How to Build a Floating Deck - low profile design and footings

[@kettch42]

You have an rare quality of two usually exclusive characteristics... perfectionism and finishing projects.

[@eclipsejeff]

Nice job. I would have added power for lights and maybe a tv that way when I’m drinking my scotch and smoke my cigar I’ll be able to enjoy a little TV. Or just in joy the sounds of nature. 👍

[@scottcates]

These alignment methods are simply superb.

[@ptlpszt1]

I really appreciate your animated graphics. So much attention to detail. Amazing workmanship.

[@TacoBell5DollarBox]

I am so envious of that soil you get to dig out in. I have the hardest rock like clay ever. In fact, when I shovel sometimes I hear and I think I hit a rock or a pipe and it turns out just to be clay.

[@eddiewalker7252]

Beautiful Deck all it needs is a porch swing or a couple of hammocks with Lemonade Tea!

[@_Andrew._]

Looks good, maybe one day I will try something like this. But with wood almost as valuable as gold at the moment here, it might have to wait a little while.

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thanks! Wood is crazy expensive right now. But, I think it may come back down before too long.

[@boots7859]

Expect wood prices to start dropping in July, however not back to 2019 levels. Current Admin wants to re-up tariffs on CA wood imports, so thats not going to help...

[@hyfy-tr2jy]

That dissolve from real to virtual image at 0:47 was epic and pro class!

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thanks! It's a bit tricky to line up but I think it's worth the effort.

[@johngalv9288]

Amazing work! great videos! Labor intensive but worth it when it is done!

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thanks!!

[@rados5334]

Very relaxing video

[@pottsy3765]

Hey Kent, Glad you made it through winter up there in the Northwest. Good to have you making amazing videos again.

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thanks 👍

[@jewdd1989]

It’s absolutely gorgeous and incredibly practical and useful! I love it and I’ve learned so much from your work so thank you and pls keep sharing!

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thank you so much!

[@themarkfunction]

beautiful beautiful beautiful

[@howardlowry6412]

OUTSTANDING videos. The designs are exceptional, and the presentations and explanations are comp!she and easily followed. My compliments sir!

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thanks!!

[@167curly]

What a pleasing addition to your garden pavition project. I was impressed how the pipe clamps took the bow out of those deck boards. Way to go!

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

You and me both!

[@lorettabrown8834]

i like that and you gave me a lot of insight for my vision on my deck

[@pcken9067]

Perfect timing ...we are in the planning stages of our own pergola. Thank you!!

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Perfect!

[@heatherjennings145]

The best DIY KZbinr on this channel. No one puts together an entertaining, informative video like you do. Plus, you have a voice that is very reassuring and easy to listen to. Another great project!

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Wow, thanks! I so appreciate your kind words.

[@natemoore3841]

Beautiful job. This is helping me a lot for a very similar project coming up for me. Thank you!

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

You're very welcome!

[@driveway_mechanic]

Great job Kent!

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thanks Colin! We really like how it turned out! Cheers!

[@Georgiagreen317]

You are an amazing craftsman. Some of the best video's I've seen. Thanks for sharing.

[@adroc9841]

Looks great you are a very talented carpenter.

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thank you very much!

[@mattevans-koch9353]

Beautiful deck. Definitely a nice addition to the pavilion. Maybe instead of a pony wall on the east end put in a raised stage for a small band. The deck would make a perfect summer evening dance floor. Thank you for sharing. Take care and have a great weekend.

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

I like it!

[@rexncaksz4506]

Nice job well done

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thanks!

[@debraa.7008]

Wonderful and very informative. Great job

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thank you!

[@djaspurh]

You’re a beast! I like how you laid out the 4x4, very smart thinking.

[@leonardnoort639]

wow this is amazing

[@george8873]

Another well thought out, planned project with excellent explanation. Still think you should have your own DIY TV show. Anyway, one benefit of pulling up the concrete form tubes is the bottom will bulge out and secure the deck to the ground more and help prevent heaving if the ground freezes. Deck turned out beautifully. Thanks for the video.

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thanks George! Very kind of you! And I was thinking the same about the tubes. Pulling them up does create a better foot for the concrete.

