Is it normal for a deck to have a slight slope away from the house?

Decks are acutally supposed to be pitched away from the house, so your neighbor is technically wrong about it needing to be perfectly level. A standard slope is about 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch per foot. If you built that thing dead level, you'd end up with standing water against your siding every time it rains, which eventually leads to rot and ledger board failure. You did the right thing by planning for drainage, especially with pressure-treated pine that tends to hold moisture anyway. There is a big difference between a deck being **level** and a deck being **flat**. As long as the surface is a continuous plane without dips or crowning, the pitch is a feature, not a bug. If you try to jack up those outer joists now to satisfy your neighbor, you're going to put unnecessary stress on your lag bolts and potentially compromise the flashing. It is much better to have a slight visible slope than a rotten rim joist in five years. And honestly, every neighborhood has a 'Steve' who thinks a level is the only tool that matters. People like that love to point out things that look off to their eye without actually understanding the building code or the physics of water shed. If the transition from the porch to the extension is smooth and the structure is solid, you've got nothing to worry about.

Next time he's over there squinting at your edges, just tell him it's built to code for drainage and hand him a beer to keep his hands busy. You built a spot to grill, and it sounds like you did it correctly by prioritizing the longevity of your house over a perfectly horizontal line. Don't let a bit of 'neighborly advice' ruin your weekend project.

Spot on about the drainage. One thing that often gets overlooked is how that slight angle helps clear out organic debris like pine needles and maple seeds. Without that pitch, those things just settle in the gaps, hold moisture, and turn into a slimy mess that's way harder to sweep off.

Plus, since you used PT pine, it’s going to shrink as it dries out over the next few months anyway, wich might even change the visual line slightly. You definately made the right call prioritizing the water runoff over a perfectly horizontal look.

I had no idea there was a difference between level and flat! I’m just starting to plan my first small deck and I totally assumed everything had to be perfectly zeroed out. If you have that 1/4 inch slope, does it make the grill or the patio chairs feel wobbly? I’d be worried about my drinks sliding or something lol.

Also, how do you even measure that slope accurately over a long distance if a regular level just shows it as being 'off'? I don't know much about the tools yet, so I'm trying to learn the basics before I actually start buying wood.