I am planning to build a deck but it has been difficult to find contractor.
My question is – how difficult is it to build a deck without another set of hands ?
Are there any devices available which can do such as supporting a beam at one end etc.
Building a deck without help
deck
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This is quickly going to become too complicated to tell you for sure if your deck will be able to support a structure like a pergola, but if it is even half the weight of your typical hot tub then your deck will very likely not support it.
To accurately determine this you need to figure out the additional #'s/sq ft of load that a structure as large as a pergola will place on top of the deck. Doing this is simple with something like a spa where you have a clear square footage area and a relatively even weight distribution when filled with water and people. This is not so easy to determine with a structure where certain points of the structure are going to carry the weight of the structure differently. The weight is not as evenly disbursed.
Right off the bat there I would advise you to consult an engineer with your structure plans to determine if this is feasible and safe. This is completely disregarding the fact that your deck is only as strong as its weakest point. If your house is brick and your ledger board is attached with carriage bolts then even if the joists were on 12" centers then you are still likely putting entirely too much stress on the ledger board. You also could have a lot of problems if any part of your structure is going to sit over that 2' overhang.
In the end, an experienced engineer will probably be able to confirm pretty easily if this will be feasible or not.
You need to install knee braces every where you can. (The diagonal piece)
Ideally, the ends should be tightly dadoed a small amount into the beam and post to minimize the inevitable play that develops in connections made solely of mechanical fasteners. The bigger the brace the better, within reason. The best bracing would be the grand-daddy of knee braces-- X-bracing.
Best Answer
A lot depends on what you are building. There are two different types of decks:
This involves (typically) some sort of footings to hold the posts, a ledger board on the side of the house and a lot of very specific rules designed to make sure the deck doesn't fall down and hurt people. The deck has to be extremely rigid - you can't have it move away from the house.
A floating deck (typically) has posts fit into specially designed blocks:
which simply sit on the ground. The entire deck may move a bit over time. As a result, there are limits (which may vary by jurisdiction) as to the maximum height and other constraints. But a big difference is that you do not attach the deck to your house. That actually removes a lot of the usual concerns about how everything is connected together. End result: a floating deck is much easier to build than a traditional deck.
In some cases, a floating deck may not even need a building permit, which is a big advantage. However, that is dependent on jurisdiction (in my area, OK up to 200 square feet).
Check with your local building department (county, city, etc.) and find out if a floating deck is permitted and, if so, what the constraints are. That may go a long way towards making this a one-man project. I built mine (< 200 square feet, very short posts) together with my evil twin. I could have done it myself, but an extra set of hands is really useful when you are placing 10' or longer boards.