I live in western PA and I'm concerned about the floating blocks, freezing and raising in the winter and then settling uneven in the spring. I don't really want to dig all those holes, however, I do not want this deck to be uneven after 1 season. Do you have any experience with your deck systems with winter climates and what is your recommendation? Thanks, Kevin.

The blocks work in very cold places without problems. When the frost pushes the ground up in the winter the ground will return to the same position is the spring. The most common reason the blocks settle unevenly is improper use. If a deck is built with to few blocks the deck then more weight will be place on the individual blocks and one of the blocks will sink. Another reason for uneven settling is building a deck on disturbed soil. This is common when a new house is build and a floating deck is build at the same time. The back fill around the house is not sturdy enough and as it settles the blocks and the deck will settle as well. This can also happen around pools. When above ground pools are build sometimes a small area around the pool can have some disturbed soil. In order to avoid this its best to wait 3 years for the soil to settle.

As long as you follow the criteria set forth in the plans you should not have a problem.

Deckman