I'd never built a deck before this project. My grandfather had built decks. My father had built decks. The skill apparently skipped a generation. By the time I started, I had four YouTube playlists, one stack of pressure-treated lumber, and the kind of confidence that always precedes humility.
Days 1-3 — Layout and footings
The hardest part of the project, by far, was the part I'd expected to be easiest: getting the footings square. The math is simple. Putting it on the ground accurately is not. My first attempt was 1.5 inches out of square. By the time I caught it, I'd already poured one footing.
If I could redo days 1-3: rent a laser level. The string-and-stake method works in theory. In practice, in a backyard with uneven grade and a slight slope, it works for people who have done it before. Pay the $40 and rent the laser.
Days 4-9 — The waiting weekend
Concrete footings need to cure. I knew this. I had not internalised it. The next weekend after pouring was the weekend I had nothing to do on the deck. I painted the trim around the back door instead, which turned out to be a useful sub-project. But the rhythm of the deck build had a forced pause that I'd underestimated in the plan.
Days 10-15 — Posts, beam, joists
This was the weekend I almost quit. The 16-foot 2x10 beam I needed to lift onto the posts was heavier than I'd planned for, and I was working alone. By the third attempt, the beam was on the posts and I was on the ground. I called a friend who came over Sunday morning. The job took an hour with two people.
Lesson: there are jobs that are physically two-person jobs. The beam install is one of them. So is hanging drywall on a ceiling and carrying a tub up a flight of stairs. Don't be a hero. Buy a friend pizza.
Days 16-23 — Decking
The satisfying weekend. The structural work is done; now you're putting the actual deck boards on, and each one looks more like a finished deck. I used 5/4 x 6 pressure-treated boards with hidden fasteners.
The fastener system I used (Camo Edge) is genuinely worth the small premium over standard screws. The deck has no visible fastener heads. It looks twice as nice as the same project with screws on top would have.
Days 24-27 — Railings
I underestimated this part. I thought "railings" was an afternoon. It was three days. Posts have to be plumb in two directions. The top rail has to be straight. The balusters have to be evenly spaced. By the time I figured out the spacing jig (a piece of scrap cut to baluster-spacing length), I'd already done one section that I'd redo if I had unlimited time. I do not have unlimited time. The slightly-off section is at the back corner where nobody looks.
Days 28-30 — Stain and finishing
Pressure-treated wood needs to dry before staining. The deck sat for three weeks (between the build and a weekend the weather cooperated). When the staining weekend came, I learned that semi-transparent stain shows every imperfection in the wood. I would, in retrospect, have used a solid stain. The deck is fine; the stain choice was based on a Pinterest image rather than on what would actually work for my wood.
The final budget
- Lumber (PT, joists, beams, posts, decking): $1,840
- Concrete + footings: $180
- Hardware (joist hangers, post bases, fasteners, hidden clips): $320
- Tools (added to the kit during the project): $290
- Stain + brushes: $140
- Pizza for friend who helped with the beam: $30
Total: $2,800.
What I'd do differently
- Rent the laser level. The square-deck math is not where to save $40.
- Plan for the cure-time pause. Footings need to set; have something else useful to do for that weekend.
- Get a friend for the beam. Or any single piece of lumber over 12 feet.
- Use solid stain, not semi-transparent. Pressure-treated wood is not a Pinterest material.
- Hidden fasteners are worth it. The single best aesthetic decision of the project.
One year later
The deck is holding. The slightly-off railing section is still in the back corner and still slightly off. The stain has weathered evenly enough that I'm fine with the colour now. I sit on this deck most evenings in the summer. For $2,800 and 30 days of weekends, that's a return I'd sign up for again.
