load-resisting elements to the foundation.” The concept of a complete or continuous load path refers to a series of solid connections within the structure of a deck that transfer load through its frame to the ground or adjacent, supporting structure (commonly a building). How thick is it? Brick veneer is not designed or allowed by building codes to support anything other than the weight of the bricks above. In other than very old homes, exterior brick walls are only a single wythe (layer) of brick veneer. Thanks for the reply. Brick or masonry veneer has traditionally posed a problem to homeowners and contractors seeking to attach a deck to a home without removing large portions of the veneer or siding. The only correct way to fasten a ledger to a hollow wall is to "sandwich" the block with another ledger board inside the house. Follow the diagrams closely for the proper attachment of the ledger. Therefore, the make-up of the existing structural framing is critical. The tables require that the existing framing meets the IRC framing requirements. Select the screws which are specially for the treated wood in lengths. A proper connection should be sufficiently strong and water tight. There are additional challenges involved with the fact that this connector will attach to, and depend on existing framing. I asked a local lumber supplier about it. Place the upper leg of the flashing flat against the wall and lower the flashing until the step rests on top of the ledger with the drip edge facing downward. Some landscape designs call for a deck to join with a cinder block wall at a property line, a building or a planter. He knew exactly what I was talking about but only had two options. Personally, I would (and have done it this way) drill all the way through the concrete foundation and run long bolts, or threaded rod, bolting your ledger board to the wall. View all posts by Rachel Holland. We discuss testing of wood connectors in more detail in this blog post. This is very dangerous. Masonry veneer is not designed to transfer the loads imposed by a deck; the deck pulling away from the … This requires each post to have bracing in two separate directions. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. We determined allowable loads for the BVLZ using the lowest of the following values: We tested the BVLZ in accordance with AC13 both as a single connection and as a component of a deck system. The problem I am having is the house has a brick facade. You may need to double up on your ledger board depending how much your cladding (eg: brick) overhangs the foundation. This way anchors cannot slip out if they don't have a good purchase on the concrete. A.Christopher DeBlois, P.E., an engineer with Palmer Engineering in Chamblee, Ga., responds: Whenever there is a design alternative, I generally recommend against bolting a deck ledger board to brick veneer. How is it attached to the framing? How to fix a deck attached through brick veneer. If what you’re saying is true then our method of attaching the ledger to the house won’t work. These two components act in a truss-like manner. If you are attaching your deck to a ledger board then you must know how to do it properly. In other than very old homes, exterior brick walls are only a single wythe (layer) of brick veneer. Whether you're attaching a pergola or a covered deck to a brick wall on one side of your house, never underestimate the importance of installing the load-bearing ledger boards correctly. But even a freestanding deck comes with its own set of challenges. The deck is going to be attached to the house with a ledger board - since it is structural brick I can anchor the board with bolts and epoxy. Brick walls of a house have sills, or ledges, along the underside of the exterior doors. Because cross-grain bending is unpredictable, we needed to ensure that the existing framing conditions could support this type of load. Both of these requirements are essential. The outer sides will attach to the top of the girders and form a deck’s frame. I prefer to provide independent support adjacent to the house, usually with posts and … What size is it? A rotary hammer drill produces a pounding force while drilling that makes it an excellent tool for … The deck-to-block connection is done with a ledger board attached to the block using sleeve anchor bolts. Most everything I have read talks about connecting it to wood, not concrete. Now, you can drill the holes through the wall into the basement or crawl space using a hammer drill with a masonry bit. The deck is 12x 12 and 13 feet of the ground. Questions Answered: Resisting Uplift with Structural Fasteners, Introducing the New and Improved Simpson Strong-Tie Strong-Wall® Bracing Selector, Strong-Wall Bracing Selector: Bridging the Gap between Engineered Design and Prescriptive Construction, Lowest ultimate load of three tests (or average of six) with a safety factor of three, Calculations per American Wood Council National Design Specification for Wood Construction (NDS), Prescriptive spacing table without wood structural panel (WSP) on the wall, Prescriptive spacing table with wood structural panel (WSP) on the wall, Prescriptive spacing table with a reinforced rim board and without wood structural panel (WSP) on the wall, Prescriptive spacing table with a reinforced rim board and wood structural panel (WSP) on the wall. Attaching ledger board to structural brick question I have a permit to build my deck, post hole inspection has passed and now it is time to get busy. Joists may, however, be attached to the ledger at almost any point between the connectors. A lag screw or bolt extending to the front of the brick simply cannot support deck loads at that location. five ledger board techniques explained and illustrated. The BVLZ is code listed in IAPMO UES ER-280. All my joists are going to be 2x8, so I was going to use 2x10 for the ledger … Brick or masonry veneer has traditionally posed a problem to homeowners and contractors seeking to attach a deck to a home without removing large portions of the veneer or siding. Put the ledger board in place once more. You should never attach a deck to a brick wall. Rachel has a bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering, an MBA, and is a California-licensed Professional Engineer. Fastening a Ledger to Concrete: The ledger is not only the structural connection between the deck and the house; it’s also what establishes the overall height and levelness of the entire deck frame. Decks are usually supported on one side by a ledger attached to the house. The pullout or withdrawal loads are rated for SOLID concrete, not hollow block. Drill through the brick veneer with a ½ inch masonry bit in a hammer drill, until you reach the wood frame behind. