How to build a boardwalk or wooden patio at ground level

There are many times after a rain when your garden cannot be used because the grass is wet and soggy. Hot cloudy summer days are a loss if you and the kids are stuck in the house. Of course, you can use patio blocks, poured concrete, or stone to make your patio, but wood seems to be a softer, warmer material to work with. You can add an in-ground wood patio for less than a deck would cost and extend the number of days you can grill or just sit outside and enjoy the summer months.

You will need a fairly flat area to build your patio in the same way as if it were concrete or stone. Minor manual leveling can be done, but if you need to use heavy machinery, the area is probably better suited for a raised deck than a patio. You will need to have a building level and a tape measure to establish some elevations for the top of the floor joists as you install them. If you are planning a large number of garden projects, you may want to consider purchasing a builders level rather than renting. One or two days of additional rental fees because you forgot to return it may pay the level itself.

Set the level and make sure it is perfectly level in all directions by tightening the screws. Make sure the built-in spirit level is level in all directions as you turn your head.

Starting at any corner of the patio, take elevation shots at all four corners. For this example, we’ll assume your first shot is 5′-0″ on your tape. Looking through the level glass, the reticle from left to right is exactly 5′-0″ or sixty inches. Now read the other three corners. We get readings of 4′-10″, 5′-3″ and 5′-2″. This means the patio area is fairly flat and by adding or subtracting the shot measurements from the original 5′-0″ we see that there is only a maximum of three inches of height difference at the high point and we may need to fill in two inches or so at the low point. Take a couple more shots in the mid-yard area to make sure there are no real high spots or low spots causing major handwork to level out.

Our sample lumber patio will be ten feet by ten feet in size. If possible, you want to use one-piece floor joists, as they will result in less framing work and you only need to set the degree of leveling at both ends of the joist. Once the ends are in place, you can fill in the middle to support the joist or dig in a bit to allow the joist to sit on the level pads on both ends. Remember we are not digging up the entire yard. Just dig down enough to let the joists sit level with a trench maybe three inches wide. Once all the joists are level and the perimeter joists are installed, you will fill in any loose soil against the joists themselves. Nothing to bring! If you were somewhat neat with your work placing all of the excavated material within the patio area, the only evidence of excavation will be the small groove you created around the edges of the patio for the perimeter beams. These areas will fill up with grass very quickly.

An in-ground patio requires all lumber to be pressure-treated or other lumber acceptable for ground contact. Most, if not all, building departments do not require a permit for a patio, but you should ask if one is required. Make sure you are very clear that this is a patio and not a deck. There are no foundations, columns or supporting beams and it is not connected to a structure. In areas that have frost and freezing temperatures, the inspector wants to make sure that no damage occurs due to freeze-thaw cycles. Since the patio is free-standing, there will be no damage to the structures. There are some areas that, due to local zoning regulations, require permits for almost everything you do on their property, so it’s always best to ask first.

Minimum floor joist size should be 2′ x 6″ PT but I prefer 2″ x 8″ PT for the extra stiffness wider boards provide. If you can get the smaller lumber at a deep discount or maybe used or free, it may be worth the extra time to install a series of wooden blocks to stiffen the platform.

If your patio is going to be for general use for a barbecue grill and some chairs and a table, the joist spacing can be sixteen (16) inches on center. If you expect heavy loads, opt for twelve-inch centers. Lay out all joists in their respective areas, including edge or end joists. It is best to create the outer box or rim joists first and level them. Nail or screw all perimeter joints. Screws are preferable since you won’t be able to add fasteners after burying the joists and placing the deck. Using your two foot framing square, make sure the box is as perfectly square as possible. Measure from corner to corner to make sure these measurements are exactly the same. If they are, the box is square. Now, using the level and tape measure, take measurements at all four corners, making sure they are all exactly the same. You may have to do some digging or add some soil under the joists, but make sure if you are adding material under the joists that the soil is compacted firmly. You don’t want the deck to settle later.

Now that the perimeter box is level and square, you can start adding the rest of the floor joists. The use of Teco supports or other types of joist supports is not really necessary as the patio is level with the ground and the joists will rest their full length on the ground. If you have them and want to use them, that’s fine. Continue framing and constantly checking that the entire assembly has remained level and square. Once the framing is done, refill all the joists with all the available materials you removed at the beginning. Remove really big rocks unless you can bury them well below the bottom of the deck boards.

I know you want to start installing the deck boards now, but first we’re going to run some landscape wiring under the deck. Figure out where you want to add low-voltage lighting, even if it’s in the future, and lay the wires now. Later on it will be almost impossible to get under the deck and you will use much less cable to go from corner to corner under the joists instead of around the outside of the patio. I installed four 4″ x 4″ three foot posts in the corners and ran wire through the posts for future lights keeping the ends where I planned to put the low voltage transformer.

If you installed the floor joists on sixteen inch centers, you must use 2″ thick materials (1 5/8″ nominal) for the deck boards. If you used twelve inch centers, you can also use 5/4″ thick deck boards.

Using twelve-inch joist centers also allows you to install your boards on an angle and create interesting designs on the boards themselves. Placing some areas of the board diagonally from others can create many different layouts. I strongly suggest that you use galvanized deck screws to install the deck boards. Screws will not loosen over time like nails. The screws also provide a tighter overall assembly when completed.

When you start your first deck board, have the first board hang over the edge of the perimeter joist about an inch. This provides a nice shadow line and no curvature will be noticeable in the joist below. Be sure to leave enough board on the opposite side of the platform so that the last board will also hang about the same amount. Do this on all four sides. Don’t cheat on the number of screws you use. If you are working alone, even with the best quality screwdriver, this job can be very tiring. Take a break or two or come back the next day to finish. If you have a helper, pre-drilling the screw holes saves tons of arm strain and will help prevent the boards from splitting.

Curved areas can be built with a little extra structure to support the deck and look great when finished. If you are creating a walkway to the patio, the same framing methods are used as for the patio. The frame underneath is straight and square, but by cutting the deck into a curve you can create some really nice effects on the eye. My second patio, but next to my first, is seven inches shorter and twice as big. After heavy rains when others are waiting for their grass to dry out, we can go outside and sit or cook and have a dry spot to enjoy minutes later.

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