does not go all the way to the head.

   
This explains plenty!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I hate trim head screws with a passion thats why nearly every post is say to get 10G type 17 square drive screws ...... Your snapping these cause there isn't much meat on the shaft before the counter sink head...... The heads are driving through the board beacause the heads are so small they aren't much bigger than the pilot hole.....  Hard to say cause i don't know how far you've gotten but if you can switch them over to the right screws now before you go to far i would..... Don't buy the carbitool i mention if you intend to use these screws as the countersink will be tooo large..... 
cheers utemad

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## UteMad

i will post photo's of decking screws tonight  
utemad

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## oohsam

OK, I look forward to seeing them so I know what to look out for.  
hehehe....These are 9g Type 17 square drive screws. Someone here told me to get the self countersinking ones...
I've only snapped 2, and in both instances they snapped just where the thread starts. I've screwd in 250 with 2 snaps, which is ok If the numbers stay up to this level. I can always return the screws I haven't used..Only used 1 box out of the 6 I bought.  
I will look into this utemad...I think I'll just keep goin with em though if I cant find the screws you show me...

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## Loki429

Here's a pic of the screws I'm using. Macsim 10G x 50mm.
As soon as I started using the 4.0mm Carbitool all my problems with breaking screws stopped. I haven't had any problems with the head countersinking too far either.
The head on your screw looks a bit smaller than these and could be a factor in why they are going too deep too. 
Now all I need is the rain to stop so I can get back outside and carry on working on my deck  :Rolleyes:  
(Sorry Utemad I may have preempted you on this one - but I'm getting bored with this rain!)

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## oohsam

Ah I see, The heads are different...Thats why they are going down..... 
Thanks Loki! 
Edit: on closer inspection, they look the same, except I have 9g and yours are 10g hence why mine look smaller. 
I googled "chipboard screw" to compare, and this is what I came up with.  
The heads look the same to me...But I dont know what Im looking for.... Are they not on as much of a 'slant' so they dont 'slide' into the wood easier...Gosh I really have no idea what im talking about!

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## UteMad

Yeah no bother.... 
The Macsim 10G 50mm type 17 sq drive are one of my favourites for srews 
Below is the difference side by side between your trim heads and what i consider the right screw for the job (right as in my opinion)   
Below is a picture showing on the left your 9G trim heads ..then 8-10G type 17 with coarse chipboard thread... Then the Macsim 10G type 17 with a finer wood thread ...The type 17 part is the cut in the initial point of the screw which can be seen on the macsim screw... Alternatively some just have a chipboard point which isn't as good at self drilling.. All have ribbed self sinking heads.   
Below is the easiest to find stainless screws that will do the job they are available at bunnings and mitre 10 ...Yes they are 8-10G but still have a relatively good shank diameter and dont snap at the head.... Cost would be around 40 - 45 bucks per 250 at a guess  
Cheers Utemad

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## oohsam

OK. I think I might return my screws and get those ones. 
Thanks heaps fo teh info Utemad. You have gone to great lengths to put these pictures up for me. 
If I find these screws I'll be getting the Carbitool bit as well.

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## Loki429

Oohsam 
Careful on the carbitool - the Zenith screws Utemad shows indicate a 3.0mm pilot hole. The carbitool I bought is 4.0mm which is probably too big. Check with your hardware store as there may be a 3mm version however.
The label on my box of Macsim screws says 10 - 12G and those Zenith ones say 10 - 8G. 
Good luck!

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## oohsam

Ok point taken! 
Will go tonight/tomorrow morning and check out what I can get.

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## UteMad

Hi All  
For the 8-10G  and 10G Macsim we use the Carbitool DCS 3.2 
Don't know about 10-12G Macsim as my last mascsim deck screw box just went in the bin but i was sure they were straight 10G 
cheers utemad

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## thcs

Hi oohsam, 
I to will be laying the larger boards next weekend. Just wondering, what model makita impact driver did you end up with? Sounds like it was worth every cent  :Biggrin:  
Will also be interested on how you go with the 10g macsim SS screws.
At least daylight savings starts this weekend. it will give us a all another hour after work to get a few more boards down. :2thumbsup:  
Cheers

