How to Perform Deck Inspections Course

Welcome to InterNACHI's free, online "How to Perform Deck Inspections Course." This course is provided by our tuition-free college, InterNACHI® School.

Take the free, online course now.

Prenez le cours en ligne gratuit maintenant (Français).

Goal:

This course teaches the inspector to perform residential wood deck inspections according to the InterNACHI® Home Inspection Standards of Practice. It includes a review of common deck defects. The course references standards and code. Home inspectors are not code inspectors.

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

list and describe the major components of a deck;
distinguish between proper and improper installation techniques;
identify and describe common major structural and safety problems; and
communicate to a client indications of defects observed at the deck during a home inspection.

Course includes:

3 InterNACHI CE credit hours;
8,408 words;
2 minutes of instructional video;
inspection and writing assignment;
research and writing assignment;
17 quiz questions in 5 quizzes;
25-question final exam (drawn from a larger pool);
instant grading; and
a downloadable, printable Certificate of Completion.

You will learn the following:

Course Objectives
Decks and Similar Structures
Decks Defined
Porches
Verandahs
Balconies
Patios
From the Ground Up
Deck Load
Footings and Posts
Wood Decay
Moisture and Wood Decay
The Pick Test
Support and Connections
Girders and Beams
Ledger Connections
Overhangs
Framing Around
Cantilevered Decks
Bracing
Connections and Fasteners
Posts and Rails
Guardrails and Supports
Decking
Board placement and Support
Stairs
Stringers, Risers and Treads
Lighting
Handrails
Electrical Receptacles
Receptacle Requirements
Weatherproof Receptacles
Other Considerations
Location and Egress

How to Perform Deck Inspections Course Course # 3602 nachi.org/deck-inspections-course
Activity	Assignments	Estimated hours for the average student
Academic Engagement	Reading online course instructional material at 140 words per minute	1.0
	Watching and listening to instructional video	0.1
	Taking quizzes	0.5
	Taking the exam	0.7
	Conducting a directed and independent inspection study performed according to the Standards of Practice, including the development of an inspection report	4.0
	Submitting an inspection and writing assignment	0.5
	Submitting a research and writing assignment	0.5
	Total	7.3
Preparation	Studying & reviewing instructional material in preparation for taking quizzes and exam	6.0
	Reading the downloaded student course book including taking the quizzes with the book	1.0
	Reading, research, and studying related to completing the research and writing assignment	4.0
	Studying and preparing for inspection processes according to a Standards of Practice, including capturing and storing digital images with a camera or device, making observations, evaluating conditions, deducing, formulating opinions, communicating observations in written form, attaining competency in performing inspections and using an inspection checklist or software and other inspection tools in producing a report.	10.0
	Total	21.0
	Sub Total	28.3
Overall Total		28.0 clock hours 28.0 InterNACHI CE credit hours 2.8 CEU

And, in keeping with InterNACHI's commitment to continuing education, this deck course is open and free to all members and can be taken again and again, without limit.

Reminder to members: InterNACHI's Code of Ethics 1.10 requires that you comply with all government rules and licensing requirements of the jurisdiction where you conduct business. InterNACHI's courses and Standards generally exceed the Standards of Practice that you are required to abide by locally.

This course has been approved by:

Upon completion of this course and passing of the 25-question final exam (drawn from a larger pool), the student can download and print their own Certificate of Completion which is auto-generated in their own name.

The student's (InterNACHI member's) information is recorded on InterNACHI's servers for membership compliance verification, and automatically logs completion into InterNACHI's online Continuing Education log.

Members will need their username and password. If you have forgotten your password, CLICK HERE (instant response) or email fastreply@internachi.org and request it (don't forget your name).

InterNACHI... #1 in inspection education.

InterNACHI® Members:

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Other inspection courses.

Some features which make InterNACHI's courses superior to existing continuing education options:

The course is free for all InterNACHI members.
The course is written in pure XHTML code for quick loading. The course loads fine on old computers and loads fast, even with dial-up.
The course is designed using a hierarchal menu coupled with a sequential page navigation. This provides the student with the option to easily repeat areas of weakness.
The course permits the student to start, stop and restart any part of the course as often as desired.
There are a variety of images within the course, including diagrams, illustrations, custom graphics and pictures of actual decks.
The illustrations can be enlarged for clearer viewing by clicking on them.
The text is integrated into InterNACHI's Inspector Glossary. Rolling over blue-colored terms provides their definition.
The final exam uses multiple-choice questions that reference the images.
The course's quizzes and final exam have numerous advantages over traditional exam systems:
1. The course, quizzes and final exam incorporate built-in intelligence which identifies and strengthens each student's unique subject weaknesses.
2. Not only is each question weighted with regard to score, but each answer is weighted, as well as the correctness of each answer being weighted.
  1. Answers to easy questions are weighted such that the student is penalized, in terms of score, for answering incorrectly, but rewarded modestly for answering correctly.
  2. Answers to difficult questions are weighted such that the student is rewarded, in terms of score, for answering correctly, but not penalized for answering incorrectly.
  3. Answers to questions regarding basic safety, or questions every inspector should know the answer to, are weighted such that the student is severely penalized, in terms of score, for answering incorrectly.
Upon passing the final exam, the student can print out a Certificate of Completion which is auto- generated in their own name.