You cannot place a new order from your country. United States

How do I lay out my terrace on pedestals?

The layout is the preliminary calculation of the number of elements to be installed for the realization of your terrace. Concretely, it materializes in the form of a plan, a drawing aimed at preparing the installation of your terrace. To carry out this layout, a question arises: are you going to create a terrace on wooden pedestals or a terrace on pedestals in outdoor tiles? This question will result in a layout for your pedestals (which will be different depending on the type of covering) and your wood or paving covering.

homme réalisant un plan de calepinage

The layout plan, an essential step

Carrying out the layout of your terrace on pedestals is essential. This preparatory step will allow you :

  • To quantify your material needs: pedestals, wooden boards  and joists or tiles
  • Quantify your material needs: number of braces for a paving terrace, number of screws for a wooden terrace on pedestals, etc.
  • Plan how your boards or tiles will be laid
  • Optimize your cuts
  • To prepare as well as possible for the realization of your terrace on pedestals by buying in advance everything which is required for the installation.

The layout being a plan of your terrace on a reduced scale, use sheets with small squares to make your task easier. Note that the layout must indicate the dimensions of the planks or tiles used, their number and the surface they represent. We also integrate the existing elements, such as a tree, and/or the masonry elements, this, to better prepare the final installation.

The stages of the layout of a wooden terrace on pedestals

1. Don't forget the boards

The first step is to choose the direction for installing the boards. The right question to ask yourself is: “Do I want to give a feeling of length or width to my terrace?". This question is essential and will allow you to define whether you want to enlarge or widen your terrace visually.

2. Time for the layout

The layout consists of adapting your board lengths according to your terrace. To define the number of rows, simply divide the width of your deck by the width of your wooden boards.

You know which way to lay your boards, the number of rows of your terrace. Now, for the realization of your wooden terrace on pedestals, think about the layout of your pedestals. Their spacing will depend on the type of wood chosen.

For a softwood deck like pine, plan to place joists every 50 cm.

For an exotic wood deck, whatever the species, favor the placement of joists every 40 cm.

For both, consider placing pedestals at equal distances every 70 cm.

Clearly, the spacing between each of your joists will be 50 cm (or 40 cm) and each of them will be supported by studs placed every 70 cm.

The pedestals will not be the only elements to be provided: joists, geotextile felt, bituminous protective strip, board spacers and special wood screws are also to be calculated on your layout plan.

Note, for optimal stability and a beautiful finish, favor a staggered cut rather than an alignment of the boards. For example, for a 10 m long terrace, it is better to make three cuts (two of 4 m and one of 2 m) rather than two of 5 m.

The stages of the layout of a paving terrace on pedestals

1. Don't forget the lay

With paving pedestals, 3 types of installation are possible:

  • Straight, classic pose
  • Offset pose
  • And the staggered pose

It is essential to think about the installation of your outdoor tiling terrace in order to anticipate all the difficulties you may encounter during the break. This will prevent you from ending up with poorly designed cladding and unanticipated tile cutouts.

This step will also allow you to assess the number of pavings needed to avoid unnecessary waste..

2. The layout plan

As with the installation of a wooden terrace, your slab terrace will need to think about the number and arrangement of the pedestals (one pedestal at each corner of the tile). Note, depending on the dimensions of your tiles, it will be necessary to add a central pedestal (from 60 x 60 cm) or even two central pedestals (from 90 cm long).

But that's not all ! Also remember to count the slabs, cladding supports, anti-noise wedges and geotextile that will be necessary for the realization of your work.

You now know the importance of the layout in the development of a terrace on pedestals. Now it's up to you!

To take things up a notch:


Get advice from our experts!

Sign up now
to our newsletter

English (United Kingdom)
Change language