Is a ledger board necessary?

A deck ledger board is needed to support one end of the deck joists with a deck beside a house. The ledger is fastened to your adjoining home, distributing half of the deck weight and live load (forces applied to the deck such as furniture, people, etc.

Can you attach a ledger board to wood siding?





In order to install the ledger board, you usually need to remove the house’s siding. Never install a ledger board over the top of siding no matter what you hear, this can weaken the connection.

What is the purpose of a ledger board?

A ledger board is a horizontal lumber beam attached to an existing wall and used to tie in construction elements such as porch roofs and decks. A deck ledger is installed as part of the deck frame construction. The frame is then attached at either end, with the deck joists butting up to it.

How thick should a ledger board be?

The decking is 1-inch thick, so the top of the ledger is 1 1/8 inch below the bottom of the sill.

Does a wood deck need to be attached to the house?

Without any solid attachment a house, your deck will sway and wobble. It needs bracing, especially if it is high off the ground.

Can you not attach deck to house?





Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: That type of deck usually ends up being built freestanding. Or if there's some other reason to not attach the deck to the house a low level deck you can build freestanding.

How do you attach a ledger to a house with siding?

Snap a chalk line, cut out the siding and tack up the ledger board. Then slip flashing behind the siding, covering the top edge of the ledger. Start by making an outline on the siding where you want to position the ledger board.

How do you frame against siding?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: Do not apply vinyl siding directly to studs or furring strips. When preparing a masonry wall first apply vertical furring strips on 16 inch centers. Then apply the substrate to the furring.

Where do you attach a ledger board?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: So you can tie the ledger board directly to the home's rim board floor trusses or wall studs.

Can I use 2×6 for ledger board?



Trex recommends 16″ OC at most, 12″ if running the boards diagonally. This is fine for 2×6 spacing. For the ledger, it’s worth replacing so it’s the same size. You might not be able to fully secure the larger hangers to the smaller ledger.

Can I use a 2×4 ledger?

The 2×4 ledger is sufficient to support your 2×8 joists, but it needs 4 or 5 16d common nails per stud at 16″ on center to be able to carry the load if it is only carrying the floor load and no roof load.

Is a ledger board structural?

Attached decks, or ledger decks, are fastened to a building’s wall using a piece of naturally decay-resistant lumber, pressure-treated dimensional lumber, or engineered lumber known as a ledger board; often simply referred to as a “ledger.” It’s usually bolted or screwed to the structural framing inside the adjoining

Can you build a floating deck next to house?



But just because a deck is beside your house does not mean it has to be attached. A deck conveniently located beside a house does not mean it has to be attached to the house. You can build a floating or freestanding deck beside your house without attaching it. It may be advantageous not to attach a deck to a house.

How do you attach a deck to the side of a house?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: One with the leg bolts all in place i'll just snug them. Up. Here's the second fastener that we're going to use and we're going to use it to fasten the ledger to the foundation.

Can a deck extend past the side of the house?

A lot of work. But in an older home the soil within that five foot zone is most certain to have settled. You should just double check with you local officials who will be familiar with this section and can interpret it properly for you. And so if I am not mistaken, it is not an absolute but dependent on soil condition.

Can ledger board extend past house?

Sometimes, you may want to extend your ledger board beyond the house to function as a beam with a post connection at the opposite end. In this case, you will probably have to double up the ledger board for at least half the distance to the post for adequate strength.

Do all decks need a beam?



Beams are a crucial part of any deck, so it’s imperative that they’re properly installed. A beam runs across the posts, parallel to the ledger, and supports the joists.

Can you cantilever a ledger board?

Chuck Lockhart A deck ledger cannot be attached to cantilevered house framing. Instead, build the deck to be freestanding. Chuck Lockhart Alternatively, you can build the deck so that the deck joists extend into the house and bear on a wall plate or mudsill.

How much weight can a ledger board hold?

The ledger is 10′ long so every foot of ledger must be designed to carry at least 200 lbs of load.

How far can ledger board cantilever?

Maximum allowable overhang cannot exceed 1/4 of the actual main span.