Attaching deck ledger to concrete foundation wall

[beerguzzler50]

I am building a PT deck attached to my house and have a question about attaching the deck ledger board. Most everything I have read talks about connecting it to wood, not concrete.

Here's what I was thinking of doing. All my joists are going to be

2x8, so I was going to use 2x10 for the ledger board. I am going to run 2 lapping strips of Grace Vycor ledger/flashing (it is like ice/ water shield, only 9" wide) under the siding and ledger board. Then I am going to drill into the concrete and use 1/2"x5.5" RedHead wedge (hot dipped galvanized) anchors--2 of them in every other joist bay (16" OC). Next I was going to use vinyl deck ledger flashing since I have heard that aluminum won't last well with the PT.

I want to do this right and have it last...am I on the right track?

[EXT]

Personally, I would (and have done it this way) drill all the way through the concrete foundation and run long bolts, or threaded rod, bolting your ledger board to the wall. This way anchors cannot slip out if they don't have a good purchase on the concrete. Remember to insert spacers between the concrete and the ledger board, so that the bolts run through the spacers so that the ledger has an air space between it and the concrete. This will help keep it dry.

[Dave]

For longevity, I would use true stainless steel not galvanized hardware. That includes the entire subfloor, not just the ledger board. After assembly, let all the PT dry out for a few months. Then, apply a water seal. Don't be afraid to use some silicon caulk if you see small areas not sealing right. Functional and ugly beat purty and dysfunctional everytime. Dave

[H.Bunker]

Why attach the deck in the first place?

Also, since you're not supposed to use galvanized nails with the PT put out now. I don't believe it would be wise to depend on anything galvanized, especially a supporting end.

[beerguzzler50]

I think you aren't supposed to use regular galvanized...but hot dipped is supposed to be OK. Lots of deck are being done with them and it is acceptable by code. Most all joist hangars and corner pieces are Hot galv too.

I am already past the point of attaching since my concrete work is already done.

[Matt Whiting]

I would use silicone caulk. I don't think I've ever seen silicon caulk. :-)

Matt

[jloomis]

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, And flashing just to be sure to keep water away. That's what I did when built a deck.

[beerguzzler50]

Why space the ledger out from the wall? If it for moisture, isn't that what the flashing accomplishes. Good idea on the stainless wedge bolts. I would think that if the ledger is spaced out, you loose the strength of the ledger being up against a solid surface and are now just relying on the actual bolts.

[willshak]

Depends upon how high off the ground the deck sits. The deck I had before it was torn up for a sunroom was no more than 18" off the ground. The posts were 3' into the ground and it was not attached to the house at all. No need for a ledger or flashing. The siding wasn't even removed, so the rain and snow melt just ran down between the wall and deck.

[beerguzzler50]

My deck will be about 3.5 feet above the ground.

[willshak]

My deck (18" above ground) was erected by me. It was 20' x 18', all PS lumber, and I had 12 PT 4x4 posts buried 3' in the ground (3 rows of 4, and no concrete). All the joists were 2 x 8 16" OC and the ledger end, rim and end joists were 2 x 10s. It was there for about 18 years and never moved up, down, or away from the wall.. At 3.5' feet high, I would suspect that you wouldn't have any racking either. However, it would depend upon what your building inspector wants.

[Dennis]

[Justin]

replying to beerguzzler50, Justin wrote: A little late, but just to add an idea to the thread. We drilled through the cement block and bolted 18" pieces of L shaped angle iron vertically to the wall using 1/2 in threaded rod. We embedded the edge of the angle iron in caulk. Holes were drilled through the leg of the angle iron coming out from the wall.

24 inch 2x6's were notched to accommodate the 2x8 ledger. The 24" pieces were bolted vertically to the angle iron, such that there would be an air space between the ledger and the wall. The ledger rested in the notches of the 2x6, and was secured to the notched 2x6with galvanized lag bolts. If you want the ledger to touch the wall you can attach rot proof spacers to the ledger. The deck can be adjusted to any height from a small step below the the threshold of the door to the threshold of the door by placement of the angle iron and some adjustment of the vertical 2x6's