Freestanding Wooden Deck

[DJMARSH]

I LIVE IN AN RV PARK. THERE ARE ALOT OF TREES ON MY LOT AND GRASS WON'T GROW.I HAVE ALOT OF ROOTS TOO. WHAT WOULD BE THE BEST WAY TO START SETTING POSTS FOR A DECK ABOUT 1 STEP ABOVE GROUND LEVEL. I'M TRYING TO STOP TRACKING SO MUCH DIRT IN. I LIVE IN FLORIDA AND DON'T WORRY ABOUT FROST. I'VE NEVER USED A FORUM BEFORE, FORGIVE ME IF I'M DOING IT WRONG.

[Pelican]

Welcome to GroundTradesXchange.com!

You stated you are new to forums so let me clue you in to some forum etiquette. It's commonly considered rude to post in all caps, it is considered to be yelling. So just give your Caps Lock button a tap and you'll fit right in.

As for your question, is a building permit required? If so, there will most likely be codes that will need to be followed and they will dictate how your footings must be installed.

To dig the holes an auger would be my first choice, but I'm not sure how well they work in sandy soil like you have. If the soil is dry, the holes would be likely to collapse.

[DJMARSH]

Sorry about the yelling. I don't know if an auger will work, there is a maze of roots around here. Unless there is a bit that cut them. I can check with my local rental place.
I was more curious about how to make sure it will come out level when I'm done i guess. I would rather not have to purchase expensive equipment I may never use again, like a laser or something. Thanks for your reply by the way.

[GLAN]

This is what I would do if digging is a problem

And this needs to be free standing and doesn't seem to be all that large.........

Not sure what it it's called.........Anyway. It is a tubing.......kinda like a paper towel or toilet paper tube.......but is much bigger......like 8 or 10 inch diameter.

Buy I dunno an 8' length and cut it into 2' pieces. Enough sacrete to mix and fill them.......Buy the metal 4x4 things that secure into the concrete and you nail through them into the 4x4's.

Place your footings where you need to have the 4x4's if you have uneven ground just cut the 4x4's so they are taller than were the floor would be.

Now to establish your height................start with a nail or screw into the 4x4 at the height necessary..............run string from one 4x4 to the next and so on......making sure that the string is level........mark those lines on the 4x4 then cut off what's not necessary....

Now you can run your struts.......don't worry if cutting the 4x4's were not exactly smooth level........when you do the struts you will have to make sure they are cause that is where you would be nailing the flooring to.

[VoodooChile]

I doubt you'll find an auger bit that will chew through tree roots...never mind the damage you'll do to the trees.

Since frost heave isn't a problem, pre-cast pier blocks might be an option. Like Pelican said, your local building inspector is the one to talk to.

If permitted, pier blocks would eliminate the need for digging through tree roots. I used them on a small landing at my old house with no dire sagging, in spite of six years of freezing Wisconsin weather...

[Bill Schwab]

It is common practice where there is no freeze to purchase concrete piers with lag brackets cast in them. To install you simply set them on the ground, and to level all you need is some gravel to raise or lower as need be. Set the piers on the gravel/ground, place your joists in the metal brackets, and set a level in the center of the joist. Raise and lower as need be. Then just build your deck. No digging required and the weight of the deck holds it to the ground.

[Pelican]

Glan, what you are referring to is called Sonotube.

DJMARSH, laser levels have come way down in price, you can get one for around $30. It will make your job much easier and will be very accurate too. You may need to wait until the sun has set a little to see the laser though, or if you are in the shade of that tree, there shouldn't be any problem.

[Bamboo]

pier block( what bill said)

[DJMARSH]

I certainly appreciate all the input and I think you've solved the problem. I don't think I've heard of pier blocks but that sounds like the ticket. No permit is required for this job where it won't be considered a permanent structure. Thanks for the help! I hope I can be of help to you sometime, I'm an electrician and if I can help someone with a project,I'll keep watch on this site.