Building a Deck: Expert Advice from Start to Finish (Taunton's Build Like a Pro)

I looked at a variety of deck building books, but this one really tops all of them. It is easy to read and VERY comprehensive with everything from explanation of multiple ways to pour footings / piers, ways to build beams up and a whole discussion on fasteners, decking material, etc.There are also a variety of 'pro-tips' as side-bars that I found very useful.Finally, it's a great reference while you are building as it's organized in a way that makes it very easy to find the specific section that applies to the stop you are on.I learned a lot from this book and my deck not only came out looking great, it's sound as a pound thanks to the author's suggestions on construction.

I am a year away from building my deck so I bought this book so I could do some research and learn more about them. I have a lot of remodeling experience indoors, and I have even rebuilt a ground level deck at my old house, but my new house has a 6 ft high deck that needs major work so I decided to get this book.I am very happy with my purchase. This book is technical and required several read throughs during many portions but I now feel a lot more comfortable.I was considering to sub out the steps on my deck, but after reading this book I feel confident that I can follow the steps outlined and make them myself.

Bought this book as I am planning to design and build my own deck. I bought this book as well as 2 other books to help me accomplish this project. I gave this book 4 stars because it was very useful however, i found the black and decker complete guid to decks a better read.

My wife and I successfully built a deck using this book 2 years ago. Planned, submitted plans to village got building permit and final inspection. It felt good to accomplish such a large task with only 2 people who are not carpenters and haven't built a deck before. The deck is around 300 sq. ft. so it is not small. The book has all the information you need to build a solid deck. It also includes information on problems you could run into and ideas for customizing the deck. We are now building a smaller 100 sq. ft. deck for the front of our house. Believe me, we could not have done this without this great book.

I bought this as a gift for my husband. He flipped through it and it has sat on the shelf ever since. He didn't use one single idea out of the book. I'd suggest saving the money and spending more time on your own detailed plans. We couldn't really take any of the plans/ideas from the book and make them work for our situation. However, there were lots of pretty pictures. I suppose you could buy this just for inspiration. Then again, you could just Google "decks" and get a lot of ideas that way, too.

I'm replacing and expanding our current deck and wanted to get some ideas and to check my understanding of the framing needed. This book filled those needs nicely.

I was able to complete my dream deck with this book. It was the frist one I had built so I was a little apprehensive on whether or not it would turn out that great. But after getting quotes of upwards of 6000$ from contractors, and then never being called back, I struck out to design and build it my self. This book goes step by step through the whole process with great color photos and tips. I have used the 'Build Like a Pro' series for a kitchen remodel as well and really like their style. They are well worth the money.

Overall, a fairly decent book. Good ideas, tips, and illustrations, but I feel the book could have offered greater details in some areas. If you are looking for a deck book to learn some overall construction methods and deck anatomy, then I would recommend this book to you.

Bought it for my husband at Christmas and he loves it . Will be using it this summer during his deck building project.

An excellent book. Written for the USA but wholly applicable to the UK. Covers everything one needs to build and maintain a robust deck.

This book helped me a lot when I built my first deck at home. All the basic stuff is there and there are important details too. A lot better than the Black and Decker book an decks.

Very good book to help you learn about decks

My daughter bought this for her dad for Christmas and he was delighted at the colour pictures and detailed entries. Thanks for your great service.