I finally finished building a deck... and it's 3 inches off the ground

So I decided to build a small deck off my back door last summer. I measured everything twice, leveled the posts, even rented a nail gun. Got the whole thing framed and decked in a weekend, feeling pretty good about myself. Then I stepped back to admire it and realized the entire thing is about 3 inches lower than my door threshold. Like the door opens and you basically step down onto the deck. Now water pools right there when it rains and I have to keep a rubber mat down. My neighbor walked over and just said "you know that's not how steps work right?" I spent about $400 on lumber and hardware for a glorified patio. Has anyone else built something that looked right until you actually tried to use it?

2 comments

2 Comments

evanfox9d ago

Dave's mistake was cutting the door instead of just fixing the foundation first.

the_blair9d ago

My buddy Dave did the same thing with a shed foundation last year... he built this whole pressure treated frame, leveled it perfectly, then realized he forgot to account for the gravel base sinking. Now the door scrapes the ground every time he opens it. He ended up just cutting an inch off the bottom of the door with a circular saw and calling it a day. Water still gets in when it rains hard though.