I am planning to build the 16x18ft floating deck in the back of my townhouse. The back patio is paved with 12×24" patio stones and I am trying to figure out if I should remove patio stones and lay the deck blocks on the soil or should I leave patio stones and lay the deck on top of them.
Is there an issue with setting the deck blocks on the patio stones?
I am concerned that if I remove them, I might allow water to collect and stay in that area which might cause foundation problems down the road.
Best Answer
First of all, just laying pavers on dirt is a bad idea unless you live in a bone dry place like Phoenix or Las Vegas.
A deck should be mounted on footings which are concrete blocks which stabilize the deck.
The footings should be below the frost line, otherwise the deck will move up and down every time it freezes and thaws. The frost line in Toronto is about 4 feet deep, so you want the footings to be 5 feet deep to be safe.