I often see very expensive decks with the fascia in direct contact with the lawn or ground. This practically guarantees that the fascia will be damaged by water or weed whackers. To prevent such damage and to give our decks a more finished look, we always install concrete curbs directly underneath the fascia, all around the perimeter.
We form the curbs using 2x4s, as on a sidewalk but without any rebar. Since we typically pour our own concrete footings, we form and pour the curbs at the same time as the footings. To match the fascia or even the lawn, we often use a color additive when we’re mixing up the concrete. We buy the additive at our local masonry supplier, paying about $50 for a 5-pound bag, which will color approximately 50 linear feet of curb. Overall, the curbs add only $200 to a typical project.
Gary Cherene owns Sun Coast Deck in Redondo Beach, Calif.
This reader’s tip wins a DeWalt DCF886D2 20-volt brushless impact driver kit.