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## oohsam

Heya! 
I couldnt find the other screws..Bunnings didnt have them and my mitre 10 only had the 9G power fastner ones. I decided to stick with em. 
I got alot of boards down yesterday. Got more to go..was working from 6am till 10pm. Still not done. The wind is so strong today so not sure how much Ill get done.  
The Powerfastner screws were just fine..only snapped about 10 of them so far..out of 500 so thats not bad..I just drilled them out and put another screw in its place..Sorta on an angle so it grapped the joist ok.  
Makita Impact driver - 14.4v impact driver..its amazing. I couldnt have done the deck without it and its worth every cent. Be sure to buy a few bits, we've shattered a few. 
It comes with an extra battery so you always have one on charge! Nice.   http://www.makita.com.au/product.asp...tID=6935fdwae1

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## UteMad

> Heya!   
> Makita Impact driver - 14.4v impact driver..its amazing. I couldnt have done the deck without it and its worth every cent. Be sure to buy a few bits, we've shattered a few. 
> It comes with an extra battery so you always have one on charge! Nice.   http://www.makita.com.au/product.asp...tID=6935fdwae1

  Second the impact driver we run a makita 14.4 and 18v and the 14.4 is prob 18mnths old now and still strong...Blach batteries work for longer but don't think you'll get them in aust we bought em on ebay which is cheaper.. 
If you already have a Makita 14.4v or 18v cordless drill you can buy the impact as a bare tool no batteries or charger off ebay new for under 200 bucks.... Same for dewalt if you have one of theres 
cheers utemad

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## thesupervisor

does any know where i can get a carbitool in perth or off the net  i dont even know what they look like?

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## Loki429

Try contacting them direct tomorrow and ask for names of retail outlets in your area. http://www.carbitool.com.au/ 
Or search ebay for carb-i-tool. I found plenty of router bits from one seller - contact them as they may have the drill/countersink too.

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## UteMad

> does any know where i can get a carbitool in perth or off the net i dont even know what they look like?

  
Heres a pic of what your after ... Id contact them directly and get a stockist close by   
DCS 3.2 
Cheers utemad

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## thcs

I purchased a DCS 3.2 online at apworkshop.com.au 
They were out of stock last week but were expecting a shipment in store on Tuesday, when mine will be shipped. All up, with shipping ~$48. 
Now...to find the best place to pick up a makita 14.4V impact driver.. 
Cheers

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## thesupervisor

thanks heaps

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## oohsam

Hey guys
After many long hours on Saturday, 6am till 10pm...and Sunday till 4pm, I was putting boards on. Luckily my mate came round and we got into a good process. 
Here are the update pics. 
Looks great. A few of my neighbours came round and said it looked amazing. They loved it.  
Enjoy. 
I would have done more but I ran out of merbau....Off to bunnigns for more..

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## UteMad

Hi oohsam 
I know you prob said earlier but i am too lasy to go back and look... Whats bunnies charging you for the 6 inch merbau deck? Is it 32mm or 25mm thick?? 
They're doing the 4 inch for 4 bucks would be great if 6 inch was 6 bucks LoL 
Cheers Utemad

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## oohsam

bahahaha....ur a pissa.. 
Its 22mm thick!! 
140x22  :Smilie:  
Im gettin it for $5.22 a meter. They have it ticketed at $7.28 or something like that.  
Cheers.

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## UteMad

> bahahaha....ur a pissa.. 
> Its 22mm thick!! 
> 140x22  
> Im gettin it for $5.22 a meter. They have it ticketed at $7.28 or something like that.  
> Cheers.

  Thats a great price i don't fit too much 6 inch as its not cost effective ... I got a price to me for $8.20 inc gst the other day and i buy 4 inch sub 4 bucks all day every day 
cheers utemad

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## oohsam

Thats price match price by the way...  :Wink:  They dont like it when you price match..but its their policy..and Mitre 10 have started to price match too. 
Good for the consumer..

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## UteMad

> Thats price match price by the way...  They dont like it when you price match..but its their policy..and Mitre 10 have started to price match too. 
> Good for the consumer..

  
Great price no matter how you got it but makes more sense now... Where did you get the first price from as in sydney they state they won't match trade prices or quantity prices basically saying off the shelf retail prices only.. 
cheers utemad

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## Lbudgie

$5.22 /m is fantastic. been shopping around geelong and the best i could get is $7. :Annoyed:  :Frown: 
If you could get me 800 Lm i will throw in a few slabs :Biggrin:  :Biggrin:  :Biggrin:  :2thumbsup:  :2thumbsup:

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## oohsam

Hey guys. 
boards are all down. Just cut the ends off to get them square. All I have left is to put up the extra posts for the hand railes, and put the baulstrad through, then oil and DONE!  
I love it already. We've had a bbq with some ppl over..I couldnt resist.