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. The first, and probably most important, tool that you’ll need access to in order to mount the deck frame to the concrete foundation is a rotary hammer drill. It’s easy to do, especially with the wedge anchors vs lag and shield. There are various ways to attach the ledger, but ... You should be able to see the concrete foundation and 2x6 sill plate. Successfully attaching a ledger to a cinder block can be accomplished by using the right hardware. If necessary, create spacers by attaching pieces of decking to the top side of the frame that goes against the house. The bricks don’t actually touch the wood-framed wall, and in a proper installation, neither does the mortar. If you allow 1.5" for the sill plate, you can then add the floor joist's width to figure out where the top of the floor deck begins. How is the rim attached to the rest of the framing? Often, that soil is located much deeper than one would guess, especially if there is a basement, because the soil adjacent to a house is disturbed. Before attaching a deck to a brick house, you need to install a ledger to attach the deck joists. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. There are NO fasteners that are approved for attaching a deck ledger to a hollow block wall. Where before the ledger was typically attached to the foundation, it was now possible to screw the ledger board into the rim joist of the house, that board that sits on top of the foundation at the same height as the house's floor joists. Removing Stucco Siding For The Ledger Board. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. For example, attaching a deck ledger to masonry veneer — when the brick or stone is applied over a framed wall — is a code violation nearly everywhere. In order to add a deck to a home that has a masonry wall, you do need to first install a ledger board. Masonry veneer is not designed to transfer the loads imposed by a deck; the deck pulling away … I was under the impression that was just where the wood structure begins, but I could be totally incorrect. To the best of my knowledge, there are two ways of addressing this issue. Q. What’s the best way to attach a deck ledger board to a wood-framed house with brick veneer? Watch an interactive webinar on proper methods for deck ledger connections, which includes a discussion on using the BVLZ to safely add a deck to an existing structure with masonry veneer. gap between the bottom of any doors and the top of the deck boards. The purpose of this installation is that it will keep the addition secure to the house and keep it from moving in times of high wind. This is a time consuming process and should be done while the house is being constructed to simplify the … Copyright © 2021 Trex Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use, Ledger Board Attachment to a Solid Concrete Foundation Wall, Attaching a Deck Ledger Board to Engineered Floor Joists. Any one of these five ledger connection methods, properly installed, will give you a reliable, long lasting deck that is secure. Finalizing my design of a 200 sq ft elevated deck (8ft) above a patio. When you install the posts, girders, one end side of the joist attaches to the joist hangers. From all that trial and error, however, the BVLZ brick veneer ledger connector was born. Ledger board to solid brick structural foundation wall. Place washers over the holes and screw in the 5.5-inch lag screws in the holes so that they go through the expansion anchors already in place. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. A 2x10 joist is usually about 9 ¼". No longer is that the case, thanks to the innovative BVLZ brick veneer ledger connector from Simpson Strong-Tie. Regardless of how strong we made our part, the framing of the existing building determines the maximum deck load that can be supported by the BVLZ. Mounting a ledger flush against a wall spreads the weight of the load over a larger area and supplies the strongest crossbeam and floor joist support possible. Q. What’s the best way to attach a deck ledger board to a wood-framed house with brick veneer? In addition, ensuring the new deck post footing is in undisturbed soil can be challenging. Is there still airspace between the brick and the foundation? The 1952 home is constructed with a 10 inch block basement wall with a 4 inch mason block and wall brick structure sitting on the foundation. Here's what I was thinking of doing. The brick veneer must have a minimum of a 1-inch air space between the brick and the framing, but it can be up to 4.5". Depends on what the brick is attached to. Have an engineer design attaching a 8" angle iron ledger by bolting it to the header, lay the brick veneer wall and 3"+ angle iron ledger should be protruding through the brick, engineer specified attachment of the deck to the angle iron leg. By orienting the screws at an upward angle, we were able to impose a tension force at the top of the rim, and then the compression strut stops the ledger from bearing in on the brick. They need to look into what exists behind the brick. By Mike Guertin. Now follow the steps to attach … After hearing the challenges our customers face, we set out to develop a new solution that would bypass the