I presently have an open 8 x 18 deck off the house (about 4ft off the ground) and would like to take it down to build a two tier deck. The top deck would be a 14 x 18 closed in area with roof and walls (screened openings - no glass - one patio door). The second tier would be an 8 x 18 open deck with stairs to the ground. I want a gable roof to create an open ceiling. This is not a winter space, for summer only. I'm questioning whether I should extend the post up to be part of the walls or just make my deck floor and erect walls.

I will be using the existing footings and maybe using the existing frame. I'll add onto it and add more footings to extend the depth to 14 or 16 ft. Add more footings for the lower tier.

I have vinyl siding on the house and I suppose I will cut out the vinyl where my walls and gable meet the house?

Should I adjust the width of my walls so they are fastened to a stud?

After my walls are up, do I fasten a gable to the house and opposite wall, connect them with a ridge and build off that?

Is it better to order truss's?

If anyone has some tricks or experiences that would help, I would appreciate it.

Thanks,

Fuzz