pickup22

Hate to spam the thread but what on earth did you need 24' lengths for?

Usually it is only a inch or two for a few weeks per year. In general the whole property slopes away from the house. Even this area is still above the general grade. I hope to use this depression for storage under the deck. If I find that it collects too much water next year, I'll add filler. -- Thanks for the offer Joe. I might like a quality inspection next year once I get some basic renovations taken care of. I'm looking to get all the house in good shape and avoid surprises. My pre-purchase inspection missed a lot of problems that I've spent that last 5 years correcting. I notice that your website doesn't seem to be working now. I'm a web developer so if you have any questions, let me know.

Thanks for the idea. That will both address my concern and add extra strength. My concern was that posts of different depths, if any heaving did happen, would be uneven and might put more stress on the structure. Since this doesn't seem to an issue, I won't worry about. I've over-engineered the deck plans on purpose based on weight capacity that I never expect to come close to so I'm probably safe. Thanks for the advice everyone.

This is a bought house. It just seems odd to me that some footers will be 2' lower than others even though they are only 5' apart. In effect some posts will be 6' deep and others will be 4' deep. The code require 4' below ground level. I'm wondering if 4' is average ground level or area-specific ground level. I'm not looking to cheat. The cardboard sleeves you normally find are 4' and I would prefer to keep 1' above ground (ie still lower than than the rest of the surface) to keep the wood dry. Just to clarify, in this case I feel that following the code literally (depending on the reading of ground level) will lead to problems. Because of the uneven surface and water collection in the spring it will have a few posts sitting in water. Drilling 3' in some spots will mean that all posts are at the same depth and keep the lower-situated ones above water in the spring.

This is a bought house. It just seems odd to me that some footers will be 2' lower than others even though they are only 5' apart. In effect some posts will be 6' deep and others will be 4' deep. The code require 4' below ground level. I'm wondering if 4' is average ground level or area-specific ground level. I'm not looking to cheat. The cardboard sleeves you normally find are 4' and I would prefer to keep 1' above ground (ie still lower than than the rest of the surface) to keep the wood dry.

I'm not an inspector but after finding this forum, I've poured over the threads. The hands-on experience has given a lot to think about as a dedicated DIYer. I work hard to only follow best practices. Local rules require 4' of depth for the concrete footing for decks but on uneven ground what do think is required? I have terrain where ground level differs by as much as 2'. Drilling down 4' would require me to go 2' below the foundation of the house in some spots. Most areas are more even. I would prefer to go 3' in those shallow areas and leave 1' of above ground to keep the wood well above any spring flooding. This would still be below the foundation which is below 4' for most but not all of the house. For other spots where the ground level is more even, 4' would be used. Would this pass muster to you professionals?