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What we build, and how it goes together

Outdoor work in season, renovations in winter. For interlock, decks and fences, a drawing shows how the job goes together, one layer at a time.

In season: interlock, decks and fences

Interlock

Kirk builds pathways, patios, raised gardens, bar tops and fireplaces in interlock stone. Interlock work carries our three-year standard warranty.

Light paver patio with a bistro table, wicker chairs and a patio umbrella outside the back doors of a two-storey housePaver walkway beside a front garden of flowering shrubs, perennials and gravel at the door of a townhouse
How an interlock patio is built

The layers of a typical patio, from the ground up:

  1. Native soil: the undisturbed ground left once the topsoil and roots are dug out.
  2. Geotextile: fabric that keeps the gravel from sinking into the clay.
  3. Compacted granular base: crushed gravel, packed down hard, that carries the weight and lets water drain away.
  4. Bedding layer: a thin, level bed of sand or fine stone that the pavers settle into.
  5. Pavers: the stones you walk on, laid tight in a pattern.
  6. Joint sand: sand swept into the gaps so the pavers lock together and stay put.
  7. Edge restraint: a border along the open edges that stops the pavers from spreading apart.

Decks

Kirk builds decks in season: floating decks, and decks set on concrete footings.

In Ottawa, an attached deck needs a building permit when its walking surface is more than 600 mm (24 in.) above grade, whatever its area. A freestanding deck needs one when it is over 10 m² and more than 600 mm above grade. Zoning setbacks apply even when no permit is needed. The details are on the City of Ottawa's deck permit page.

Small cedar deck with wide steps and a cedar storage enclosure with black hinges, next to a paver patio at the back of a brick houseRaised deck with a railing under construction behind a house, lumber and saw horses in the foreground and a man working below
How a deck is built

The parts of a typical deck, from the ground up:

  1. Footings: concrete in the ground under each post that carries the weight of the deck down to solid soil.
  2. Posts: upright timbers that stand on the footings and hold the frame up.
  3. Beams: heavy timbers laid across the tops of the posts that carry the joists.
  4. Joists: a row of timbers on edge, laid across the beams, that the decking is fastened to.
  5. Decking: the boards you walk on, laid across the joists with a small gap between them so water drains through.
  6. Railing: the guard around the open edges: a top rail with balusters below it.

Fences

Kirk builds fences in season, alongside the interlock and deck work.

Tall cedar privacy fence and gate with black top brackets and a round decorative panel in the gateCedar privacy fence along a lawn with a lattice gate framed by black brackets
How a fence is built

The parts of a typical board fence, from the ground up:

  1. Post footing: concrete around the foot of each post that holds it straight in the ground.
  2. Posts: upright timbers set along the line of the fence.
  3. Rails: horizontal timbers run from post to post that the boards are fastened to.
  4. Boards: the upright boards, side by side, that make the face of the fence.
  5. Cap: a strip along the top that covers the ends of the boards and sheds the rain.

In winter: renovations

Renovations

In winter Kirk moves indoors, to flooring, trim, painting, basements and general renovation.

Bedroom with an accent wall of mixed-width dark and weathered wood planks, a floating shelf and a made bedBathroom with a wood vanity, a backlit mirror, wall sconces and a glass shower with a black frame