I'm starting the planning for the deck at my cabin, and I have a choice to make. There is an ashe juniper tree next to the cabin that would land exactly in the center of two joists at 16" spacing. Would you take the tree down or build the deck around it?

TexAg1987 said:

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Probably easier to just build around it and box in a tree well.

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Always easier to not take down a tree. This is my first time designing and building a deck and it's always a safe bet this board knows more than I do.

Experts (not me) say the trunk diameter can max out at 44"
BUT also say so slow growing @ 1"/decade.

The biggest problem might be that such a tree can spread branches to
10' radius into side of house and at crown 14'; perhaps all this might be pruned above the hut?

1.
So, my plan would be to place double joists 32" apart
a 32x32 deck tree hole/square
then continue joists @ 16"oc either side
(Pic omits the dbl.joist - ugh)



2.
Another ploy would be to use larger joists @ 32"oc
supporting 2x8 deck boards i.e.

(some experimental decks from the 80's still standing
have 4x4 posts @ 96"oc supporting flanking 2x10-12 joists that span 12-15ft
supporting 2x4s, some since replaced with 2x6s, 2x8s, even 2x12s



You should be able to find a span table to say what the larger size joists might be for your design.

tgivaughn said:

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Experts (not me) say the trunk diameter can max out at 44"
BUT also say so slow growing @ 1"/decade.

The biggest problem might be that such a tree can spread branches to
10' radius into side of house and at crown 14'; perhaps all this might be pruned above the hut?

1.
So, my plan would be to place double joists 32" apart
a 32x32 deck tree hole/square
then continue joists @ 16"oc either side
(Pic omits the dbl.joist - ugh)



2.
Another ploy would be to use larger joists @ 32"oc
supporting 2x8 deck boards i.e.

(some experimental decks from the 80's still standing
have 4x4 posts @ 96"oc supporting flanking 2x10-12 joists that span 12-15ft
supporting 2x4s, some since replaced with 2x6s, 2x8s, even 2x12s



You should be able to find a span table to say what the larger size joists might be for your design.

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1"/decade gives me roughly 50 years before it impedes the joists, so I have no problem going 16" with 2x6 joists. The deck and cabin will probably be long gone by then. The tree has already been limbed up about 15'.

2x6 joists at 16" gives me 9' of span, which easily gets me the length of the building (16') with three beams. The plan is most likely to have a 6' wide deck on the front and back with a 3' wide deck connecting them on one side.

Picard said:

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Maybe you can build a ladder to finish that red paint job!

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I'm waiting until the deck is built to finish the paint. Working with a ladder on the uneven, sloped, rocky ground proved to be more dangerous than I want to risk.

My dad built his deck around one about 40 years ago. I think he's had to "enlarge" the opening about 4 times (so avg about once every 10 years) but I can't remember what type of tree it is. Had a large branch come off in a storm a few years ago that did some significant roof damage. The shade on the deck from the tree has always been a nice feature.

Ash Juniper.....the 'Cedar' of texas? Yeah, I'd cut that down and make a fencepost or something.

100% take it down.
1. You've got plenty of shade.
2. It could get blown over or die later & you're taking it out AND making repairs to the deck or building.
3. It's not the greatest tree anyway, needles constantly dropping.
4. It creates a small unusable deck space between the tree & edge of the deck.

The answer to Cedar is cut!

jt2hunt said:

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The answer to Cedar is cut!

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That is our default position. Any cedar on our landsite is considered fair game for removal without a need for permission.