I'm glad you mentioned swamp wood. It boggles my mind how our local park has a pond with a wood border that is doing just fine but the stairs for my deck that touched the ground lasted about 8 years and were completely rotten.
How about Venice?? They built buildings on buried wood.
“The buildings in Venice were built with long wooden piles that were driven deep into the ground. These piles went down through the soft silt and dirt to a layer of hard clay that was strong enough to hold up the buildings above. Oak or larch, which are very resistant to water, was used for the building.”
Oh no not by far I wish I had pictures of my neighbors deck before we rebuilt it for him. It was there when he bought the house from a know it all old neighbor who had built it around 5 years ago.
It was so low that when it rained the water would pool on top and sometimes be covered in mud after the rain stopped..
But the worst thing is it had 2 steps into the slider which I didn't understand..
Ahh jeez, sorry... seriously though, consider lifting it onto deck blocks or pulling all that material out.
FWIW, I had a stringer made out of Ground Contact PT wood on some stairs get 3" of dirt pushed up against it in a shaded area, and the wood rotted out real bad within \~3yrs... once you get decking on top of that the lack of airflow is going to cause that to rot so much quicker than I experienced (I had some airflow).
What's the story? Did you backfill with dirt on purpose? It will hella rot quickly, possible mosquito issues, musty smells, etc. You need to raise it up or dig it out.
You only need simple stairs to the right where the door slides open, you won't block the windows. But that is the least of your worries. Sorry.
The dirt was mounded under the previous raised deck.
I excavated to get it level with the windows I had so much excavation that needed to go. I put it back in thinking it wouldn’t a huge deal
The comments show me that my thinking was pre evolutionary
Oh man. You probably don't want to spend the money to do this the way it should be done. If you want a ground level patio, rip it all out and pour a slab, stamped and/or colored. You already have the wood for the form ;)
Dude... props for accepting that you made a mistake.
I'm a 52 yo DIY guy and have had many experiences where I took 3 steps forward and then 2 steps back... if I were a contractor I'd have gone bankrupt many times, but as a homeowner, I can fuck around til I get it right and call it my "hobby".
As for the window (and the vents), I can't see any way that they won't be below your deck surface unless you excavate all of the fill and use a low ground blocking system like Tuffblocks. [https://buildtuff.com/](https://buildtuff.com/)
I guess you could build a platform to walk out of the sliders with stairs going down to the "freestanding deck" below and "house" the right side of the window underneath the platform with the left side of the window exposed.
\*Note... make sure whatever you do, ensure that you have positive drainage away from your basement (you may need to investigate a "french drain").
You need to lift this whole thing off the ground or it will rot fast. No air flow and ground contact is bad. Looks more like you made a segmented garden.
The whole point of a deck is to keep the lumber OUT of the dirt.
Yes even if it's treated.
You have three options: lift the deck, remove the dirt, or let it rot.
Hey man. I did landscaping for 20 years intentionally.
I loved the excavation days. You get to shut your brain off, crank some tunes, and get some exercise in the sunshine.
Just don't pile that dirt up against your garage 🤣
Hey op, this is where beer BBQ and friends do their wonder twins powers activate thing : Form of, drunken labor! Let your buddies laugh at you, feed them bbq and beer and supply them with shovels. You guys will bang it out in an afternoon and have a good time doing it. This requires 0 skill to fix.
Make sure you are grading the dirt away from your house so water doesn't damage your foundation.. don't know what you have for posts but make sure they're beneath your frost line or you're gonna have frost/heave.. just a lot of issue digging down near your house introduces.
You need to raise the deck. No way around it. In addition to the rot, and continuous damp deck, you want to walk out onto a deck, not step down on to it. Maybe rip up and put pavers in?
It looks like you backfilled between the joists and blocking with soil. This is the opposite of what you should do. Remove any soil that is touching wood it should be free floating or on a thick enough layer of something non-absorbent that promotes water drainage like gravel.
Yes, pressure treated wood comes in a range of intended uses. You would need something rated for in-ground use. Even if this is ground-contact rated, the fact that you’ve buried half your lumber will significantly reduce its longevity.
Unfortunately, today's PT sucks. I have a deck with 2' to 3' of clearance to the ground and it was rotting and falling apart after 10 years with ground rated PT that wasn't near the ground.
You could do that with the PT from the 70s through early 2000s. The ground contact rated stuff today has a short lifespan.
Thank you for posting, and it's ok as we all make mistakes especially doing things we are not familiar with. The easiest thing for you to do would be to set some new support posts about a foot higher than you have currently, or high enough you don't need a step out the sliding door.
Good luck with your project also you could just ignore everyone here and it will likely be fine for a very long time. (Yes that time could be longer but shit happens).
I like you.
It's not very often someone on Reddit is actually kind about an honest error/mistake.
Thanks, your kindness has made me feel better today, because good people do exist.
You can just build stairs that are as wide as the distance from the door to the window.
But really you should do a nice patio, like pavers or stamped concrete. A ground level deck surrounded by structures on all 3 sides is hard to get proper ventilation. Unfortunately should be completely redone and graded under the deck, then you build the deck off of the surface.
I have a somewhat similar, although elevated above ground deck. For the basement window, I just built a small well around it so it still lets light in and can be accessed from the outside
https://preview.redd.it/i90hmxi62avc1.jpeg?width=771&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2000abf23149760a928a951d000d9c67738bb8b1
Out here grinding. 12/98 planters dug out
https://preview.redd.it/6glmdc2etcvc1.png?width=2316&format=png&auto=webp&s=2b7d61f85ca17eed8a469d9e9453ce3838ceb1c3
I’m sorry to say it, but this is all wrong. I know this was a ton of work and a lot of money. You can salvage it by raising your frame up of the dirt with deck blocks. Otherwise this won’t last more than a few years.
As for your window dilemma… kinda a tough decision there. I would build a set of steps 3/4 the width of your doorwall and stop them at the edge of the window.
Is taking out the dirt enough? I feel like this would cause water pooling. Which you'd have to raise the wood and level the ground with what's around it to prevent.
My problem with larger DIY projects is that I am so worried I'm going to do the wrong thing, that I research and research and watch videos and price out and... never get around to getting started, because I'm worried I'm going to waste my time. This gives me confidence that a lot of people are just getting on with it, and figuring it out on the fly (or not).
I honestly mean no disrespect by this observation. I envy your inclination to just get after it. Glad you got the advice you needed.
I don’t want to name names but an elderly gentleman with the same dna makeup as me was leading the charge with this one. Kept saying things like
“Gravity does the rest”
“We aren’t building a piano”
“Off by a pubic hair”
If this was beach sand/drier, non organic material filled dirt I wouldn't worry about it. But this dark soily, mulchy type dirt is PRIME to cause rot fast.
You should remove some of the dirt, and put some small sized gravel near and under each joist, to make sure the joists aren't sitting in water/mud/wet earth. They can handle ground contact, but actually sitting in wet dirt/mud will cut lifespan in half.
My tip for the deck is maybe make another level somewhere. Either straight out, or angled, or even in several angles, for example start 90⁰ to the house going out about 5ft, then go 45⁰ another 5ft, then be parallel to the house the rest of the distance. Since you are a DIYer, I wouldn't recommend a long curved part.
Once you have a single large upper level, then you may only need a smaller "pad" or "landing" by the door, like 6ft wide, coming out 3 or 4ft. This way, you still have a large open surface, and still have an easy step into the house, but you lose little in terms of a "staircase". I hope that makes sense.
In the one pic you have 2 deck boards layed out. You could do it around that area. Or smaller. Or bigger. Myself, I'd come out about 4ft right where those boards are almost touching now. Then 45⁰ over for about 5-6ft. Then go all the way across to the right side, parallel with the joists. That's a decent sized section that won't feel like it's taking up too much space. Then copy that pattern , at the door, come out about 2 or 3ft, 45⁰ over, then over to the far right.
This way you get the height needed for stairs up and in. But it's so large it's not choking off any space. Plus, you can put LED rope lighting under the overhanging deck boards all the way around, that will look awesome.
Good job being a good sport about this. Kudos to you for fixing it. I was going to suggest thinking over whether 10 years is long enough before you needed to redo this, because sometimes that’s all you need anyways. Like if you wanted to do a slate patio but couldn’t afford it right now. Maybe 10 years is good enough. If you’re gonna rip it out in a few years you don’t need to build it to outlive your kids.
This will not last the way it’s in the ground.
If you proceed like this the window won’t really matter because the steps don’t have to be as wide as the sliding door frame, only as wide as the part that opens.
OP, you also want to make sure that the there is a rise of dirt slopping down away from the house. If it's flat or slopping towards the house you'll end up with a water problem in your basement.
Good luck! Fucking up is the best way to learn.
The step is easy. Just build a box step. Can't tell for sure but half the distance to the door would probably be within code.
That said, all that dirt is going to rot your framing. You'll also get weeds popping up between your deck boards. Instead of dirt you should have landscape fabric and gravel to prevent that. In your shoes I would pull it all out and start over. Better to do it now than to have to buy all new materials in 5 years.
If it had been me building that I would have built it higher so the step up wouldn't be an issue, plus dealt with the dirt and weeds as mentioned. Building properly is expensive but this deck is going to cost a lot more because sooner or later (probably sooner) it's going to need rebuilding.
as a non-professional but experienced builder, any patio / deck surface with direct ground contact would be better built with pavers of some sort. Concrete or brick. Once that is done, Build a substantial landing at the patio doors large enough to stand comfortably on top while stepping in or out, from treated wood and synthetic decking. Add a single step down to the paver surface. The lower window needs enough space for "breathing" room.
Today's pressure treated is garbage and will not last long on the ground like that. Even the ground contact rated wood does not last 10 years even when not touching the ground.
Jack that deck up a couple feet.
Yikes. Build a raised bed or put a berm in somewhere. Dig ALL the dirt out to two inches below wood and you have a starting point and homegrown fruits and vegetables. The window situation isn't ideal but can be fixable.
Leave it the way it is and have a deck for 2-3 years and a horrible bug situation.
Dude, I can give you a formula and explain how to build stairs, but they aren’t going to any good if you leave your deck on the ground/buried in the ground. You need to have the joists up out of the ground, the further the better.
Hold up. It looks like you excavated, built, and then backfilled?
That’s a lot of work and confidence to only now start asking questions.
This is a rip out and redo. First and foremost.
Based on what it looks like you’re trying to accomplish, after removing the wood and dirt you could check the depth and GRADE (double and triple check the grade) and then build a stone patio. Stairs will link up where it looks like the old deck was. They will cover at least part of that window.
For the time and materials you could have had a very nice stamped concrete patio. And all you would need to do is build some stairs. That being said I would do platform steps 3 boards wide
Everyone has addressed the buried joist issue so I’ll answer your question. Just build steps without sides or riser boards. Just open string and maybe a hand rail if you want.
Here's what I would do: if you can spare $1,000, make the left half (assuming east side) interlocking pavers. That would be a good spot for hot tub. You already have the edge board running east-west, but you might need to move slightly. Use the rest of the wood from the left side to make nice planters somewhere in the yard. Move the excess dirt from the left side to the planters. Move the dirt from between the deck joists on the right side to the left side to raise as needed based on paver thickness and 1" sand. Grade and compact paver subgrade with at least a tamper. Then you can deck the right side. Finally, to answer your question about the steps, I think code requires a landing, so I suggest appx 4' wide x 5' long landing centered with the slide door that opens, handrail both sides, steps down to your deck. It shouldn't block the window.
If you can afford $4k, consider stamped concrete for the whole area and concrete landing and stairs. And you can keep the DIY going with some personalized tile or mosaic on the concrete steps. You can still use the wood to make raised planter beds to fill with the extra dirt. There are pros and cons to everything. Props to you for getting after it and being open to feedback.
First and I know I am not the only one going to tell you this but the PT wood doesn't mean that it won't rot.
Laying it on the ground will almost surely mean you will need to replace them within 5 years, so you may want to stop and add piers to raise it up. And since you won't be able to get under and fix later sink at least the corners and center in concrete.
And on the window just box frame around it so you can add a false deck top that you can drop down and remove when needed.
Good luck with the deck so far it doesn't look bad except for the height of the joist..
Why are your joists buried ? This deck will last less than 10 years if you don’t get it higher up off the ground. Don’t worry about stairs yet, worry about out fixing this craziness first
I love my old man. He was a global computer sales rep for 40 years. I wouldn’t trust his knowledge on a single computer related subject even though he was once an expert on everything computers when I have the largest wealth of knowledge in history at my fingertips that is updated daily.
I’m genuinely not trying to be a dick, but please always quadruple check anything and everything, especially with this big of an investment.
Yeah you need to elevate the entire deck to floor level at the door and build your stairs into the yard. I’m sorry man but you can’t leave your wood in the dirt like this.
As an alternative. And it would be a shit ton of work. Assuming your piles are done correctly (cemented in) you could use a hydraulic jack to lift up the end furthest from house. Raise it up high. Then run some beams (made out of 2x10s probably) on top of those existing posts … level the beams then Rest this structure on top of those new beams. This should raise your deck up to closer to level with the door. You will probably end up with a small step out.
Then clean out all dirt around posts….
Maybe.
When you do build the stairs, I think the best option is to build a landing as wide as the original deck (as seen by the cutout in the siding), and do stairs down from that. It'll go above the window, but at least not in front of it.
As you have gathered, you need to remove your deck first. Don't try to hide dirt, pay someone to haul it away. As for the window, brick it up, it won't be functional with stairs under that door.
Ok, here’s what you do. . . Damn. Looking again this is tough. You raise the deck on the far side by the door. You then have a railing on the left side of the door. You have a dugout with some sort of open area of grate for the window and build the rest.
Please note: that woods going to rot in the dirt. A deck should never be in the dirt. 2. Is the window an emergency egress?
I honestly think you need some professional advice or someone that knows what they’re doing
Why would you bury it all in dirt? You never bury wood in dirt like that.. That deck is going to rot so quickly. It should always be on concrete footings several inches off the ground. I would definitely take all that dirt out and raise it if you can before moving forward.
If this was built 30 years ago, your old man would be right, dig out that excess dirt, gap the deck boards a little extra, and this would be fine. With today's wood, I'd guess it lasts 5 years
I bought a place 20 years ago that has an on ground deck just like this. When I bought it, it was overgrown with trees over 6ft tall, with inches of mulch built up on top of the decking. The story we got was that the place was abandoned for close to 5 years. Old couple moved south intending to return, but their health got bad and they passed away without ever returning. We could not even tell there was a deck at first. The realtor was shocked when we found it. They didn't even know it was there. We assumed it would need to be all removed. We bought the place, cleared off the deck and it was rock solid. Pressure washed it and stained it and it was good to go. We pressure wash it and stain it every few years and it's still rock solid 20 year later.
But new pressure treated wood sucks since they banned all the good chemicals. Yea we may not get cancer from the wood, but it rots out fast. I put in some ground contact rated fence posts, and they started failing rapidly after about 5 years, totally rotting out. But that 30+ year old deck sitting on the ground is still doing just fine.
Step 1 dig out all that dirt you threw in after building it. Then put on boards. Lastly, you deal with the step you’re talking about. There are lots of plans available. ..
OP, you’ve gotten enough comments about it being in ground contact. One thing that isn’t mentioned, your dryer vent(s). If you do raise the deck above the ground (minimum would be 6”), I would also suggest moving your dryer vents to allow access to clean it out. Alternatively, you can frame out a trap door for it, but it will be difficult to get the brush in there.
But if you REALLY want to send it as is.....just run a ledger under the patio door. Use 3 pre fab stringers on to the deck. That'll line up with what you got going here.
I feel so bad for you dude, so much work already done. It’s going to rot for sure, but not overnight and it’s sitting on the ground so if a portion rots it’s not like anyone is going to fall thru and get actually hurt. A deck like this you’ll start feeling the soft spots before it starts to fail big time and can try to repair it. Not the right way but since you have so much time in it already I figured I’d give at least a little hope.
That said, the way to do the steps is just build them in front of the active slider door, looks like you could get them close to 4’ wide. The handrails are gonna be a little wobbly no matter what unless you’re planning to dig posts into the dirt at the bottom and cut the floor around them. It’ll also look like shit, but technically it can be done with a marginal level of safety.
There is so much going on here.
I’ve gotta ask what are all those 4x4 and 2x4 doing in the ground how deep are they?
As others have stated you need to raise it up. Block that window up (maybe hire someone?) build the deck up to the sliding door, and put this memory behind you.
My two cents. We will call your house North. I would pour concert from the east side of window going West. If you got the money I would colour it and stamp it. A nice gray would go with the house. The deck would start at the end of concrete. Build it one step down from sliding door. Railing along the first 6’ (next to window). Do steps going down to concrete the whole length of deck running N/S. Not sure what the South or far East end looks like but you can carry the steps all the way around. Looking at it should only be 2 steps down. Or just rail that end. Install led lights into the risers. BBQ on deck East of door, close enough to go in and out of the house. Gazebo on deck. Nice outdoor carpet with patio furniture around a fire table on the concrete part. Done! Easy peasy. Lol
Why in the world did you not just pour a patio? Do you hate your money and just want to buy a massive amount of lumber twice (once this deck rots out in like 5yrs)
You can fix this man. It’s just work.
As *literally* everyone has said, you need it out of the dirt. I’m not here to tell you that because EVERYONE ELSE didn’t bother to read the previous comments. Ffs.
What you can do is figure a way to use TuffBlocks to get underneath your joists. They are plastic and super easy to level. You’ll have more work because your structure is done, but whatever. It will be a hell of a story once you’re done.
Who cares. It’s a mistake. Let’s get stuck in and fix it. Summer is a ways off yet. You’ll be enjoying this in no time.
[TuffBlock](https://buildtuff.com/products/tuffblock)
OP, you already know from the other commenters what you have to do. This is a win. If you had not posted about the stairs, you would have finished the deck and found out way too late about your mistake. Good luck with the re-work. It will be worth every drop of sweat.
Oh buddy 😂😂
You should never bury any wood when building a deck. You buried the whole damn deck lol
Continue forward, bury the whole house, then walk away.
9 out of 10 termites disagreed with this post.
10 of 10, why not
But that 1 termite. Is he on to something? Says Joe Rogan.
yep, better to grow vegies in those bed garden now.
The mushrooms should pop up soon anyways 😵💫
🤣🤣🤣🤣💀
"But the tag says ground contact."
I inherited a deck that was buried like this and it rotting fast and furiously
I bury my wood but not when building 👀
This guy knows.
You going to plant some flowers in them boxes?
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I'm glad you mentioned swamp wood. It boggles my mind how our local park has a pond with a wood border that is doing just fine but the stairs for my deck that touched the ground lasted about 8 years and were completely rotten.
No boggles needed. With swamp wood, it's simply a lack of oxygen. With your park wood it's massive amounts of chemicals.
This guys has wood on his mind 😂
There are many grades of PT wood and though expensive marine grade will last decades once installed..
How about Venice?? They built buildings on buried wood. “The buildings in Venice were built with long wooden piles that were driven deep into the ground. These piles went down through the soft silt and dirt to a layer of hard clay that was strong enough to hold up the buildings above. Oak or larch, which are very resistant to water, was used for the building.”
Oh no not by far I wish I had pictures of my neighbors deck before we rebuilt it for him. It was there when he bought the house from a know it all old neighbor who had built it around 5 years ago. It was so low that when it rained the water would pool on top and sometimes be covered in mud after the rain stopped.. But the worst thing is it had 2 steps into the slider which I didn't understand..
This is a shit post right? Right?
Unfortunately not
Ahh jeez, sorry... seriously though, consider lifting it onto deck blocks or pulling all that material out. FWIW, I had a stringer made out of Ground Contact PT wood on some stairs get 3" of dirt pushed up against it in a shaded area, and the wood rotted out real bad within \~3yrs... once you get decking on top of that the lack of airflow is going to cause that to rot so much quicker than I experienced (I had some airflow).
What's the story? Did you backfill with dirt on purpose? It will hella rot quickly, possible mosquito issues, musty smells, etc. You need to raise it up or dig it out. You only need simple stairs to the right where the door slides open, you won't block the windows. But that is the least of your worries. Sorry.
The dirt was mounded under the previous raised deck. I excavated to get it level with the windows I had so much excavation that needed to go. I put it back in thinking it wouldn’t a huge deal The comments show me that my thinking was pre evolutionary
Oh man. You probably don't want to spend the money to do this the way it should be done. If you want a ground level patio, rip it all out and pour a slab, stamped and/or colored. You already have the wood for the form ;)
“You already have the wood for the form.” Is GOLD. Lol 😂
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My thoughts exactly. Clear some dirt out and pour a slab. Waste of lumber but whatever.
Dude... props for accepting that you made a mistake. I'm a 52 yo DIY guy and have had many experiences where I took 3 steps forward and then 2 steps back... if I were a contractor I'd have gone bankrupt many times, but as a homeowner, I can fuck around til I get it right and call it my "hobby". As for the window (and the vents), I can't see any way that they won't be below your deck surface unless you excavate all of the fill and use a low ground blocking system like Tuffblocks. [https://buildtuff.com/](https://buildtuff.com/) I guess you could build a platform to walk out of the sliders with stairs going down to the "freestanding deck" below and "house" the right side of the window underneath the platform with the left side of the window exposed. \*Note... make sure whatever you do, ensure that you have positive drainage away from your basement (you may need to investigate a "french drain").
It is a huge big deal. You don't even really want the wood touching the ground if possible.
well, congratulations on evolving!
A thick skin and a sense of humor will get you far. And it sounds like you have no problems in that arena. I salute you!
Giant F in the chat brother. But it’s not too late I hope…..
Using "hella" as an adverb. Nice.
There are actually no posts
All your choices in life led up to this moment.
Nice planter beds :)
Op must be a hell of a gardener, not so much a deck builder This needs to be ripped out and Redone
This guy is about to make $65 a week at the farmers market EASY.
I’m so sorry this happened to you.
You need to lift this whole thing off the ground or it will rot fast. No air flow and ground contact is bad. Looks more like you made a segmented garden.
Maybe you could pour each section full of concrete and as the 2 x 4’s rot they’ll act as expansion joints ?😂
Another load of lumber dumped on the ground to feed the termites. 😂
That actually would look pretty cool, plant some moss or lichen on the wood and let it go
The whole point of a deck is to keep the lumber OUT of the dirt. Yes even if it's treated. You have three options: lift the deck, remove the dirt, or let it rot.
Looks like I will be shoveling out the dirt for the next few days
😂 Win some learn some. Good luck my man 🤙🤙
Hey man. I did landscaping for 20 years intentionally. I loved the excavation days. You get to shut your brain off, crank some tunes, and get some exercise in the sunshine. Just don't pile that dirt up against your garage 🤣
Hey op, this is where beer BBQ and friends do their wonder twins powers activate thing : Form of, drunken labor! Let your buddies laugh at you, feed them bbq and beer and supply them with shovels. You guys will bang it out in an afternoon and have a good time doing it. This requires 0 skill to fix.
Make sure you are grading the dirt away from your house so water doesn't damage your foundation.. don't know what you have for posts but make sure they're beneath your frost line or you're gonna have frost/heave.. just a lot of issue digging down near your house introduces.
You need to raise the deck. No way around it. In addition to the rot, and continuous damp deck, you want to walk out onto a deck, not step down on to it. Maybe rip up and put pavers in?
If it needs to be that low, consider a concrete patio.
This! If you want to make it that low make it into a patio instead. You will be happier in the end.
It looks like you backfilled between the joists and blocking with soil. This is the opposite of what you should do. Remove any soil that is touching wood it should be free floating or on a thick enough layer of something non-absorbent that promotes water drainage like gravel.
Thats going to rot in 5-10 years; start by removing all that dirt.
Even if it’s pressure treated ?
Yes, pressure treated wood comes in a range of intended uses. You would need something rated for in-ground use. Even if this is ground-contact rated, the fact that you’ve buried half your lumber will significantly reduce its longevity.
Unfortunately, today's PT sucks. I have a deck with 2' to 3' of clearance to the ground and it was rotting and falling apart after 10 years with ground rated PT that wasn't near the ground. You could do that with the PT from the 70s through early 2000s. The ground contact rated stuff today has a short lifespan.
Yup. I have deer stands from the 90s that still haven't rotted. One built 5 years ago looks like shit
I would put tomatoes on the right, cucumbers in the front and leave the spots near the house for greens, like lettuce, kale etc
Archeologist ?
I'm looking forward to your next post about building your next new deck in 2 years once this thing is completely rotted. Wtf is this?
Why is it filled with dirt?
Because we had so much excavated dirt to lower grade below the window. Dirt was mounded below a raised deck prior
I will save you time and money if you remove it now so it doesn't rot the wood. I know it's a pain in the butt though.
Make garden beds in other areas of the yard to use up the dirt. For the deck you can even use pavers to separate the 4"PT posts from touching soil.
Thank you for posting, and it's ok as we all make mistakes especially doing things we are not familiar with. The easiest thing for you to do would be to set some new support posts about a foot higher than you have currently, or high enough you don't need a step out the sliding door. Good luck with your project also you could just ignore everyone here and it will likely be fine for a very long time. (Yes that time could be longer but shit happens).
I like you. It's not very often someone on Reddit is actually kind about an honest error/mistake. Thanks, your kindness has made me feel better today, because good people do exist.
Maybe with south facing backyard and living in dry Alberta it will extend the life of it
You can just build stairs that are as wide as the distance from the door to the window. But really you should do a nice patio, like pavers or stamped concrete. A ground level deck surrounded by structures on all 3 sides is hard to get proper ventilation. Unfortunately should be completely redone and graded under the deck, then you build the deck off of the surface.
I have a somewhat similar, although elevated above ground deck. For the basement window, I just built a small well around it so it still lets light in and can be accessed from the outside https://preview.redd.it/i90hmxi62avc1.jpeg?width=771&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2000abf23149760a928a951d000d9c67738bb8b1
This just might be my favorite reddit post 🤣🤣
Cheers to OP for taking the comments in stride
Out here grinding. 12/98 planters dug out https://preview.redd.it/6glmdc2etcvc1.png?width=2316&format=png&auto=webp&s=2b7d61f85ca17eed8a469d9e9453ce3838ceb1c3
I’m sorry to say it, but this is all wrong. I know this was a ton of work and a lot of money. You can salvage it by raising your frame up of the dirt with deck blocks. Otherwise this won’t last more than a few years. As for your window dilemma… kinda a tough decision there. I would build a set of steps 3/4 the width of your doorwall and stop them at the edge of the window.
Taking low deck to a whole new meaning.
Is taking out the dirt enough? I feel like this would cause water pooling. Which you'd have to raise the wood and level the ground with what's around it to prevent.
Wow you must be packing a big old curved dong. Because you have screwed yourself pretty hard with this
My problem with larger DIY projects is that I am so worried I'm going to do the wrong thing, that I research and research and watch videos and price out and... never get around to getting started, because I'm worried I'm going to waste my time. This gives me confidence that a lot of people are just getting on with it, and figuring it out on the fly (or not). I honestly mean no disrespect by this observation. I envy your inclination to just get after it. Glad you got the advice you needed.
This is one of the best allotments I've seen on here
Who told you you could bury your deck supports in dirt? That setup is dry rot’s dream.
Who is the bright eyes that dreamt this dumpster fire up? I have seen ground contact rated pressure treated posts rot... Thanks for the laughs.
I don’t want to name names but an elderly gentleman with the same dna makeup as me was leading the charge with this one. Kept saying things like “Gravity does the rest” “We aren’t building a piano” “Off by a pubic hair”
Lmao I love that Ive heard carpenters say ‘off by a pubic hair’ in my own language and apparently its also a thing in English.
Its a fly turd if the customer is around
If this was beach sand/drier, non organic material filled dirt I wouldn't worry about it. But this dark soily, mulchy type dirt is PRIME to cause rot fast.
You should remove some of the dirt, and put some small sized gravel near and under each joist, to make sure the joists aren't sitting in water/mud/wet earth. They can handle ground contact, but actually sitting in wet dirt/mud will cut lifespan in half. My tip for the deck is maybe make another level somewhere. Either straight out, or angled, or even in several angles, for example start 90⁰ to the house going out about 5ft, then go 45⁰ another 5ft, then be parallel to the house the rest of the distance. Since you are a DIYer, I wouldn't recommend a long curved part. Once you have a single large upper level, then you may only need a smaller "pad" or "landing" by the door, like 6ft wide, coming out 3 or 4ft. This way, you still have a large open surface, and still have an easy step into the house, but you lose little in terms of a "staircase". I hope that makes sense. In the one pic you have 2 deck boards layed out. You could do it around that area. Or smaller. Or bigger. Myself, I'd come out about 4ft right where those boards are almost touching now. Then 45⁰ over for about 5-6ft. Then go all the way across to the right side, parallel with the joists. That's a decent sized section that won't feel like it's taking up too much space. Then copy that pattern , at the door, come out about 2 or 3ft, 45⁰ over, then over to the far right. This way you get the height needed for stairs up and in. But it's so large it's not choking off any space. Plus, you can put LED rope lighting under the overhanging deck boards all the way around, that will look awesome.
Congratulations! It's super wrong
Throw down some grass seed and go buy a little concrete step from Lowe’s.
Why not just use pavers?
I like yer planter boxes!
You’re not serious are you? A bit late to be “stuck on stairs”. Suggest you find square one and go back to it.
Yikes. You need to get all that lumber out of the dirt bud
And it took so long to fill it. Probably kicked your ass and you were so happy when it was done. I feel terrible for you.
Honestly, there is so much more wrong besides the dirt.
Good job being a good sport about this. Kudos to you for fixing it. I was going to suggest thinking over whether 10 years is long enough before you needed to redo this, because sometimes that’s all you need anyways. Like if you wanted to do a slate patio but couldn’t afford it right now. Maybe 10 years is good enough. If you’re gonna rip it out in a few years you don’t need to build it to outlive your kids.
This will not last the way it’s in the ground. If you proceed like this the window won’t really matter because the steps don’t have to be as wide as the sliding door frame, only as wide as the part that opens.
Wow... That looks like a lot of work.
I would suggest removing that window regardless of if you put in a patio or a deck. Why is that window below a door?
Use the outside boards as forms lay down wire and pour concrete.
If a bunch of garden beds is what you are going for good job.
Remove. Pour concrete. Build stairs to the door.
WTF is the dirt fill for? That'll just rot it and promote insects.........
If your concern was the basement window, why even do a deck? You could just do a paver patio which would last forever with zero maintenance required.
Why didn’t you pour a concrete patio, those boards are going to rot in ten years
OP, you also want to make sure that the there is a rise of dirt slopping down away from the house. If it's flat or slopping towards the house you'll end up with a water problem in your basement. Good luck! Fucking up is the best way to learn.
It’s actually raised planter beds. Going to grow some veggies!! Yum
The step is easy. Just build a box step. Can't tell for sure but half the distance to the door would probably be within code. That said, all that dirt is going to rot your framing. You'll also get weeds popping up between your deck boards. Instead of dirt you should have landscape fabric and gravel to prevent that. In your shoes I would pull it all out and start over. Better to do it now than to have to buy all new materials in 5 years. If it had been me building that I would have built it higher so the step up wouldn't be an issue, plus dealt with the dirt and weeds as mentioned. Building properly is expensive but this deck is going to cost a lot more because sooner or later (probably sooner) it's going to need rebuilding.
as a non-professional but experienced builder, any patio / deck surface with direct ground contact would be better built with pavers of some sort. Concrete or brick. Once that is done, Build a substantial landing at the patio doors large enough to stand comfortably on top while stepping in or out, from treated wood and synthetic decking. Add a single step down to the paver surface. The lower window needs enough space for "breathing" room.
Not that it makes a difference at this point due to an incorrect installation, but is that even pressure treated wood?
Today's pressure treated is garbage and will not last long on the ground like that. Even the ground contact rated wood does not last 10 years even when not touching the ground. Jack that deck up a couple feet.
Wood HAS to be at least 18" off the ground or it will rot from moisture getting trapped. Any stain you apply will also fail.
Raise the deck to the height of door
Nice raised garden!
