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I love the look and feel of high-quality composite decking but I want it flush/level with the ground. In other words, I don’t want to step down off the deck. I particularly don’t want my small children tripping/falling off the edge of the deck, and I don’t want railings since I have a small backyard in the city.

Contractors all want me to build it above-ground for airflow, or they say I can dig down 8” or so and build the foundation there. But they caution me that the reduced airflow will cause the treated lumber foundation to rot over time. I don’t want that.

Please be creative with your answers. Could we perhaps pour concrete first and then put composite on top of something made of plastic?

Sean McCarthy
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Use the composite planks as supports.

Create a void where you would have your deck. Make it two plank thicknesses deep. If your ground is soggy you might want to go deeper and level up with chip-to-dust and a vibrator.

lay a weed suppressant membrane.

lay your supports. These are the same as your boards but spaced out at 14" centers. You might want to drive 6" nails into these at either end to locate them horizontally.

Lay you boards over the top with deck screws. Job's a good'un.

Aethelbald
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