First time porch inspection, any advice?

Hog WashIMG_0096

1 Like

Are you telling us these are not approved? and you call them out?

Are you also telling us that if an extra lag/screw is added to form
a : : : : pattern instead of W then it is also wrong? extra lag/screw is bad? we don’t know the span of the joists… therefore we cannot know how close the fasteners should be spaced.

So again, I ask you, what is wrong? please provide detail, thank you.

1 Like

And they other thing I tried to point out Simon in my post is the deck span was only 6’ and to use a prescriptive alternate spacing on the fasteners, you are only attaching in the rim board.
I choose to use longer fasteners @ 16" so they grab each joist by 2".
Kevin does not seem to believe anything other than what is shown in the prescriptive bible they call it.
That prescriptive bible is written to meet the minimum requirements of the IRC which is a minimum standard.
Anyone with experience with those fasteners no their capacities are overwhelming.

By the book… or they get lost… it’s a sad world we live in today. No thinking or stepping outside the box. They don’t know how to judge & assess beyond the book using own “experience”.

1 Like

My judgement and assessments have served me well the last 17 years.

There are some things that we as home inspectors, shouldn’t " judge & assess beyond the book", one of those things is the construction of a deck or balcony, because I guarantee you, those who built the many decks out there that are sub-standard and that have failed, were judging & assessing beyond the book using their “experience”

And I don’t give a damn how good anyone thinks they are, if they decide to take it upon themselves to go outside of the engineering requirements of a deck or balcony without written engineering authorization, and if they were to then subsequently end up in court because of a failure or their client discovered their deck was putting them & their family in danger because their home inspector decided to “judge & assess beyond the book”, they would be ripped to shreds by any expert witness or structural engineer working on behalf of the plaintiff with a company like this - https://www.forthepeople.com/class-action-lawyers/deck-collapse-lawsuit/.

So yes, I could “judge & assess beyond the book using my own experience”, but when it comes to inspecting decks and balconies, as a home inspector, I choose not to.

I write up over 99% of the decks and balconies I inspect as defective, the vast majority are improperly installed ledgers with no flashing and improper beam to post connections.

2 Likes

You haven’t answered my question… hope you can, so we could all learn.

Until they add those fasteners to the prescriptive bible, and until they change the bolt pattern to meet your new design, I’ll write them up everytime I see them. :wink:

I answered your question 3 posts back.

Here it is again.

See page 16 figures 19 & 20.
https://www.awc.org/pdf/codes-standards/publications/dca/AWC-DCA62015-DeckGuide-1804.pdf

You’re entitled to your opinion. Some inspectors now better. That all I have to say.
I know what works and know what doesn’t regardless if it is in writing or not.

1 Like

When I was fastening a ledger today I was thinking of this post, I fasted the ledger board with 5/16 x 51/8 GRK lag bolts, I spaced them 16 in. on center screwing them through the ledger, 1/2 ply, 1 1/2 box beam, and into the ends of the floor joist. I did not go by the Deck Bible. O NO!!. The deck was only 5’ x 9’. You could have parked a truck on it.
grk-fasteners-lag-bolts-96010-64_400_compressed :cowboy_hat_face:
The future HI is going to call this one out.

1 Like

For sure, they will have no idea what those are and how long they are and what they are screwed in because they do not have any idea how to find out. And unless it is in black and white. they will call it a defect.
Big waste of time because no one will do anything about it and it is not a defect when fasteners have been approved by the IBC and IRC.
Layout deviation perform as deemed necessary to obtain optimum capacity of fastener and ledger attachment. LOL

2 Likes

Column not secured.
Fasteners not corrosion resistant.
d2

The 8 ft. gray plastic deck ledger flashing fits over the deck ledger and behind the siding for protection from water damage, It is recommended for pressure-treated lumber. :cowboy_hat_face:


they aint buying the house anyways lol