BEFORE YOU LIST YOUR HOME...Don't forget to inspect elevated Decks and Porch structures

Before you have that first party on your deck, or greet visitors on your porch, a warm day is a good time to inspect these structures. Every year in most communities we hear the sometimes tragic news of an elevated deck or porch collapsing with the people on them crashing to the ground often resulting in serious injuries. The collapse could be due to poor original construction or lack of maintenance. Either way, when the weather is nice, people will be out enjoying their decks, and the probability of another incident rises. Don’t expose yourself, family and friends to a hazard. Check your wood deck and porch structure every year.

Decks should be built more strongly than the house to which it’s attached. Sadly, the reverse is common. Why? A house is generally designed to support a “live load” (weight of furnishings and people, other than the weight of the materials of the structure itself) of 30-50 pounds per square foot. Bulky furniture spreads weight over a large area, and tends to prevent high concentrations of weight in small areas. Deck and porches on the other hand, are typically sparsely furnished, allowing people, at +/- 160 pounds each, and occupying about two square feet of floor space, to mass together elbow to elbow. Deck floor structures are commonly built to interior floor structure standards. Thus, a deck can easily be overloaded and collapse under the crowd’s weight. Compounding the problem is the fact many carpenters unwittingly build in structural weaknesses in decks.

Take the following list with you to inspect your wood deck or porch:

1.   Use a screwdriver to probe the base of wood support posts. If they’re rotted, they need replacement.

2.   Use a screwdriver to probe the base of steel support post. If they’re rusted, they need replacement.

3.   Check any masonry pier supporting the deck or porch. If mortar is missing, or masonry is loose or the pier is tilted, repair is needed.

4.   Check the concrete footings under the wood/steel support posts footings too small or missing or damaged, repair is needed. The top of the footings should be above ground level so that the support posts are not resting in wet soil.

5.   Check to make sure the support posts are firmly fastened to the footings. Kick a suspicious post. You’d be surprised to find how many will move. Fastening may be needed.

6.   Check the fastening of the support posts where they connect to the floor framing. Nails driven upward at an angle are not sufficient. Bolts are best. Install fasteners and connector plates where needed.

7.   Inspect the fastening of the ledger board against the house. Nails are unsafe. The deck floor system should be bolted to the house. Install bolts, washers and nuts if needed.

8.   Is there flashing covering the joint between the ledger and the house? If not, water can enter behind the ledger and promote rot to the house floor system, weakening the connection between the deckledger and house structure, whether bolted or not. Install flashing if needed.

9.   At both ends of all joists, are the joists properly nailed to the ledger and outer header board? Are the joists pulling apart at this connection? Repair any loose connection.

10. Are the joists notched more than 2 inches where the joists rest on a 2x2 ledger? If so, the joists are too weak. Repair any overnotched joist.

11. Is there a diagonal brace fastened under the joists from one corner to another to minimize floor sway? If the support posts are tall, is there a diagonal brace on the posts to minimize sway? Install a brace if needed.

12. Are the stairs wobbly and poorly fastened to the deck or porch? Repair any weak stair.

13. Push on the railings as hard as you can, including stair rails. Be careful though. If a railing won’t resist your push it’s too weak to support anyone leaning on it.

14. Are the spaces between the balusters in the railings more than 4 inches wide? If so, a small child can fall through the spaces. Are all parts of the railing firmly in place? Railing modification may be needed.

15. Examine the wood floor planks. If any are decayed, damaged or loose, repair or replace them.

16. If the deck wood components have not had a preservative sealant applied within the last 2-3 years, it’s time to do it.

Protect your family and guests. Perform this vital checkup every year.

Then go out and have a party!