I’ve had correctly installed decks, over the years, that I can count on 2 hands.
Cover your A$$!!
Same here Larry. Decks seem to be the “go-to” project for homeowners wanted to DIY.
He should have known that ledger would fail 7 years later. Should have written, “Will fail suddenly some time in the future.”
Another last man in knows that the other guy screwed up. Sorry guys, decks don’t last forever.
Do you put that into reports?
Seven years later? I call BS.
Sure, every report -front page, whether they have a deck or not! Dumb ass.
Robert, I was being serious. If you claim the deck can suddenly collapse anytime in the future even though it was constructed properly you would scare people from using it for no good reason. Recommending the deck be inspected yearly for any failures to ensure it is structurally sound for future use is one thing… but to state the deck is about to collapse at anytime implies the deck is unsafe and needs correction.
Everybody else understood it as sarcasm, but you didn’t. That’s pretty lame.
I hope the inspector counter sues the engineer who said “it was the inspectors fault”.
The engineer could have said it was the original design, installation, failure of materials or maintenance. Now the HI has to defend his inspection and his reputation. Infuriating.
A good lawyer is going to make the engineer look like a fool.
But, but…he is an expert witness! 
How often do we see newbie inspectors asking about being contacted for expert witness work on this MB??
Surprised this doesn’t happen more often. I’ve seen way too many reports from inspectors who totally ignore ledger attachment issues and under report and/or write too soft on deck issues. Like Larry said, I can probably count the number of well constructed decks I’ve seen on one hand (prior to 2015) And it’s an area of the home where people can suffer serious injuries which means big $ settlements, as you can see from the article. Every inspector here needs to start taking these issues more seriously and your reports need to reflect that.
I just had one a month ago where the previous deal fell through and I did an inspection for the second buyer. The agent disclosed the first inspection from a month earlier. The inspector only called out the 4” railing spacing on the deck. This deck had serious issues. The deck was attached to a cantilever and had a single beam, did not have flashing or proper bolt attachment, no graspable handrails, the stair landing was improperly supported and leaning significantly, the joist hangers were rusted and deteriorated, and the stairs did not have a center stringer and flexed significantly. My report called all of these out and the previous inspector only called out the railing spacing which the seller fixed before my inspection. The previous inspection was conducted by a veteran inspector with many years of experience. He’s lucky his client didn’t purchase the home, as he would have been open to serious liability that was clearly visible at time of inspection. Time to start writing harder guys.
Too often the deck never gets loaded to its potential, that’s why. Just like kitchen cabinets installed with drywall screws. If you don’t load the cabinets with heavy ceramic dishes to a brim, they probably won’t snap. I still, however, call out the improper screws because we have no idea how the new homeowner is going to utilize the space.
