Support pedestal having an anchoring washer for securing elevated surface tiles

1. An elevated building surface assembly, comprising:

a plurality of horizontally disposed surface tiles, the surface tiles comprising at least one top board having a top surface, at least two bottom rails supporting the top board, an outer edge having a plurality of corners, and a kerf disposed in the corners where the top board meets the bottom rails below the top surface of the top board, a bottom surface of the kerf being a top surface of a bottom rail; and

a plurality of support pedestals, the support pedestals being disposed beneath the corners of a plurality of adjacent surface tiles to vertically support and elevate the surface tiles above a fixed surface, the support pedestals comprising:

a base member, the base member comprising a base plate that is adapted to be placed upon a fixed surface, a cylindrical base member extension extending upwardly away from the base plate when the base member is operatively placed on a fixed surface, the base member extension comprising a base member extension cylindrical wall having base member threads disposed on a surface of the base member extension cylindrical wall;

a support member operatively attached to the base member, the support member comprising a support plate having a top surface and a cylindrical support member extension extending downwardly from the support plate, the support member extension comprising a support member extension cylindrical wall having support member threads disposed on a surface of the support member extension cylindrical wall, where the support member threads are adapted to threadably engage the base member threads to attach the support member to the base member and to adjust the height of the support pedestal when the support member is rotated relative to the base member;

an anchoring washer having a substantially circular outer perimeter and a notch intersecting the outer perimeter, the notch intersecting at least about 60 degrees and not more than about 130 degrees of the outer perimeter, wherein the anchoring washer is received within the kerfs of a plurality of the surface tiles; and

a fastener adapted to fasten the anchoring washer to the support plate to anchor the plurality of surface tiles to the support plate of the support pedestal.

2. An elevated building surface assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein the fastener is a threaded fastener and wherein the anchoring washer comprises a centrally disposed aperture for receiving the threaded fastener, the aperture comprising a slot adapted to receive a tool for rotating the anchoring washer.

3. An elevated building surface assembly as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a coupling member that is engaged with the base member and the support member to operatively attach the support member to the base member.

4. An elevated building surface assembly as recited in claim 1 , wherein only a single notch intersects the outer perimeter of the anchoring washer.

5. An elevated building surface assembly, comprising:

a plurality of surface tiles, the surface tiles comprising:

at least one board having a top surface;

at last two bottom rails supporting the top board;

an outer edge having a plurality of corners; and

a kerf disposed in the corners where the top board meets the bottom rails and below the top surface of the top board, a bottom surface of the kerf being a top surface of the bottom rail, and wherein the surface tiles are selected from wooden surface tiles, plastic surface tiles and wood-plastic composite surface tiles;

a plurality of support pedestals, the support pedestals being disposed beneath the corners of a plurality of adjacent surface tiles to vertically support and elevate the surface tiles above a fixed surface, the support pedestals comprising:

a support plate having a top surface for supporting the surface tiles, and

an anchoring washer spaced apart from the top surface and being fastened to the support plate by a fastener,

where the anchoring washers are disposed within the kerfs of adjacent surface tiles and below the top surface of the surface tiles to anchor the surface tiles to the support pedestals, and wherein the anchoring washers can be rotated to selectively disengage a surface tile from a support pedestal.

6. An elevated building surface assembly as recited in claim 5 , wherein the anchoring washer comprises a centrally disposed aperture for receiving the fastener, the aperture comprising a slot adapted to receive a tool for rotating the anchoring washer.

7. An elevated building surface assembly as recited in claim 5 , wherein the surface tiles comprise at least four corners.

8. An elevated building surface assembly as recited in claim 5 , wherein the anchoring washers comprise an outer perimeter and a notch intersecting the outer perimeter of the anchoring washer.

9. An elevated building surface assembly as recited in claim 8 , wherein the notch intersects at least about 60 degrees of the outer perimeter of the anchoring washer.

10. An elevated building surface assembly as recited in claim 8 , wherein the notch intersects not greater than about 130 degrees of the outer perimeter of the anchoring washer.

11. An elevated building surface assembly as recited in claim 5 , wherein the support pedestals have an adjustable height.

12. An elevated building surface assembly as recited in claim 11 , wherein the support pedestals comprise:

a base member that is adapted to be placed upon a fixed surface, the base member comprising a base member extension that extends upwardly when the base member is operatively placed fixed surface, and

a support member comprising a support member extension that is threadably attached to the base member extension.

13. An elevated building surface assembly as recited in claim 12 , wherein the support pedestals further comprise a coupling member that is engaged with the base member and the support member to attach the support member to the base member.

14. An elevated building surface assembly as recited in claim 5 , wherein the surface tiles are triangular.

15. An elevated building surface assembly as recited in claim 5 , wherein the surface tiles are rectangular.

16. An elevated building surface assembly as recited in claim 5 , wherein the fixed surface consists of a substantially horizontal fixed surface selected from the group of a rooftop, on-grade, natural ground, and a concrete slab.

17. A method for the construction of a substantially horizontal structural building surface assembly, comprising the steps of:

placing a plurality of support pedestals over a fixed surface with a predetermined spacing between the support pedestals, the fixed surface consisting of at least one selected from the group of a rooftop, on-grade, natural ground, and a concrete slab;

placing a bottom surface of a corner of each of three surface tiles upon a top surface of one of the support pedestals whereby the top surface partially vertically supports the three surface tiles in horizontally-spaced relation;

inserting an anchoring washer into adjacent kerfs that are disposed in the corners of each of the three surface tiles;

placing the bottom surface of a corner of a fourth surface tile on the top surface of the support pedestal whereby the top surface partially vertically supports the fourth surface tile;

rotating, after the inserting step, the anchoring washer to a position that is adapted to anchor the four surface tiles to the support pedestal;

inserting a fastener through the anchoring washer; and

securing the fastener to the support pedestal to anchor the surface tiles to the support pedestal,

wherein the surface tiles comprise at least one top board having a top surface and at least two bottom rails supporting the top board, wherein the kerfs are disposed in the corners where the top board meets the bottom rails below the top surface of the top board, a bottom surface of the kerf being a top surface of a bottom rail.

18. A method as recited in claim 17 , wherein the rotating step comprises inserting a tool into a slot disposed in the anchoring washer and rotating the anchoring washer using the tool.

19. A method as recited in claim 17 , wherein the anchoring washer is disposed within a kerf of the fourth surface tile after the rotating step.