Oz-Deck utilizes the floating deck building technique. Floating deck construction is a similar concept to a concrete patio or slab foundation on a house. Patios, slab foundations and driveways do not have piers in the ground, they rely on distributing the weight over a large area to prevent them from sinking in the ground. Oz-Deck uses the same principle of spreading the load of the deck over more square inches of earth compared to the alternative method of digging post holes and attaching a ledger to the house. With post holes and ledger construction one side of the deck is attached to the house with a ledger board that is bolted to the home. This requires special attention and advanced carpentry skills to assure that the board is properly attached to the home.
Fact: Most deck failures occur because of improper ledger attachment! Oz-Deck is different because there is no ledger board required. The deck simply sits tight to the side of the home but is not actually attached to the home. This is why it is called a “floating deck”.
With post holes there is a great deal of pressure exerted on the posts because there are less posts compared to Oz-Deck. This is why it is very important that the piers be installed properly and why many cities require inspections of concrete deck piers.
With Oz-Deck, the construction of your deck is much faster and easier. Simply locate the deck plates where your posts are required and drive the Oz-Post through them. Then drop the wood posts into the Oz-Posts, attach the beams, and lay the joists on the beams and finally attach the decking to the joists.
Be sure to go to the FAQ section of the Oz-Post website (or click here) to get more information on Oz-Deck and also download instructions from the how-to page. Oz-Deck meets ICC (International Code Council) IRC-2006 (International Residential Code For One- And Two-Family Dwellings 2006) 2006 IRC, R403.1.4.1 exception 3 where it states, ‘decks not supported by a dwelling need not be provided with footings that extend below the frost line.’ The building code clearly has provisions for floating deck systems like Oz-Deck.
Oz-Deck post supports are perfect for most deck construction projects. The Oz-Deck (OD-T4) is an accessory for the 4"x4" (T4-850) or the 6"x6" (T6-700)Oz-Post anchors creating a load bearing capacity. The Oz-Deck foundation system is easy to install and can provide the speed to let you finish your decking project in less time with much less work.
One of the Many Oz-Post International Products
Simple Steps To Building A Deck
1. Plan out site by running “beam” string lines in all locations where beams are required. Install the “deck edge” string line assuring that it is square to your house. Locate Oz-Deck plates on the ground in the correct spacing using the string lines as a reference.
2. Drive the Oz-Post through the Oz-Deck plate with a sledgehammer or jackhammer. The jackhammer installation method is recommended for the best possible foundation. NOTE: If you intend to use the jackhammer you will need to buy/rent an (OH-01) Oz-Hammer and a (HSP-T4) Hammer-Spacer.
3. After all of the Oz-Posts are installed, measure to calculate the post length for the desired deck height. To calculate this measure A (deck height) – B (framing height) = C (post height) for Standard and A (deck height) – B (deck board) = C (post height) for Low Profile.
4. After the first post is installed, at the proper height, use a straight board and a level to obtain the height of the remaining posts.
5. Attach the 4x4’s with appropriate hardware (sold separately).
6. Assemble beams by nailing together 2 – 2”x 8” boards together. Rest the beams on (for standard deck design) or beside (for low profile deck design) the posts making sure that it is flush to the deck edge string line. Attach the beams to posts with the appropriate hardware.
7. Lay joists on (standard) or in-between (low profile) the beams at the correct spacing for the deck boards that you plan to use. Attach joists to the beams with appropriate hardware. Be sure that the joist framing is square by measuring corner to corner and adjusting until they are equal. Fasten deck boards to the joists leaving a 1/8” gap between boards.
NOTE: the Oz-Deck system consists of one Oz-Deck plate (OH-01) and one Oz-Post (T4-850) or (T6-700)
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