Tips for building a terrace

4 tips for building a terrace

A terrace is an extra room in your house in the summer and it is definitely worth a little effort. In order for the terrace to become the place of your dreams, it is important that it is properly built and maintained. Here are some tips for building a terrace that will help you pay attention to the most important aspects.

Foundation

In order to avoid problems after the first winter, the foundation must be given the necessary attention. And besides, it is the basis of your terrace. One of the most convenient methods is drilled pole foundations. As a rule, the installation of such foundations is carried out in the following stages:

Excavation of plant soil.
Drilling holes for piles.
Concreting of piles.
Before the concrete has hardened, metal screws or other fastening elements for the frame are inserted into the piles.
Covering the terrace area with geotextile.
Crushed stone or ordinary sand is poured onto the geotextile.

Framework

Use a frame of more solid dimensions, then your outdoor terrace will be stronger, for example 100×100 mm for the frame on the foundation. These beams are attached to the poles with the help of screws. Do not forget to put ruberoid between the concrete and the wood. This will extend the life of the frame.

Lags are mounted on the lower frame. Mostly 100×50 mm or 150×50 mm. Again, the more solid the construction, the stronger. Since the thickness of the most common terrace boards is 22 – 28 mm, it is recommended that the distances between the centers of the rafters should be at least 500 – 600 mm.

The floor

Terrace boards are also a very important part of the terrace, both in terms of aesthetics and quality. It is advisable not to save at this stage if you want the terrace to last a long time. The most common widths of terrace boards are 28×120 mm and 28×145 mm. The boards are attached to the frame with stainless screws. It is also possible to fasten with nails, but then it is likely that the nail heads will have to be reforged every year.

Painting

Most of the time, terrace boards are impregnated with antiseptics and often stored outdoors, which means that your terrace is still soaked in moisture after installation. Therefore, it is advisable to wait at least a month or two for the boards to dry completely, again depending on the weather conditions. After the boards are dry, they can be coated with oil or film-free paint/stain. The most important thing is to use materials specially designed for the field and the floor.

We hope that these tips for the construction of the terrace will help to implement the installation of the terrace as smoothly and efficiently as possible.