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## Dusty

_Fantastic_, Oohsam, you would have to be very happy with that. 
Have a well deserved beer for some of the guys here, at Ubeaut, who have provided some brilliant advice along the way. 
I'm sure you'll keep us all up to speed as you finish it off with oil and balustrades. 
Well done.

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## oohsam

Thanks Dusty...that means heaps to me!
You're right, everyone here gave me so much advice, I love this place now....this thread is great for anyone begining a deck. Its my frist time building one too...LOL...Im so proud. Will keep you all updated as the reset of it is finished. Hopefully only a few more days work..   :Smilie:

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## Loki429

Looking good mate - really well done!
You've now got a large really useful entertaining area I'm sure you're all going to love. Plus you'll find you're getting less dirt and mess in the house now too. 
We've had heaps of rain here in Sydney so I've hardly touched my deck in the last couple of weeks, however I'll post some pics tomorrow of the s/steel balustrade I used - I love it and can highly recommend it! 
You deserve to be proud - keep us posted with more pictures as you add the finishing touches. 
Loki

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## Dr - 307

> Is that correct that you have just attached the bearers to the side of the posts with screw bolts, will this be strong enough. I'm about to build a deck wich will be 300 mm off the ground it would be a lot easier to do it this way I'm just not sure that this is the right way as all the books I have seen on building decks get you to make a cut in the post and have the bearer sitting on it and then bolt.. Any thoughts ?

  Always house out your posts / stumps. That's how I do it all the time. I've seen that Scot Cam on Backyard Blitz bolt bearers to the side of post / stumps BUT he sticks a couple of nails into the side of them to hold them on then bolts them together. Not the way I do things and not the way I would recommend others do things. 
In regards to posts in ground I prefer to have them in stirrups with the post / stump bolted to that and out of the ground.
Anyones thoughts on this one?  
Cheers,
Dr - 307.

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## pawnhead

> Good advice

  Ditto that, on all points.
Much stronger, and it doesn't take much to house the bearer. 
And less likely that the timber will rot if it's in stirrups.  :2thumbsup:

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## cilkorules

hi mate excellent job, just wanted to get an idea for myself how much i would be looking at out for my 4m by 11m deck i have been planning....
i haven't got any quotes from anyone, cause i was thinking of doing it my self....
how much for " all materials, wood, screws, nails, stirrups, joist hangers , planning and building permits??etc " as i already have my own tools.....
 what oil did u use for your deck?

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## oohsam

Hey!
Thanks, I saved a packet by being a little smart with the stuff i bought. 
I found the most expensive item i purchased was the deck screws. I think you can get them cheaper if you shop around but I got them from a local mitre 10.  
All up the deck cost me under 3 thousand. Which is pretty good. 
I used Cabots oil. I do not recommend it, go for something more expensive, like Feast and Watson.  
I kept all my receipts so i can give u a breakdown if you like.  
Posts = 100 x 100 cypress pine 
Bearers = 145 x 90 Treated Pine
Joists = 90x45 Treated Pine
Merbau 140 x 19
The baulstrade was from miami stainless, i highly reccomend them as does Loki, we both got ours at around the same time. I have a crimping tool which im happy to lend you to save you 45 bux.  
Dont forget the cost of Nails and bolts...
I priced matched everything. Ie. Got the price at tile importers, (even bought stuff from there) but i found the merbau at bunnies was top quality and i didnt have to sort thorugh it. So i price matched that, as its the most expensive. THe subframe saved me about 200 bux but its not big dollars compared to the merbau. Definatly try and buy everything at once is my advice also. Its easier and nothing worse than makign several trips to bunnies and having to price match every time.  
I would be very surprised if it cost you more tha 2,800. 
Whats ur budget?

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## Al Kilgour

Hey Oosham awesome job there mate. What sort of finish did you end up using? Have you got some pics of the whole job totally complete and oiled? 
Cilkorules here is a link to an ebay seller called bolts by the bag and metal by the metre. They have fantastic prices on screws and i use them a lot. They also have a product called a "deckmate" wich pre drills and countersinks in one go for about $40. I would strongly suggest you check them out for prices. I did a lot of research and these guys were the cheapest by a mile and they have cheap fast delivery anywhere in Australia.  http://shop.ebay.com.au/merchant/bol...Q_fromZQQ_mdoZ

