How to build footings for a low-level deck over sand?

Deb727

Hi I have been looking at all the great deck builds and have seen them done on concrete and using footings and all different senarios. However I am after anyone that can tell me the best way to do the footings for a low level deck in sand. We live in Mackay and have just put up a side gate and it was a nightmare, we tried to use the concrete you mix in the hole for one post and that worked well but the other side just pulled sraight out because it was all sand..

So now we want to do a low level ecodeck deck around our spa, we were going to put it at floor level which is the top of the spa height but have chickened out after the gate debacle. So can someone please give us some advice on where to go from here, which at the moment is nowhere 🙂

Many thanks

MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Deb727. It's great to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about creating a low-level deck.

Understandably, you'd want to get this right after the gate debacle. There are a couple of different forces at play here. The gate post has far more of them than a footer as there are no lateral forces and only compressive. That doesn't mean you can just slap any footer in and call it a day, as you really need to think this through. I've had a word with the team at BuildTuff and they are quite happy for you to use their TuffBlock 300 x 300 x 90mm Instant Foundation System Deck Supports in sand. We were in agreement that it's still best to tamp the sand down as much as possible, and it would be a good idea to use 400 x 400mm pavers to help spread the load of the support. They've had others build decks on sand with their TuffBlocks without issue.

But first, you'll need to speak with your local council to determine whether plans need to be submitted for this build and if approval is required. If so, you'll need to find out from them the expectation of the footers required in your area. They might say that only concrete footers can to be used of a significant size, negating other options such as the above.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell