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My uncle told me to 'just wing it' on a deck build and I learned why plans matter

My uncle has been building stuff for like 40 years and he told me to stop overthinking my deck plans and just start cutting lumber. I was 3 boards deep before I realized I messed up the joist spacing by half an inch. I had to tear it all out and start over with actual measurements. That mistake cost me an extra 60 bucks in wood and a whole Sunday afternoon. Has anyone else gotten bad advice from a family member that seemed good at the time?

3 comments

3 Comments

robin5912d ago

Oh man, "just wing it" on a deck build is like saying "just wing it" on a heart surgery. I once took my own bad advice from myself, which is the WORST kind, and decided to build a birdhouse WITHOUT a level. Let's just say that birdhouse now looks like it survived an earthquake. It leans so bad that only the most desperate birds even look at it. That extra $60 and a Sunday afternoon is a cheap lesson compared to some stuff I've seen.

wood.faith2d ago

Ha! I gotta push back on this though. The birdhouse analogy is a stretch, a deck is way more forgiving than you're making it out to be. Unless you're pouring concrete footings or something, most deck builds are basically just big lego sets with screws. A little tilt here or there adds character, makes it look rustic or whatever. I've seen decks built by complete beginners that still hold a grill and six friends three years later, no problems. The "heart surgery" comparison is dramatic, you can absolutely wing it on a deck if you're not building a second story death trap. Worst case you end up with a slightly wobbly railing or some boards you gotta shim later, not a collapsed structure. You can always fix stuff after the fact too, it's not like the wood vanishes into thin air if you mess up. So yeah, I'm team wing it on this one, just keep it low to the ground and you're fine.

jamie9402d agoTop Commenter

Ha, you're totally right and I've been there too. I built a little side table once, thought I'd just eyeball it like you said, and now that thing wobbles so bad you gotta put a coaster under one leg just to set a drink down. @robin591 hit the nail on the head about that birdhouse though, $60 and a Sunday is nothing compared to the time you waste trying to fix a half done project later. I mean sure, a deck can survive a little tilt, but then you're always looking at it and thinking "man, I should have just spent the afternoon making it right." So yeah, I'm with you on winging it for some stuff, but I've learned the hard way that sometimes the cheap shortcut just ain't worth the headache down the road.