Inspiration: Naturally Beautiful Eastern Cedar Deck in Barrhaven, Nepean

The client was looking for a simple outside space for his family to enjoy the summer. He wanted a low level deck in order to utilize his privacy fences. The deck included a double framed decking pattern and small step up to the house. The most important element of this low level deck was with the concrete footings. Most low level decks are built with simple foundation deck blocks. In our opinion this is a mistake as ground shifting and frost heave can occur in the cold Barrhaven winters. The solution is to install bell concrete piers. The tricky part of belled concrete piers on a low level deck is that the concrete has to be poured to the perfect height. With any decks 18 inches or higher the builder has the benefit of adjusting the wood 6×6 posts to ensure the deck is level, but with a low level deck there is no margin of error when pouring the foundation.

When the project was finished the homeowner was very pleased and knows that his beautiful eastern cedar deck will never shift and will maintain its value over the course of the home.