[@Amywazwaz06]

Very fascinating watching how you built it. I admire that craftsmanship it requires to build it. I wish they used real World projects like this in high school to help teach the math skills. It would make it seem so much more useful.

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thank you very much!

[@Token_Civilian]

Looks great. Nicely done.

[@jeffforbes3772]

Great tutorial. Thanks for posting.

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thanks Jeff!

[@sikaberg5649]

Good Hard Work appreciate it.

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Appreciated!

[@jasonperry6046]

Yet again I love the video. Your work turns out with great aesthetic. Thank you for taking the time to make the videos.

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Glad you like them!

[@MiniLuv-1984]

Beautiful.

[@TalkingJohn88]

looks fantastic!

[@catelynrose1983]

Kind of in love with both of you.

[@msears101]

fantastic

[@jeffmazur8037]

VERY nice technique setting up the platform (joists etc.) May I suggest considering cutting curved boards shorter in future projects, then (re-)squaring the ends, instead of trying to force them straight at full length? This method reduces the curve you're dealing with by half when cutting in two, by 2/3 when cutting in three, etc. You'll build much less stress into the structure that way, at the cost of having a handful of extra joints between the shortened board ends. Woodworkers do this all the time to make longer curved/bowed boards more usable (less milling to get them straight and square, so less waste - in your case less forceful clamping (or none) is needed to true the edge.)

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thanks Jeff! Good suggestions here. One other thing I was thinking about: the long boards can benefit from the long lever effect if the structure can handle the stresses.

[@AlpeshPatel-lp8fo]

Nice , quality work

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thank you! 😊

[@stephenmabry2866]

Master craftsman. I like every aspect of your build. I might have used a router on the deck edges instead of chamfer, but it looks great. TIL to straighten the deck board using a pipe clamp. My little mini deck had some doozies that I just strong-armed. Also, I ALWAYS try to cut/place the end boards individually [each a little crooked] instead of all at once [making a straight, even cut] like you do. Gold. Have you given hydroponics greenhouse consideration for the garden? Plants grow fast.

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thank you very much! We are building a greenhouse this year. I don't think it will be hydroponic tho.

[@torbjorn.larsson69]

Superb…

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@etn198383]

Молодец! Все красиво!

[@MrTheoJoe]

I love your postings and again you made something really nice. Being a light engineer myself I would like to tell you that this floating effect would have been bigger if you would have made some LED flex under the bottom edge.

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Good idea! Thanks!

[@janetleeharrison]

LOL, watching you two bending over to remove all of that grass gave me psychosomatic back pain!🤣 This turned out beautifully - well done! I love the animated graphics you used to explain the process!!!🧡 Always excited to see a video from you guys because I already know it will be a high quality production. Have a wonderful weekend & thanks for the video!

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thank you very much!! We appreciate your support! Cheers, Kent

[@raymondjoseph7177]

Looks nice. Are you gonna cap the concrete to blend into the deck??

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thanks! Can you send a link to some examples of how that might look?

[@raymondjoseph7177]

@@MANaboutTOOLS maybe something like this to wrap the concrete to bring the pole all the way to the deck. www.gazebocreations.com/images/GenericPopup/350x275/rough-cut-cedar-16-posttrim.jpg

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

@@raymondjoseph7177 Oh I see. Thanks! I'll consider that.

[@joeshulman2501]

Where is the layout sub straight video?

[@jpboileau5473]

Very nice looking deck. You probably don't get too much snow where you are?

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Usually no but, every once in a while we can get a load.

[@PeacefulCountryLife]

Yeah, there are way too many piers for such a project :) But at least you know it's going to last ;)

[@howardlowry6412]

No such thing as too many (well, within reason 😃).

[@CookingwithYarda]

Great video ! Thanks for sharing ;-)

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thank you too!

[@ShotgunEmmet]

I'd love to see more aircrete content, how strong is it in compression compared to concrete for small structures kind of thing. @MAN_about_TOOLS any projects in the pipeline?

[@boots7859]

Lots of info on that, and long story short is that aircrete is about useless in most places where you want compression. Aircrete, foamcrete, interesting but need to really consider loads.

[@ShotgunEmmet]

@@boots7859 Possibly but I'd like to see differently mixed and reinforced blocks put to the test similarly to the old flower bed panel test. After all making any substance support weight is an engineering challenge with different trade offs I think it would be satisfactory for roofing a shed/garage, kids tree houses, dog houses, etc.

