Building a deck, to float or not?

[jay78]

I am wanting to build a deck off the back of my house. it will be approx 14ft x 22ft. It will be about 10 inches off the ground. I want to have part of it covered by a tin roof. I figure I have two options.
1. Dig/pour footings for the 4 posts holding up the roof and then build a floating deck. This would be cheaper and less work. However I am uncertain of the permitting issues for a floating deck, would a floating deck be permitted?
2. Dig/pour footings for EVERYTHING which would require 8 footings as well as putting a ledger on my foundation and attaching it to the house.

Pros/cons? Permitting issues? Also, will the city permit a post set in a concrete pier or will they require it be mounted on top of the pier using a connector?

Thanks for any advice!

[warreng88]

I am wanting to build a deck off the back of my house. it will be approx 14ft x 22ft. It will be about 10 inches off the ground. I want to have part of it covered by a tin roof. I figure I have two options.
1. Dig/pour footings for the 4 posts holding up the roof and then build a floating deck. This would be cheaper and less work. However I am uncertain of the permitting issues for a floating deck, would a floating deck be permitted?
2. Dig/pour footings for EVERYTHING which would require 8 footings as well as putting a ledger on my foundation and attaching it to the house.

Pros/cons? Permitting issues? Also, will the city permit a post set in a concrete pier or will they require it be mounted on top of the pier using a connector?

Thanks for any advice!

First things first, I see this is your first post, so welcome to the site! Second, you might want to check with your neighborhood association for the deck. I live in Crestwood and built a wood deck off the back of our house in 2008. Beforehand, I called the Neighborhood association and they said it was find. We have small covered patio area so the deck is larger in one section than the other. One section is about 20 x 10 and the other is 10 x 10, but they are connected. A ledger was attached to the house and seven footings were dug, as well as a concrete pad for the stairs. One of the pros of this is it looks cohesive and really works with the house. One of the cons is any shifting in the house causes damage to the deck. We have recently replaced all the railing boards and three decks boards because of buckling. Depending on what your budget is, I would recommend looking at composite decking. It doesn't have to be stained, it doesn't warp and you power wash it once a year to keep it clean.

[jay78]

First things first, I see this is your first post, so welcome to the site!

I appreciate it! I am a long time lurker.

I live in Crestwood and built a wood deck off the back of our house in 2008. Beforehand, I called the Neighborhood association and they said it was find.

I would think you would still need a permit right?

[warreng88]

I would think you would still need a permit right?

I asked and they said no. Thinking back on it, I probably should have called the city to inquire. I am not sure if they are required for a deck, but I could be wrong. Technically, it is not living space and is not included in the square footage of the home.

[jay78]

Just to clarify, by "floating deck" I mean building on top of deck blocks rather than digging and pouring footings. Using these guys:
10 in. x 10 in. x 8 in. Concrete Deck Block-012023A - The Home Depot

[rezman]

Not sure aboout the permiting, but personally I would just do it and not worry about it. As far as sinking posts, that would be the way to go it you want it to last. Floating decks move around too much over time. You can build your deck by sinking all your posts and not have to use a ledger at all. You will require a few more posts depending on the size, in place of the ledger, but It would be built stout and free standing.

[jay78]

Not sure aboout the permiting, but personally I would just do it and not worry about it.

I would love to but I believe there will be strict crackdowns on this stuff as the city starts trying to look for more money. Tulsa has started using Google maps to find un-permitted structures and I am certain this will be the norm for most cities in a couple years. The last thing I want is to get fined and have to tear down and rebuild a deck because it doesn't meet code.

As far as sinking posts, that would be the way to go it you want it to last.

Yeah, I am almost certain I will have to do this to meet code the more I think on it. And like you said, I want it to last. Ugh, the digging

[OKCRT]

You can do both. Pour your concrete piers on corners and use the deck blocks under the interior. That is the way to go. Just make sure there is no wood to ground contact.

[SoonerDave]

I asked and they said no. Thinking back on it, I probably should have called the city to inquire. I am not sure if they are required for a deck, but I could be wrong. Technically, it is not living space and is not included in the square footage of the home.

Neither is a fence but, technically, it's supposed to be permitted. Any permanent alteration or structure is supposed to be permitted. I built a storage shed about a decade ago and since I poured a full concrete slab, it had to be permitted. Had I put it on sleds/blocks, theoretically allowing me to make it movable (and thus not permanent), no permit. At least that's what the city folks explained to me when I filed my drawings and paid my $$

[zefferoni]

How much does it cost to get something like that permitted? I'm considering building a pergola thing in my back yard at some point and hadn't even thought of the permitting side of things.
*Edit* Never mind, I answered my own question. Here's the fee schedule if anyone is curious.