Should Decking Be in Contact with House?

When building a deck, it’s important to follow the rules. However, there are many who think that the rules don’t apply to them and that they can still get away with building their decks without following any of them. This isn’t always true! In fact, if you aren’t following the rules and recommendations of the building code then you could be putting your home at risk. Learn more about why decking shouldn’t be in contact with the house below:

Should Decking Be in Contact with House?

Make sure not to attach the decking directly against your house. This can cause problems when it comes to moisture and plumbing. We recommend leaving at least 6″ of space between the home and your deck or patio, but in some cases you may need more than that.

A ledger board is an important piece of advice that we give homeowners who want to add a new patio or deck. These boards are used as a guide for attaching joists so they aren’t attached directly on top of a wall, which could lead to water leaking into the house after heavy rainfalls or snowmelt.

If you’re using stairs as part of your outdoor living space, make sure they’re secured properly as well by attaching them with stair stringers (also known as bottom caps) every 8-feet apart from each other with 1×6 lumber pieces cut into 4′ lengths – these will keep everything together nicely so nothing comes crashing down when someone walks up/down them!

Rules, recommendations, and tips

Finally, here are a few recommended guidelines to keep in mind:

  • When it comes to placement, follow the local code. If you live in an area that requires decking be placed a certain distance from your house, then make sure you adhere to it. Otherwise, you may end up with an ugly gap between your deck and house that could become an attractive spot for pests or moisture buildup. You might also run into problems if someone decides they want to build a pool or add on another section of living space later on; but if the codes were followed when building your deck, it should be fine (and possibly even retroactively approved).
  • Consider how long you plan on staying in one place before installing wood decks; this will help determine what type of wood you choose and whether or not it’s worth investing in composite materials instead—composite boards tend not only last longer than standard lumber but also won’t warp over time like pressure-treated pine does (which can result in unsightly gaps between boards). This advice goes double when considering what kind of material best suits your climate: since most composites are waterproofed with UV protection coatings like urethane varnish or epoxy resins under acrylic paint finishes (which themselves require regular maintenance), they’re better suited for areas where sun exposure is common compared against cedar products which need less upkeep due especially during winter months when precipitation turns salty air corrosive on bare timbers.”

Issues with wood on wood

Wood on wood can cause problems. Wood on wood is not a good idea. Wood on wood is not recommended by code. You might be wondering “should decking be in contact with house?” The answer is no, because sometimes it’s not allowed by code.

Why wood decking should not be in contact with the house

In general, decking should be at least 6 inches from the house and at least 12 inches away from siding. If you are building on a hillside or in other areas where your deck will be higher than the ground level, it is recommended that you build your deck no closer than 18 inches from the home.

What happens if you don’t follow the rules?

If you fail to follow the regulations, there are some consequences.

  • The decking could rot. However, this is unlikely if you’ve used pressure-treated timber and have regularly treated it with preservative.
  • The house could also rot if moisture gets behind it. This can also happen if water seeps into the ground surrounding your home, which can be caused by a leaking roof or faulty guttering.
  • Your decking could be damaged by damp and mould growth on its surface. Similarly, dampness will cause wood rot inside your house too—and this may lead to dry rot or fungal decay of other building materials like concrete slabs or plasterboard walls (known as white mould). In either case, these problems aren’t just unsightly: they can weaken your entire structure so that it has less resistance against extreme weather events such as hurricanes or tornados!

While building code differs in different areas, it’s always a good idea to leave a gap between your decking and the house.

When it comes to the gap between your decking and the house, there are a few things to keep in mind. The first is that it should be at least 6 inches. That’s taller than most people can reach and therefore easy to avoid. The second is that it should be at least 2 inches or so—enough room for a small animal to go through, but not enough for them to get stuck on either side of the gap (or under one). Thirdly, you should make sure that there isn’t any kind of opening anywhere near where you’re installing your decking—this includes windows and doors or even just an open space where a window used to be! You should also check with your local building code before doing anything else because rules may differ depending on where you live.

But really all we’re saying here is this: Don’t let yourself get hurt by installing your own decking incorrectly! In fact, don’t do anything without consulting someone else first unless they’re obviously qualified experts like us 🙂

Conclusion

By now, you should have a good understanding of the various factors that contribute to the color of your decking. If you’re like me, this is probably a lot more information than you were hoping for. But now that we’ve got it all down, let’s talk about how these factors affect your decking and what it all means for your next project.

To start off with: does any of this really matter? Well, yes and no—it depends on what kind of look you want from your new decking material. If all that matters is how much money you can save by using cheaper wood in terms of buying cost alone (and nothing else), then sure—the color doesn’t matter one bit! However, if appearance matters at all—and I hope it does because otherwise why would anyone even bother doing something like building or renovating their own home?–then obviously choosing a light-colored material will get better results than choosing a dark-colored one (if not just because they’re aesthetically pleasing). Plus, while some people might not care about having any sort of stain on their homes’ exteriors at all (which could make things tricky when trying to match colors), other homeowners might prefer having only lighter shades around so as not ruin any view by blocking out too much sunlight when looking outside; whatever floats your boat!

Conclusion

As we have seen, there are many reasons why you should not be in contact with your house. The most important thing is to do it right the first time, so that you don’t have any problems later on. Wood decking is a great material for building a deck, but it can cause damage if not installed correctly and maintained regularly.