[@boots7859]

@@ShotgunEmmet I get where you're coming from, I was hoping to make some to use instead of exterior shed sheathing. In the NE here, I would not want to test it with a decent amount of snow load. Its truely an interesting building material, however it just doesn't have a lot of strength for many applications.

[@nyoung827]

Will those boards learn to love their new shape, or will they pull those screws over time trying to get back to their natural shape?

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

I think time will tell. In the last two years I haven't seen much movement.

[@kennethboyer2338]

Very nice! Did you use a stain with a water repellent/sealer in it? That would be a good way to keep the wood in as good a shape as possible.

[@patcollins6221]

I love your videos and work. How do you get your concrete footings to be square as the sauna tubes I see are round?

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thanks! I build the forms from plywood. See kzbin.info/www/bejne/f2OZc6yIqrunoq8

[@bradymcphail9690]

I really like the work you do, and the way you explain your work. I’m curious what area you live as my wife and I currently live in California but are moving to Northern Washington within the next year. I’m taking in as much info as I can from you regarding freezing and heaving because we don’t get that in LA.

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

We live on Vancouver Island. The winters are mild but every so often we get a more severe one. So the frost level is not very deep.

[@bradymcphail9690]

@@MANaboutTOOLS we may not be too too far from each other. We are hoping to drop anchor very close to the Canadian border as close to the beach or river as possible. I also need a large bit of acreage for some farm/homesteading and a huge multi trade shop. I must have big water to feed my Soul and energize my Heart

[@marlenepisani9887]

Hey Kent ,, love the videos,, can you share what colour and brand is this stain?

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thanks! It's SICO SRD RE "Butternut"

[@susanwhitehead1585]

How did the deck hold up over time? I am looking to build a low profile deck too

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Hi, It's holding up well. No issues so far.

[@hpw59]

Beautiful! Now paint your concrete posts black.

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Ohhh....that's a good idea! Thx

[@billgorman4567]

Great job. Love your videos. What was the stain you put on the deck?

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thanks! It's the SICO ProLuxe SRD RE stain and the tint is "Butternut".

[@doubledarefan]

What's with the blur box at the start?

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Yeah. That's a mistake. Fixing it now.

[@oldaxehead655]

Hey MAN about TOOLS I have a question. What stain do you use?

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

It's listed in the description below.

[@ВиталийДубровский-о1ж]

Молодец Жму руку

[@cautiousoptimist]

For a second, I thought you said you had a bottle o' Jack in the garage...

[@boots7859]

I'm not following your logic at 4:30 regarding frost heaving more with a gravel bed vs 1' sono-tubes. I'm outside Buffalo, and you're even further North of me. Your piers should be at least 48"+ to get below the frostline, right? A 6-12" gravel bed in my area is generally seen as pretty heave resistant, according to my local permitting office. Love your videos, just not following why you seem to be doing what seems the opposite of conventional wisdom here.

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Good points here Boots. We are on Vancouver Island where we have fairly mild winters. I know that some build low profile decks with the concrete deck blocks on a layer of gravel. Essentially placed on the ground. I wanted to go a bit deeper just in case we did have a severe winter that might heave them. Also, I knew I would be putting some stress on the frame trying to straighten the deck boards. So that's my thoughts on digging the holes 12" deep and pouring concrete. It might be more than I needed but better to just do it once.

[@boots7859]

@@MANaboutTOOLS OK, just thought it was odd since WA State has a 24" frost line, and figured it would be at least that.

[@mansfieldcarpentry805]

Stain your cuts before you install (like the ones around the columns)

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Yes! Good tip! And I was negligent on that point.

[@benjaminreinhardt259]

The framing system for the deck strikes me as odd, not very conventional (from what my novice eyes have seen). The finished product looks great though. I am interested to see the pony wall, I have a similar issue in my yard.

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

It is unconventional for sure. But to get a low profile you have to build it in a non-standard way.

[@battlebotts]

Make a steam box

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Ahhh...now there's an idea!

[@blackheart9068]

I don’t understand why couldn’t you just fill with cement on the footings first then put the 4x4 after and level it

[@zaitonyahya4768]

Suruh 2ayatv186