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## UteMad

Had a look his deck mate bit is the Smart-bit i was flogging a while ago on ebay.. they are great for speeding up the job .. we have now moved on to a more elaborate version at 3 times the price but serves no extra benefit for DIY .. the smartbits are great... His screws aint cheap and be careful alot of them are trim heads and not full size heads.. I would flog screws but postage is a killer  .. If your buying atleast a 1000 screws you want a price of approx 150 - 160 per thousand . for true 10G 50mm screws.. if your buying like us you want cheaper heheheheee

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## Al Kilgour

Utemad is that youre subtle way of saying i got ripped off?   :Tongue:  I thought the screws i got were very cheap in comparison with a lot of other places i checked. Anyway im happy with the pricing i got and after all thats all that matter   :Smilie:  
I agree about the deckmate its a great little tool and really speeds things up.

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## UteMad

NAh you didn't get ripped off  if you paid 169 - 179 for true 10G screws.. This is the market ave price .. I just cant afford market average.. Bunnies tried to tell me they were over 200 bucks this month which i politely told them they made a mistake .. Funny the price dropped 70 bucks a thous on the next quote  hheheehehe 
You are correct .. if they were  there when you needed them and the price suited you and its for yourself then you got the right price.. enjoy your new deck.. as i enjoyed my b day today 
cheers utemad

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## ger

For screws I found the 
following place the cheapest
homepage http://www.tradeproducts.com.au/  
screws  http://www.tradeproducts.com.au/10g_...,_square_drive, 
also http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Decking-Screw...3A1|240%3A1318

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## oohsam

14 dollars per 100 is a cheap price. That's 14cents each
I paid 16 cents each so its a fair saving when u add the numbers up. 
The ebay one is ok, its 16cents each after postage, so its the same as getting them from Mitre 10...
I might buy some now, im decking my front yard atm so i'll need some, good to have all the stuff there when its ready. 
Here are pics of my deck for all of you who are intersted.

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## UteMad

[quote=ger;749187]For screws I found the 
following place the cheapest
homepage http://www.tradeproducts.com.au/ 
 Yeah this is a great price for screws and i reckon you'll find it goes up pretty soon cause there has been a rise in all this gear.. We still got better the other week but only after offering to buy out every box they had in stock and it wasn't that much cheaper either for a bulk buy..  
goes to show retail can get wholesale prices these days with research,, 
cheers utemad

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## cilkorules

i liked your deck it turned out to be really nice....
did you need to get a "permit from the local council in your area" for a deck of your size

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## M.K

It doesn't look that big, you would get away with that in Canberra.

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## Bloss

All Oz uses BCA - these are Class 10 structures so generally approval is not required (but construction still has to comply to BCA). But . . . local authorities often have other restrictions that apply under planning and zoning, environment and heritage laws so you need to check with the local approval authorities (if you are concerned). 
For example the ACT rules on decks are here:  http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/topics/.../process/decks 
with general info here:  http://www.actpla.act.gov.au/topics/design_build

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## cilkorules

that the  wooden support posts should not go directly in the ground they should sit on galvonised stirrups, the bottom of the post should be 75mm above the ground sitting in the top of the stirrup. The stirrup should be set in concrete and let to cure for 48 hours (600mm deep post hole 50mm crusher dust on bottom compacted).
just been researching on building my own deck and i think this is the way to go if you want it to last a long time.
other than that my deck will be almost the same.

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## president_ltd

> that the  wooden support posts should not go directly in the ground they should sit on galvonised stirrups, the bottom of the post should be 75mm above the ground sitting in the top of the stirrup. The stirrup should be set in concrete and let to cure for 48 hours (600mm deep post hole 50mm crusher dust on bottom compacted).

  i'd certainly recommend doing it that way - but it doesn't _have_ to be that way. 
there is no reason why you couldn't use appropriately treated timber (e.g. H4 treated pine) in ground. 
personally, i'd use stirrups as they aren't that expensive in the scheme of things and you can often just build the sub-deck structure propped up on bricks/levelled with the stirrups dangling into the holes, then fill in with concrete afterwards.  and most definitely a lot quicker to do than making piers with bricks! 
depending on deck height, i've also seen decks made using concrete stumps .. in a similar way - nailed on and 'hanging' into the hole that then gets concrete added to it.  
cheers.

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## oohsam

Thanks for the reply president. 
Yes you're right. It is not a problem at all to put treated timber into the ground. It will easily last 15-20 years if you have appropriate draininge I dug out channels after putting the stumps in for water run off.  
If you think about it, its the same as building a retaining wall...you put the sleeps right into the ground, and they treated.  
Cheers.

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