Building a deck: why braces between posts and the smirk? Why some put 45 deg braces between the main beam and posts?...
Why some put 45 deg braces between the main beam and posts? What can they be replaced next to? I don't like the look of ones. Many decks I've see have no such things.
Answers: The angle braces are to prevent the deck from swaying. If the posts are deep within the ground and concreted in, AND, if the deck is not to far off the ground you can win by without them. It will also help if you can use a size bigger prime beam (say a ten by instead of an eight by) and use two bolts instead of one to attach them to the posts. No movement is the whole theory.