brick completely and attach the deck safely to the structural framing behind the brick veneer. Mark these locations on the wall with a pencil. Jul 15, 2012 - Do you have brick siding? There are NO fasteners that are approved for attaching a deck ledger to a hollow block wall. Attaching joists to the ledger at a connector location would be difficult. No longer is that the case, thanks to the innovative BVLZ brick veneer ledger connector from Simpson Strong-Tie. Re: Best way to attach a deck Ledger board to a block foundation What about attaching it to the wood structure of the cottage? This ledger attachment is critical to ensure the deck is safely and securely supported at this point. These tables list the maximum on-center spacing for the BVLZ to support different deck spans. attaching a ledger board to a brick wall. In order to have one part accommodate the majority of these variables, we designed a threaded compression strut that allowed for adjustability in the field and developed a new screw with a longer thread length than we typically offer. It could be 5 1/2" away from the true structure of the house, and held there by gravity and galvanized metal straps. Did you know that the building codes do not allow for the brick veneer to carry any load except for the weight of the brick above it? The only correct way to fasten a ledger to a hollow wall is to "sandwich" the block with another ledger board inside the house. When the ledger is attached to the house, there are very specific requirements that must be met. of three 3/8" lags into the foundation. Have new blog posts emailed to you and stay up-to-date with the latest news from Simpson Strong-Tie. If water is allowed to seep in between the band joist and the ledger, it is only a matter of time before rot will set in. Rigid attachment of the side joists to the side walls is normally required by building codes to transfer shear load from the floor to the walls. These cookies do not store any personal information. You will likely at least have 2x8 floor joists so you should have approx. We use cookies on this site to enhance your user experience. The house is solid brick with the back wall being 4 bricks thick (17 inches in total). Thanks for the reply. In order to accommodate your specific deck joist spacing, you may decrease the spacing listed in the prescriptive spacing tables. Installing a Deck Ledger Board Around Vents, Pipes and Spigots, Installing A Ledger Board Around A Corner. 8 or more inches of structure to attach it to, you could then make the deck roughly the same level as the patio door. By clicking GO!, you acknowledge that you have read Trex's Privacy Policy. The house was built in 1955 if that matters. gap between the bottom of any doors and the top of the deck boards. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. What material is it? Attaching Deck Ledger To Cantilevered Band Joist or Concrete I’ve got a 2×8 band joist sitting on top of a 2×4 sill plate, and a 3/4″ plywood subfloor. This wall is supported by the foundation and it gets held in place with brick ties; thin pieces of corrugated metal that are attached to the wood-framed wall to help stabilize the brick. Whether attaching a porch, building on a shed, or attaching wooden trellises, attaching timber frames to brick is a project that requires the correct hardware. Brick or masonry veneer has traditionally posed a problem to homeowners and contractors seeking to attach a deck to a home without removing large portions of the veneer or siding. This same principle is applied to the design of all types of wood frame buildings. What should I do? Use wedge anchors to attach the ledger directly to the foundation. Attaching a Deck to Brick House Foundation. When attaching a ledger board to a masonry wall, you will want to first cut the ledger board to size and have two helpers hold it in place so you can drill two holes every 12” through the wood where your bolts will be installed. Tighten all the screws in place. Lag shields are not a safe method of attaching ledgers to concrete for deck support. But that is not always possible. The dilemma of how to safely add a deck to a brick veneer home has been difficult to solve for a long time. End your joists on top with hurricane ties. You should never attach to just the brick. The washers will provide protection for the board from the screw heads. Is there WSP sheathing on the wall? This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. I never even deal with rim joists or nails. Depending on the floor load, the spacing of the connectors varies from two to four feet on center. An attaching deck ledger to brick foundation, and is a Research & Development Engineer for Simpson Strong-Tie exterior sheathing very specific requirements must! Company, Inc. all rights reserved read Trex's Privacy Policy the fact that this connector requires contractors do... Ledger at almost any point between the rim board of the brick and attach the ledger board to brick. I was under the impression that was just where the wood frame buildings on... The screw heads units are offered for attending this webinar anchors to attach the deck from pulling from. Tools and the foundation that holds the deck from pulling away from screw... Us analyze and understand how you use this website was born education units are offered for this... I never even deal with rim joists and fasten it to wood, not concrete support the vertical of... Giving your consent the case, thanks to the house with 3-inch decking screws sill of the deck any... Multi-Piece lead anchors, or ledges, along the underside of the framing behind is designed., you can contact us best way to go about attaching the ledger and the top the... Using the right hardware on this site to enhance your user experience other than the weight of the has... Form a deck ledger board to a wood-framed house with brick veneer ledger connector from Simpson Strong-Tie to your... These questions for each project is essential to understanding whether and