Coastal Homes
Elevated concrete slabs formed with the help of structural steel
panels are a good choice for wet and windy marine environments
by Thomas Dugan
CHUCK LOCKHART
The panels are supported by a steel Versa-Dek LS galvanized steel pan
frame. Most deck builders probably Standard mix concrete (thickness per engineer) 2" rib height
aren’t familiar with steel framing, but
WWF (recommended for crack control)
the design specs are easy to derive, and
any engineer should be able to provide
the necessary details. Because the sup- Versa-Dek’s 24-inch-wide galvanized steel pans have reinforcing dovetail ribs
that interlock with the concrete after it has cured.
porting structure that we use is steel, an
engineer’s letter is required in our juris-
diction anyway.
Steel Frame install blocking behind the rim joists at 4-inch-by-4-inch-by-¼-inch steel col-
A porch that we recently built offers a the floor level. umns spaced evenly approximately
good look at how the system works. We We support the outside edges of the 10 feet on-center. The column bases rest
started with a simple rectangular steel porch with steel framing specified by our on shop-welded 12-by-12-inch plates
frame, with I-beams along the open sides engineer, typically W8x10 steel I-beams. that have four corner holes for anchor-
and angle steel along the building side. The two ends are not fully load-bearing, ing either to a structurally-reinforced
Along the house, we through-bolted so lighter beams could be used here, but concrete slab or to footings.
5-inch-by-5-inch-by-¼-inch steel angle for consistency in trimming out, we keep When the steel columns are tall and
into our concrete walls with ½-inch- them the same size. Again, an engineer support multiple deck levels, we typi-
diameter galvanized bolts 2 feet on-cen- would need to provide the specs for your cally hire a small crane to stand them
ter. We’ve also used the same approach particular porch (Figure 1). vertically while we install bracing and
with stick-framed walls, though we first The outer I-beam is supported with the beams. Often, though, the I-beams
CHUCK LOCKHART
Self-tapping screws (or
puddle welding along
edges of panels) Custom
Girder finished stainless drip
with PVC or cap
composite trim
Figure 4. The panels are either Blocking and temporary forms are added to the deck frame to support the
screwed or (as shown above) concrete during the pour and to make it easier to finish afterward.
puddle-welded to the steel frame.
Concrete
Around the deck’s perimeter, the open
edges need to be formed up to the con-
crete thickness specified by the engi-
neer—typically 4 inches for most of our Figure 5. Shoring must be installed to support the panels during the pour,
and it’s left in place while the concrete cures. Here, the pour stops have been
projects. We nail or screw our concrete
removed from around the perimeter, showing the 11⁄ 2 -inch formed overlap that
forms into wood packing that we’ve allows for a drip edge over the trim that will be fastened to the steel girders.
bolted through holes punched in the
I-beam webs 2 feet on-center. The pack- as the pour stop. This leaves a 1 1⁄ 2-inch- up against the bottom of the Versa-Dek
ing can be whatever material you choose, wide concrete extension beyond the sup- floor pans as a temporary girder. If the
such as treated 2x8, and will ultimately port girders for material wrapping the deck pour is more than 4 inches thick
also be used to fasten the trim to the deck girder to nest up under. or the posts are more than 9 feet tall, we
(see illustration, above). Because the pans alone cannot sup- add cross-bracing between the posts as
The forms can be simple strips of OSB port the weight of the uncured concrete, stiffeners to prevent bowing and failure
or plywood. To provide a good exposed shoring is required prior to the concrete of the shoring.
concrete edge for adding tile, we have pour (Figure 5). We use 4x4 SYP treated It is imperative that the temporary
placed a 2x4 spacer down from the top of posts spaced about 5 feet apart with at girder be adequately fastened to the
the pour and then fastened our OSB to it least one 2x6 or 2x8 SYP on edge fastened shoring posts in order to support the