Deck Failures

[Joe Funderburk, CMI]

Originally Posted by mcyr

Joe;

Are those tapcons?


Marcel

10-4. Tapcon secured to wood. The material you see above is flashing, not concrete. The nails used on the joist hangers looked like roofing nails to me, but I'll let the contractor address that. I also called out the improper flashing, as portions of the band sill inside the crawl were rotted.

I questioned how the house ever got a CO (lots of code violations on a 11 year old home) and recommended that the buyer confirm the issuance of proper permits (the homeowner was a builder and the house was way back in the sticks).

[Joe Funderburk, CMI]

Originally Posted by arussell

...and the gap in the ledger board (3rd pic) that the joist is so nicely covering up. That must be a weep hole for the deck!

I didn't even notice the gap until you pointed it out. Nice.

[Marcel R. Cyr]

And that wire was lucky. ha. ha.

Nice job. Keep it up.

Marcel

[Peter C. Russell]

Originally Posted by jfunderburk

I didn't even notice the gap until you pointed it out. Nice.

Joe, I taught a class on deck construction and the proper attachment to our NH chapter and just realised that I should have created a deck check list as part of it.

You can easily miss something and then see it in a photo after.

Something to work on and post.

[Joe Funderburk, CMI]

Originally Posted by prussell

Joe, I taught a class on deck construction and the proper attachment to our NH chapter and just realised that I should have created a deck check list as part of it.

Are tapcons on your list of proper deck construction methods?

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Originally Posted by jfunderburk

Are tapcons on your list of proper deck construction methods?

Joe, you would think they could have used timberloc screws at best. ha. ha.

Was that a CMU wall it was attached to?
On some other pictures you supplied I can see different fastners. They must have used whatever was available at the time, no.

Marcel

[Peter C. Russell]

Absolutely not, decks should be attached with 3/8"X3" lags, two in every other bay, or through bolted for new construction.

If I had to guess, I would say that decks are second to electrical issues in my area.

[Peter C. Russell]

Originally Posted by prussell

Absolutely not, decks should be attached with 3/8"X3" lags, two in every other bay, or through bolted for new construction.

If I had to guess, I would say that decks are second to electrical issues in my area.

I should also note that Tap cons are acceptable when attaching to concrete, but in this case I like to see additional support where the deck meets the building.

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Originally Posted by prussell

Absolutely not, decks should be attached with 3/8"X3" lags, two in every other bay, or through bolted for new construction.

If I had to guess, I would say that decks are second to electrical issues in my area.

Peter, I meant that to be a joke. Sorry.

And you are right with the fastners. This has to be a Harry job. ha. ha.

Marcel

[Joe Funderburk, CMI]

Originally Posted by mcyr

Was that a CMU wall it was attached to?
On some other pictures you supplied I can see different fastners. They must have used whatever was available at the time, no.

Different screw types. Different hangers and nails. Just whatever he had in his pocket, I guess. The foundation was CMU, with a sill plate/band sill on top of the wall...that's what the deck was fastened to. Sheathing between the deck and band sill was also decayed (in addition to the band sill and a girder in one area)...the flashing was obviously wrong and not doing its job.

[Peter C. Russell]

Originally Posted by jfunderburk

Are tapcons on your list of proper deck construction methods?

Marcel, sorry, I was referring to Joe's quote, not yours

I hope you feel privileged!!! That is the first smiley I have used since joining NACH in 2004.

I guess I should use them more often, especially now that I know how to do it, I'm sure some of my chapter members will appreciate it.

[arussell]

Originally Posted by prussell

Marcel, sorry, I was referring to Joe's quote, not yours

I hope you feel privileged!!! That is the first smiley I have used since joining NACH in 2004.

I guess I should use them more often, especially now that I know how to do it, I'm sure some of my chapter members will appreciate it.

WOW....ya must be gettin soft in your old age, Pete!!!!

[klott]

Originally Posted by jfunderburk

Check out the size of the screws (not bolts) securing this deck ledger to the house. How 'bout the mini joist hanger. I also called for an evaluation of the 4x4 posts without bracing.

Attachment 14990 Attachment 14991 Attachment 14992

Good use of the leftover roofing nails.

[Roy D. Cooke, Sr]

Fortunatly no one was seriously hurt.
There could have been some hurt badly.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=2sXY6u1liJ4

......... Cookie

[Roy D. Cooke, Sr]

A good post by a NACHI member . Thanks Harold

To see the pictures go to


http://activerain.com/blogsview/2501...ent-defects-by

Most people do not know that their decks are improperly attached, when I find the defect during a home inspection. They assume that since they bought the house new, the code compliance officer should have made sure the builder installed it right. Seems logical, but the reality is that many details like this escape code officials every day.
What defects on deck installation do I find?

• Missing lag bolts. These secure the deck ledger board to the structure of the home. In their absence only nails are holding the deck up at the intersection with the house. Lag bolts provide both shear support as well and resistance against lateral movement. Conventional nails have poor resistance against lateral pull out.
• Missing ledger board flashings or insufficient drainage plane. The absence of flashings allows water to enter the intersection between the decks' ledger board and the home. Homes with wood, OSB or hardboard sidings are at risk of developing fungal wood rot decay, and other wood destroying organism activities. Such damage compromises this critical connection point and deck collapse is possible.

In the photo above you can see that there is no flashings, no lag bolts and water stains can be observed on the interior drywall above the windows.

In this photo it is obvious that someone thought about flashings after the fact. They tried to just slide it under the siding, but water was still getting in.

How much was saved by not installing the flashing when it was built? Not much. How much will it cost to repair? Alot more than was saved. The entire deck has to come off, siding needs to be removed, then the real work of repairing the compromised structure of the home starts. I am guesssing tens of thousands, but we will leave that to the contractors to decide.
Check your deck. If it is not flashed and bolted, then you should seek some professional help to repair it before it gets as bad as the one above. It took only five years for the example to get this bad, some take much longer.

www.millerhomeinspect.com





Posted by Harold Miller on 10/25/2007 01:20 PM Comments (2)

.......... Cookie