The order a deck goes together — footings to decking
A deck goes together bottom-up: pour footings below frost and stand posts on standoff bases, flash and bolt the ledger and set the beam, hang the joists between them, then lay the decking with a gap and add guards and stairs.
What this diagram shows
A four-panel walkthrough of the deck build order. Panel 1: concrete footings poured below the frost line with posts standing on standoff post bases that hold the wood off the concrete. Panel 2: a ledger board flashed and through-bolted to the house band joist, and a beam set on top of the posts. Panel 3: joists hung between the ledger and the beam on joist hangers at code spacing. Panel 4: decking boards fastened across the joists with a gap between them, then a guard rail.
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