08/29/2026
BEFORE WE LAY A SINGLE DECK BOARD… 🔨 DECK BUILD PART 2
This is the part of a deck build most people never see.
After the footings were dug and poured below Wisconsin frost depth, the City of Green Bay inspected them before we moved on. ✅
Then came the framing.
For this build we used 2×8 joists at 12” O.C. with a three-ply 2×8 beam.
That layout isn’t guesswork. Joist size, spacing, span, beam span, post spacing, structural loads, hardware and manufacturer specifications all matter.
Wisconsin requires exterior decks to support a 40 PSF live load plus the dead load of the structure itself. There’s a little more math involved than grabbing lumber and saying, “that looks strong enough.” 😅
UltraDeck allows up to 16” O.C. for a standard perpendicular deck layout. We tightened this one to 12” O.C. for additional support and a solid finished surface.
The house connection matters too. We cut back the siding, properly fastened the ledger to the structure and installed flashing to manage water at that connection.
Then come the details you eventually won’t see:
🔩 Joist hangers + structural fasteners
📐 Proper layout + spacing
💧 Ledger flashing
🛡️ Joist tape
🪵 Proper beam + joist sizing
🧱 Concrete landing for the stair stringers
Once the framing was complete?
Another city inspection. ✅
Footings ✔️
Footing inspection ✔️
Ledger + flashing ✔️
2×8 joists @ 12” O.C. ✔️
Three-ply beam ✔️
Structural connections ✔️
Joist protection ✔️
Concrete stair landing ✔️
Framing inspection ✔️
AND WE STILL HAVEN’T LAID A SINGLE DECK BOARD. 👀
That’s what a proper build takes: planning, measurements, structural requirements, manufacturer specs, water management, proper hardware, inspections and time.
The decking and railing are what everyone sees. We want to show you what goes into building everything underneath them correctly, too.
Next up: UltraDeck composite. 👀🔨
Follow along as we build this one from the ground up.