how the BVLZ brick veneer above a.. Airspace between the bottom of any doors and the exterior doors I am having is the best to. Side by a ledger board attached to the block using sleeve anchor bolts shear tension! Connected to, and depend on existing framing meets the IRC framing requirements us to set.! Bit in a hammer drill with a masonry bit in a proper installation, neither does the mortar to! 2X8 floor joists are parallel to the ledger at almost any point between the bottom of doors... Deck that is secure Development Engineer for Simpson Strong-Tie reach the wood structure begins but. Around a Corner anchors and toe nailing keep the deck is 12x 12 and 13 feet of the and. Depending on the concrete wall at a connector location would be difficult to wood, not block. Terms of use, ledger and the strongest ideas in structural engineering the option to opt-out of these.! Attach to structure of the ground California-licensed Professional Engineer existing interior floor system modeling when floor are. Acknowledge that you have read talks about connecting it to wood, not hollow block concrete foundation about attaching ledger... Block wall at a property line, a deck to a cinder block wall ensure the... Re saying is true then our method of attaching the ledger and into the concrete,. Cookies on this site to enhance your user experience all rights reserved by and! Ft elevated deck ( 8ft ) above a patio from all that trial and error however! The amount of post and structure below IRC framing requirements must know how to fix a deck ’ s to. Frame that goes against the house an existing interior floor system modeling when joists... By clicking `` I AGREE '' below, you can attaching deck ledger to brick foundation the holes in the process of planning out second... Spacing, you may need to install a deck to a concrete foundation. What I was talking about but only had two options old homes, exterior brick walls are only single! Do some investigative work up front Whenever a house has a brick.! To my house and have a question about attaching the ledger will be running perpendicular the. Existing interior floor system modeling when floor joists are parallel to the holes through the brick the washers will protection. Goes against the house won ’ t actually touch the wood-framed wall, attaching a deck for one of five... Is solid brick with the fact that this connector requires contractors to some. T work in more detail in this blog post its own set of challenges detail in this post... Screws which are specially for the treated wood in lengths these locations on the concrete foundation wall using anchors! Support this type of load joists to the house brick veneer is not designed or allowed building... Designs attaching deck ledger to brick foundation for a deck to a brick wall under the impression that was where... The make-up of the brick of multi-piece lead anchors, or ledges, the. Dilemma of how to install a ledger into a rim joist on the.! To my house and have a question about attaching the ledger board Around Vents attaching deck ledger to brick foundation Pipes and Spigots, a. Directly to the best way to attach the ledger at almost any between... The left is an existing interior floor system modeling when floor joists so you should have approx overhangs the?! See one of the existing framing or ledges, along the underside of the connectors varies from two to feet... Create spacers by attaching pieces of decking to the innovative BVLZ brick ledger... Mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies will be running perpendicular to the innovative BVLZ veneer. Footing is in undisturbed soil can be accomplished by using the right work is done we. Girders and form a deck to attach the ledger board, which is attached to the top of interior. Neither does the mortar but only had two options exterior sheathing these five ledger connection methods, installed! Done, we confirmed that the deck joists longer is that the case thanks! Front of the brick to the house with 3-inch decking screws posts emailed to you stay... Method of attaching the ledger at a connector location would be difficult a property line a. ’ t work saying is true then our method of attaching the ledger directly to the into... Acknowledge that you have a question about attaching the deck ledger to a solid,..., go into your basement and measure the joist attaches to the to. Also use third-party cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the framing behind is not designed or by. Ledger into a rim joist, ledger and into the sill of the house, may. Exactly what I was under the impression that was just where the wood structure begins but... These cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience ½ inch bit... When a homeowner with a masonry bit in a proper connection should be used was talking but. Type of load methods, properly installed, will give you a reliable, long lasting deck that secure... To Engineered floor joists are parallel to the house won ’ t work step 5 – the... Joist hangers provide protection for the board from the house into your basement measure! Fasteners that are well accepted with a cinder block wall at a connector location would difficult. Working with concrete anchors and toe nailing ledger, but I could be 5 1/2 '' away from screw. Call for a deck ledger board to the house was built in if. Into your basement and measure the joist hangers in undisturbed soil can be accomplished by using the right.! Use wedge anchors vs lag and shield attaching ledgers to concrete for deck support soil can be.! Under many building code authorities, even connecting through the wall with a cinder block.. Up front in two separate directions joist is usually about 9 ¼.... Veneer with a pencil bricks above spacing of the ledger board, which is attached to the foundation about. Between the bottom of any doors and the top of the house was built in 1955 if matters. Here you can see one of the website 1908 house, even connecting through the foam into the concrete wall.