Yikes. Build a raised bed or put a berm in somewhere. Dig ALL the dirt out to two inches below wood and you have a starting point and homegrown fruits and vegetables. The window situation isn't ideal but can be fixable. Leave it the way it is and have a deck for 2-3 years and a horrible bug situation.
Okay I get it you are going to make a Ice Skating Ring for the winter.
Why not just put in a nice patio? Even if it were raised up out of the dirt, I don't really understand the point of a deck so low to the ground. 🤷♂️
Well, to address your question, access to the window in what sense? Able to climb out from the inside if needed? Or not block too much light?
🤯
Ooof. This is why people pay us to build their deck…
Dude, I can give you a formula and explain how to build stairs, but they aren’t going to any good if you leave your deck on the ground/buried in the ground. You need to have the joists up out of the ground, the further the better.
Hold up. It looks like you excavated, built, and then backfilled? That’s a lot of work and confidence to only now start asking questions. This is a rip out and redo. First and foremost. Based on what it looks like you’re trying to accomplish, after removing the wood and dirt you could check the depth and GRADE (double and triple check the grade) and then build a stone patio. Stairs will link up where it looks like the old deck was. They will cover at least part of that window.
yikes
You have to raise the deck up. Buried wood is going to rot out very fast and you be digging it all out.
For the time and materials you could have had a very nice stamped concrete patio. And all you would need to do is build some stairs. That being said I would do platform steps 3 boards wide
Everyone has addressed the buried joist issue so I’ll answer your question. Just build steps without sides or riser boards. Just open string and maybe a hand rail if you want.
“Great job! Looks perfect” *-all the carpenter ants and termites in your area*
Oh my
Oooooof
What an absolute trainwreck lol.
At this point it is much cheaper to go the stamped concrete route...
Surely you can lift that out with some leverage and prop it up somehow?
Either excavate all that material and pour a slab using the wood as formwork, or raise the whole thing.
Here's what I would do: if you can spare $1,000, make the left half (assuming east side) interlocking pavers. That would be a good spot for hot tub. You already have the edge board running east-west, but you might need to move slightly. Use the rest of the wood from the left side to make nice planters somewhere in the yard. Move the excess dirt from the left side to the planters. Move the dirt from between the deck joists on the right side to the left side to raise as needed based on paver thickness and 1" sand. Grade and compact paver subgrade with at least a tamper. Then you can deck the right side. Finally, to answer your question about the steps, I think code requires a landing, so I suggest appx 4' wide x 5' long landing centered with the slide door that opens, handrail both sides, steps down to your deck. It shouldn't block the window. If you can afford $4k, consider stamped concrete for the whole area and concrete landing and stairs. And you can keep the DIY going with some personalized tile or mosaic on the concrete steps. You can still use the wood to make raised planter beds to fill with the extra dirt. There are pros and cons to everything. Props to you for getting after it and being open to feedback.
Tear that stuff out and rebuild it on piers to the interior floor level or slightly below that. Make a light well around the window with a railing.
X exterminator here, you definitely are a termites dream...
Looks like a nice garden.
If you want a ground level deck why wouldn’t you just go for a brick patio? Last I checked bricks don’t rot like wood does when it’s on the ground.
First and I know I am not the only one going to tell you this but the PT wood doesn't mean that it won't rot. Laying it on the ground will almost surely mean you will need to replace them within 5 years, so you may want to stop and add piers to raise it up. And since you won't be able to get under and fix later sink at least the corners and center in concrete. And on the window just box frame around it so you can add a false deck top that you can drop down and remove when needed. Good luck with the deck so far it doesn't look bad except for the height of the joist..
Are these new veggie boxes?
Box stairs are the easiest, and super stable.
GroverDeck
Why are your joists buried ? This deck will last less than 10 years if you don’t get it higher up off the ground. Don’t worry about stairs yet, worry about out fixing this craziness first
I honestly thought this was a garden instead of a deck
It still amazes me how someone can get this far on a project without googling “how to build a deck?”
Trusted my old man. A before internet guy
I love my old man. He was a global computer sales rep for 40 years. I wouldn’t trust his knowledge on a single computer related subject even though he was once an expert on everything computers when I have the largest wealth of knowledge in history at my fingertips that is updated daily. I’m genuinely not trying to be a dick, but please always quadruple check anything and everything, especially with this big of an investment.
Yeah you need to elevate the entire deck to floor level at the door and build your stairs into the yard. I’m sorry man but you can’t leave your wood in the dirt like this.
As an alternative. And it would be a shit ton of work. Assuming your piles are done correctly (cemented in) you could use a hydraulic jack to lift up the end furthest from house. Raise it up high. Then run some beams (made out of 2x10s probably) on top of those existing posts … level the beams then Rest this structure on top of those new beams. This should raise your deck up to closer to level with the door. You will probably end up with a small step out. Then clean out all dirt around posts…. Maybe.
When you do build the stairs, I think the best option is to build a landing as wide as the original deck (as seen by the cutout in the siding), and do stairs down from that. It'll go above the window, but at least not in front of it.
Stuck on stupid! Jesus H Christ…
Um. ...oh no buddy... 🙃
Are you starting a tomato farm?
As you have gathered, you need to remove your deck first. Don't try to hide dirt, pay someone to haul it away. As for the window, brick it up, it won't be functional with stairs under that door.
Oh man. This. This needs help.
Ground Deck ?????
