small outdoor garden decking - landscape

[husky]

Im looking to build a 3m x 2m decking 200mm above grass level in the back corner of our yard. Does anyone have any ideas or pictures of a similar design?
Im thinking of using 90x90 treated pine posts concreted in and the framing the deck with 145x45 treated pine or as close to that size as I can get. The same 190x45 will be used as joists to break the decking spans down to 450mm. The decking will be 140x19 merbu which I also plan to nail to the 145 outside face ofthe treated pine so there is no treated pine visible.
Living in Melb, is this a likely termite problem so close to the ground?
The decking is more a feature than functional. Will basically be a place to sit and enjoy the garden.
Any help or ideas are appreciated.

[pharmaboy2]

termites are only a problem if its connected to the house - no-ones going bankrupt over a small deck in the backyard! merbaus not termite friendly anyhow, though still a risk.

- I'd maximise space under the deck by using 90/45 TP for bearers and joists in such a low deck - it just means a couple of extra pads, but you'll save on timber costs - download design in hyne v6.0 for spans.

lay plastic down or weedmat under to stop weeds if over soil - grass poking through aint a good look

[manoftalent]

Have a look at this post it may help you plan yours, I would use 200 x 50 t/p bearers, and 90 x45 t/p joists with centres @450mm, 600mm post stirrups concreted in ...size of post 100 x 100 rough sawn ....or 90 x 90 dressed...cyprus looks good but must be protected, oiled/painted ect t/pine can be left raw ....but does nothing to compliment merbu....now as for the floor, you mentioned using wide boards, this is not a good idea ....preferance would be 90 x 19mm boards, believe me when I say they will last a lot longer .....if you want to shop around, I saw some on ebay not long ago ....only a 1000 mtrs though ..

http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=65457&page=2

[pharmaboy2]

just put some numbers in, and 90/45 f5 will span 1.5m on a 2span continious - so thats the 3 meter side taken care of.

for the shallowest bearers 90/45 in f7 will span 1.0m on a 2 span continuous, f5 0.9 (allowing for top of 90/90 post - thats essentially what you get on a 2 metre finished width anyway.

so that gets you posts on each corner, plus the center of the 2m side with another row in between - so 6 posts, and the grand total of 15lm of 90/45.

thats all at minimums, but hell, your only 200mm off the ground - maybe if you are planning rave parties on your 2 * 3 m deck you could go a little more robust, but i've just built something soi close to this over a pond and it doesnt bounce

[stefan_bonnici]

hi there

have a look at this post you might get soem ideas.
The spans are smaller but can be aseily adapted

good luck

http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=67177&highlight=decking

[call811beforeyo]

Don’t forget to call before you dig! Even for simple projects, like planting shrubs or putting up a mailbox, it’s important to call 811 (http://www.call811.com). There could be utility lines where you break ground - sometimes multiple lines are in a common area and their depths vary, so you might not know about all of them. <o:p></o:p>

[UteMad]

If you want to go low to the ground use F5 treated pine 6x2 for joists and bearers and join your joists into the sides of the bearer the same way the photo below joins it into the wall plate... This will give you your 200mm height and still achieve 50mm clear of the ground for ventilation etc

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k287/utemad/beareronstirrup-5Small.jpg


cheers utemad