• The deck-building technique you use will depend in part on the potential use of the deck.altrendo images/Stockbyte/Getty Images
  
  Decks come in many different shapes and sizes, and the techniques used for building one type of deck can differ substantially from those used to build another type of deck. Knowing what you want from a deck before you start building is the best way to get the deck of your dreams.
  
  

Parquet Decking

• A parquet deck is made using a criss-cross technique that results in a deck that resembles parquet flooring tiles. Most parquet style decks are made with modules that are three feet square and using 2-by-4 beams of wood. The parquet technique is quite versatile in that it allows a deck to be laid over a patio, rooftop or the ground.
  
  

Step-Style Multi-Level Deck

• Building a step-style multi-level deck is a technique that requires two large platforms that connect to an intermediate platform located between them. Make sure that that the beams of the lower deck are situated close together so that the decking can be laid directly onto them. The uppermost deck should use a conventional joist technique to provide support.
  
  

Building on a Slope

• A deck built on a slope uses a technique that allows it to be supported on posts strongly anchored to footings set in the slope. You can use a traditional joist-and-beam structure to provide support. The sizes of the joists and beams are dependent on the size of the span that is necessary to complete the deck's construction.
  
  

Splicing

• Two or more pieces of a deck often require a technique known as splicing. Beams on top of posts should be spliced with wooden gussets or metal tie straps. Joists meeting on the top of beams should spliced with wooden gussets and metal straps or by an overlapping technique in which 16-penny nails are toenailed in place into each joist, according to "How to Design and Build Decks and Patios." Both joists need to be spliced in the same way to prevent a heavy weight from separating them.
  
  

Sandbox Decking

• Sandbox decking is a technique requiring a framework that does not include a foundation. Building codes disallow this type of foundation-free deck from abutting a house, but you can build it and then move it freely around the yard depending on the size. In addition to making an actual sandbox, this type of changeable deck can be used for gardens, planters and storage space when you add folding tops to it.