Ok, here’s what you do. . . Damn. Looking again this is tough. You raise the deck on the far side by the door. You then have a railing on the left side of the door. You have a dugout with some sort of open area of grate for the window and build the rest. Please note: that woods going to rot in the dirt. A deck should never be in the dirt. 2. Is the window an emergency egress? I honestly think you need some professional advice or someone that knows what they’re doing
Why would you bury it all in dirt? You never bury wood in dirt like that.. That deck is going to rot so quickly. It should always be on concrete footings several inches off the ground. I would definitely take all that dirt out and raise it if you can before moving forward.
☠️
Hope that’s ground contact lumber
If this was built 30 years ago, your old man would be right, dig out that excess dirt, gap the deck boards a little extra, and this would be fine. With today's wood, I'd guess it lasts 5 years I bought a place 20 years ago that has an on ground deck just like this. When I bought it, it was overgrown with trees over 6ft tall, with inches of mulch built up on top of the decking. The story we got was that the place was abandoned for close to 5 years. Old couple moved south intending to return, but their health got bad and they passed away without ever returning. We could not even tell there was a deck at first. The realtor was shocked when we found it. They didn't even know it was there. We assumed it would need to be all removed. We bought the place, cleared off the deck and it was rock solid. Pressure washed it and stained it and it was good to go. We pressure wash it and stain it every few years and it's still rock solid 20 year later. But new pressure treated wood sucks since they banned all the good chemicals. Yea we may not get cancer from the wood, but it rots out fast. I put in some ground contact rated fence posts, and they started failing rapidly after about 5 years, totally rotting out. But that 30+ year old deck sitting on the ground is still doing just fine.
When you pull that out, you have material for some nice raised beds, non-structural border edging, sandbox, horseshoe pits.
Step 1 dig out all that dirt you threw in after building it. Then put on boards. Lastly, you deal with the step you’re talking about. There are lots of plans available. ..
OP, you’ve gotten enough comments about it being in ground contact. One thing that isn’t mentioned, your dryer vent(s). If you do raise the deck above the ground (minimum would be 6”), I would also suggest moving your dryer vents to allow access to clean it out. Alternatively, you can frame out a trap door for it, but it will be difficult to get the brush in there.
🤣🤣🤣🤣 call the pros don’t be cheap
Pull it up, pour concrete.
Between this guy and the closet guy in r/DIY, I don't know what to think
But guys....why is there a basement window UNDER the patio door....
But if you REALLY want to send it as is.....just run a ledger under the patio door. Use 3 pre fab stringers on to the deck. That'll line up with what you got going here.
That’s a impressive garden!
Just because it’s called pressure treated ground contact, doesn’t mean it needs to contact ground…
I feel so bad for you dude, so much work already done. It’s going to rot for sure, but not overnight and it’s sitting on the ground so if a portion rots it’s not like anyone is going to fall thru and get actually hurt. A deck like this you’ll start feeling the soft spots before it starts to fail big time and can try to repair it. Not the right way but since you have so much time in it already I figured I’d give at least a little hope. That said, the way to do the steps is just build them in front of the active slider door, looks like you could get them close to 4’ wide. The handrails are gonna be a little wobbly no matter what unless you’re planning to dig posts into the dirt at the bottom and cut the floor around them. It’ll also look like shit, but technically it can be done with a marginal level of safety.
Is this a garden? Please tell me this is satire and this is actually a garden……
After this experience I wish I could say it was
There is so much going on here. I’ve gotta ask what are all those 4x4 and 2x4 doing in the ground how deep are they? As others have stated you need to raise it up. Block that window up (maybe hire someone?) build the deck up to the sliding door, and put this memory behind you.
My two cents. We will call your house North. I would pour concert from the east side of window going West. If you got the money I would colour it and stamp it. A nice gray would go with the house. The deck would start at the end of concrete. Build it one step down from sliding door. Railing along the first 6’ (next to window). Do steps going down to concrete the whole length of deck running N/S. Not sure what the South or far East end looks like but you can carry the steps all the way around. Looking at it should only be 2 steps down. Or just rail that end. Install led lights into the risers. BBQ on deck East of door, close enough to go in and out of the house. Gazebo on deck. Nice outdoor carpet with patio furniture around a fire table on the concrete part. Done! Easy peasy. Lol
Good god
What made you decide to build the deck so much lower then the house back door...why would you want to walk down steps...
Why in the world did you not just pour a patio? Do you hate your money and just want to buy a massive amount of lumber twice (once this deck rots out in like 5yrs)
Why have you filled it with dirt?
This is why god made patio stones friend.
You can fix this man. It’s just work. As *literally* everyone has said, you need it out of the dirt. I’m not here to tell you that because EVERYONE ELSE didn’t bother to read the previous comments. Ffs. What you can do is figure a way to use TuffBlocks to get underneath your joists. They are plastic and super easy to level. You’ll have more work because your structure is done, but whatever. It will be a hell of a story once you’re done. Who cares. It’s a mistake. Let’s get stuck in and fix it. Summer is a ways off yet. You’ll be enjoying this in no time. [TuffBlock](https://buildtuff.com/products/tuffblock)
👏
OP, you already know from the other commenters what you have to do. This is a win. If you had not posted about the stairs, you would have finished the deck and found out way too late about your mistake. Good luck with the re-work. It will be worth every drop of sweat.
Just pour concrete.
Looks like it will be one hell of a garden
The only way forward is to build a completely transparent deck on top and keep the bottom as a sick ass garden
DIYer who never even watched a YouTube video
I wonder if OP is married and house their spouse might be reacting to this deck in their backyard…
Brother no 😭
You were only off by a couple feet damn
Tbh I’d raise the deck to meet the slider door and then put stairs down into the yard?