Deck construction

Abstract

A deck construction including a plurality of supports for anchoring deck construction elements to a building site. The supports include a body (which may be an integrally molded concrete pier) having upper and lower portions. The upper portion includes at least one slot for seating a horizontally oriented construction member. The slot includes a center socket portion having four extended comers for seating the bottom end of a vertically oriented construction member. The slot and center socket are defined by connecting wall portions which may be integral to the body or may be of plastic or metal and suitable secured to the body. In some cases, two mutually perpendicular slots are provided.

1 - 31 . (canceled).  
   
   
       32 . A concrete block for anchoring an exterior deck construction to a building site, said block being capable of supporting one or more construction members; 
 said block comprising a single-cast unitary block having an upper end surface, a lower surface adapted for supporting engagement with the building site, and a generally polygonal exterior peripheral surface;    said upper end surface having a first open slot formed therein defined by laterally spaced-apart sidewall surfaces intersecting said upper end surface and intersecting said external peripheral surface at generally diametrically opposite positions, said slot having a base surface and being configured to freely vertically receive and releasably support at least one horizontally oriented deck construction member without mechanical connections; and    said upper end surface having an enlarged open center socket intersecting said upper end surface and being contiguous with said open slot, said socket being defined by said sidewall surfaces intersecting said upper end surface and extending at right angles away from each other to generally mutually opposed right-angle corners spaced apart substantially farther than the width of said open slot, said socket having a base surface intermediate said upper and lower end surfaces capable of receiving and releasably supporting the bottom end of a generally vertically oriented post member with said right-angle corners providing substantially the sole corner support to said post member without mechanical connections; and    said center socket extending into said block from said upper end surface a distance less than one-half the height of said concrete block.    
   
   
       33 . The concrete block of  claim 32  wherein said first open slot is free of reinforcing bars so that a horizontally oriented construction element can freely extend through said slot and said socket fully across the entire breadth of said upper end surface of said block.  
   
   
       34 . A kit for assembling a deck on a building site, comprising: a decking surface structure; a plurality of support members, each of said support members having a lower edge and an upper edge, said support members being adapted to support said decking surface structure when said support members are disposed in a generally horizontal orientation; and a plurality of pier blocks each including a concrete body having upper and lower end surfaces and a peripheral side surface, said lower end surface being adapted for supporting engagement with a building site, said upper end surface including an open slot extending fully across said upper end surface and defined by wall surfaces spaced apart for frictionally receiving at least one generally horizontally oriented support member in edge relation, and an enlarged open center socket formed in said upper end surface contiguous with said open slot and defined by said wall surfaces extending at right angles away from each other to generally right-angle corners spaced apart substantially farther than the width of the open slot, said center socket being adapted to receive the bottom end of a generally upstanding pillar member with said comers providing substantial corner engagement with said pillar member.  
   
   
       35 . A construction device for anchoring or connecting construction elements to a base comprising: 
 a concrete body member having upper and lower ends and external sides,    said lower end serving as a support of the body member on a base,    and recess means in the upper end of said body member forming an anchor seat for a construction element,    said recess means comprising a recess extending fully from one side of said body member to the other, said recess being defined by laterally opposite spaced apart internal wall surfaces disposed generally normal to said lower end so that one or more construction elements can be laid therein in frictional seated edge relation,    said recess means also including an enlarged socket disposed in a central portion of said body member, said socket having oppositely aligned inverse corners spaced apart farther than said wall surfaces defining said recess so as to receive the external comers of the bottom end of an upright construction element in supported engagement therewith, said recess and socket extending into said body member from said upper end a distance less than one-half the height of said body member.    
   
   
       36 . A concrete block in combination with a lumber construction element; 
 said lumber construction element comprising an elongated post of generally rectangular transverse cross-sectional configuration,    said block comprising a one-piece concrete body structure having a generally polygonal external peripheral surface and a lower end surface adapted for supporting engagement with a building site,    said block including an upper end surface having at least two open aligned recesses formed therein with each recess intersecting a centrally disposed enlarged open socket formed in said upper end surface,    said recesses each being defined by laterally spaced-apart sidewall surfaces and a base surface and intersecting said external peripheral surface at diametrically opposite positions, said enlarged open center socket being defined by a central base surface and by socket sidewall surfaces forming four mutually opposed right angle comers spaced apart farther than said spaced-apart sidewalls forming said recesses, 
 said block directly receiving an end of said post in said socket, said post being directly supported in upstanding relation exclusively by said sidewall surfaces forming said right angle comers and said central base surface.  
   
   
   
       37 . A construction device for anchoring or connecting construction elements to a base comprising: 
 concrete body member having upper and lower ends and external sides,    said lower end serving as a support of the body member on a base,    and recess means in the upper end of said body member forming an anchor seat for a construction element,    said recess means comprising first and second recesses extending fully from one side of said body member to the other, said first and second recesses being disposed in substantially mutually perpendicular relation to each other, said recesses being defined by laterally opposite spaced apart internal wall surfaces disposed generally normal to said lower end so that one or more construction elements can be laid therein in frictional seated edge relation,    said recess means also including an enlarged socket disposed in a central portion of said body member, said socket having oppositely aligned inverse comers spaced apart further than said wall surfaces defining said recesses so as to receive the external comers of the bottom end of an upright construction element in supported engagement therewith, said recesses and socket extending into said body member from said upper end.    
   
   
       38 . A construction device as defined in  claim 37  wherein said recesses and said enlarged socket have flat floor surfaces