Add a ground-level deck to your Gazebo

By Wayne Lennox

A ground-level deck is a quick project that adds extra floor space to the Cottage Life gazebo (see the April 2008 issue  of Cottage Life for full plans and building instructions) or anywhere you need a flat surface around the cottage. We built an L-shaped deck around two sides of the gazebo. Of course, you could add a deck of any size and shape you like.

Unless you’re covering a large area or the ground is very soft, you don’t need to worry about footings; 4x4 posts sitting on concrete patio stones or bare rock will be fine. But with wood sitting this close to the soil, be sure to use pressure-treated lumber for the structural members, and apply end-cut preservative wherever your saw blade exposes untreated wood.

 

Materials list

9 2x6 x 8' pressure-treated spruce: joists

4 2x6 x 14' pressure-treated spruce: joists

2 4x4 x 8' pressure-treated spruce: posts

9 5/4x6 x 10' cedar or pressure-treated spruce: decking

9 5/4x6 x 14' cedar or pressure-treated spruce: decking

 

Hardware list                                                

100 #10 x 3 1/2" deck screws                        

400 #8 x 3" deck screws                                            

24 5/16" x 4 1/2" galvanized lag bolts and washers   

 

Assembly Instructions

  1. From the pressure-treated spruce 2x6, cut the pieces for the deck as indicated in the plan.

  2. Layout and assemble the frame using #10 x 3 1/2" deck screws.

  3. Cut about twelve 2' lengths (the lay of the land will affect this measurement) out of scrap wood. With a helper, raise and level each corner in turn and screw (or clamp) the scraps to the frame to hold them in place. Depending on your layout, you may have to trim some of the projecting ends off the beams that support the gazebo floor. Check again that everything is square. Once you have your deck elevated and level, measure and cut 4x4 posts to fit the height and terrain and lag bolt—two per post—in place. Remove the temporary supports.

  4. Cut the 5/4 deck boards to length, leaving enough for a 1/2" overhang all around. Screw to the deck frame with two #8 x 3" screws per joist. Stain or paint.

 

 

 

 

For plans for the rest of the gazebo, refer to the April 2008 issue of Cottage Life magazine.