"Tools You Need For Building A Deck Yourself"

If you're looking to extend your living space into your backyard and also increase the value of your home, you should build a deck. Building a deck yourself is relatively inexpensive and a nice way to get in touch with nature and your backyard. Also, it’s a great place for entertaining or just enjoying a peaceful moment by yourself.

One thing that will make the job easier is to have the right tools on hand. Having the proper tools for the job makes always makes thing go smoother and can make a difference in the finished product. I remember when we were taking apart our kids fort and there were a few rusted bolts that we couldn’t remove, a friend showed up with a reciprocating saw and cut through the bolt in a few seconds. That was when I realized I needed a reciprocating saw and that having the right tool can make a big difference.

Here's a guide to the tools and resources you need to create the ultimate deck! First off, because a deck is usually an elevated structure, you don't have to worry about leveling the ground. Which is great, but of course you do need to make sure you deck is level.

Also, because it can be elevated, you can build your deck over top of various things like supply lines, rocks, etc. You can even have storage under your deck. Our house has a walk out basement in the back and the deck is elevated over the basement and our storage shed is under the deck.

When building your deck you want to keep in mind: durability, functionality and style. These are what you should aim for as you build your deck. Here is a list of the tools you'll need to have on hand to accomplish these goals:

BoWrench

Rockler Woodworking and Hardware offers a supremely useful tool for your deck building project: the bowrench deck tool. The bow wrench straightens deck boards so that you can properly man attach them to your deck. If you don't have a person on hand to help you out, the bow wrench is a do-it-yourselfer's best friend.

Carpenter’s Level

While you don't have to necessarily tame the ground before building a deck, you do need to get a level to read the heights that you're working with and thus, help you plan the deck design.

Circular Saw

A circular saw is invaluable to the deck building process. With a circular saw, you can make a cut that measures exactly 90 degrees with little to no effort. More expensive saws have more powerful motors that enable precise cuts, but you don't have to go broke investing in a circular saw.

Deckboard Removal Tool

Whether you're renovating your deck or getting rid of it, you should get a deckboard removal tool. Rockler also offers a handy deckboard remover that can help you accomplish this task in a few easy steps, rather than with a bunch of tools and techniques.

Drill

You may not want to secure your deck with a set of hammer and nails. Instead, drill some heavy-duty screws into it to keep it fastened down. It's advisable that you get a nice drill and driver set so that you can make sure that deck stays put. I recently purchased a battery powered drill and it’s great. I was worried that the battery wouldn’t have enough power or run out of charge have way through a project, so I got a second batter.

Hammer

A hammer is a must. If you are having friends help you build your deck I recommend picking up a few extra ones, just in case they don’t have a hammer. There are different sizes and styles of hammers. If you don’t use a harmer a lot I recommend you get a standard hammer and stay away from the framing hammers. The big framing hammer looks cool but after using it all day your arm will be pretty sore.

Hand Saw

If you have a circular saw this isn’t as important but sometimes you want to make a quick cut in a tight spot that you can’t fit the circular saw.

Long Extension Cord

These are always in demand, especially if you have a few friends helping out. You should have at lease one for the circular saw and one for the drill…unless you have a battery powered drill. Make sure the cord can reach from the power outlet to the farthest point on the deck. You can get cords with multiple outlets to run multiple tools.

Mason and Chalk Line

These are great to make sure things are level and lined up. And there is nothing better than snapping a chalk line and leaving a nice straight line.

Tape Measure

It seems that no matter what construction project you're engaged in, you'll need a tape measure nearby! So seek out some tape measure that's at least 25 feet long. You might want to have a couple of these. If your deck is going to be big you might want to get a 100 or 200 feet long open reel tape measure.

Deck Bench Bracket

It’s not really a tool for building deck bench, but it makes building a deck bench really easy and fun to do. The deck bench brackets are used to create seating where you would usually have a deck rail. This is nice because it does double duty: provides a rail and provides seating on the side of your deck. I give this a very cool rating!

If you want to build a deck, you'll have to investigate all your options and read through some installation guides. However, these are the basic tools you'll need.

I probably missed a few tools from the list. So if you see your favorite tool missing or there is one you would like to add, please email me.

For more information on building your deck, please read this article on choosing the right circular saw blade.