I am watching the “How to Perform Deck Inspections Video Course” now. thanks.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
The deck was inspected from the ground up. The deck stairs have collapsed and have no rails. The deck does not have adequate footing support. The deck is deemed unsafe for the inspector to walk. The inspector should stop and report deck as a safety issue.
Research & Writing Assignment:
From the Library of Inspection Articles, the Inspecting a Deck, Illustrated article was chosen. The article is very detailed when it comes to things like safety, measurements, and deck support. The article also mentions that in North America, only 40% of existing decks are considered safe; additionally, deck failure could lead to injury and death. Most of deck collapses, according to the article, occur due to separation of the deck from the house. The article also shows which locations are not acceptable when building a deck, for example if it obstructs a basement bedroom emergency exit window or if it obstructs septic tank accesses, it should not be assembled in that location.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
The image attached shows a ledger board attached to the exterior wall for a deck. The image shows incorrect placement of fasteners for attaching the ledger board. The lag screws are placed vertically and should be offset. The picture also shows the first set of fasteners less then 5 inch from the edge of the ledger board.
Research & Writing Assignment:
From reading the article Inspecting a Deck, Illustrated I learned that most decks collapse during the summer. I believe this is because that is when most people are using there decks do to having nice weather so they are out on it enjoying it which increases the live loads.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
Inspection and Writing Assignment
Where I live in Florida very few decks so had to use a photo from the web.
Treated 6x6 used for post and post properly secured to concrete footer (Sonotube) using anchoring hardware. Right side girder properly placed (directly on top of post) and properly secured to girder using anchor. Question left side girder as it does not sit directly on top of post.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Research and Writing Assignment
Deck Ledgers
With about 90% of deck collapses being attributed to ledger board separation from the house, properly inspecting the ledger board and connection is critical for safety. InterNachi provides a rule of thumb for determining number of fasteners, “on-center spacing of ledger fasteners in inches = 100 joist length in feet”.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
In a previous inspection of mine, I came across this deck/balcony.
In this image, we can see that this particular deck/balcony is in quite some poor disrepair. Much of the damage was caused by moisture. Wood members were rotting, handrails were very weak, steps were springy and/or loose.
I recommended to the client that they have this deck demolished.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
As seen in this picture while the facia board is in good working condition, the soffit was cut to short to completely incase and protect. The opening is approximately 2 inches leaving plenty of room for bees and or wasps to move in and create there nests. I’m not as worried about water intrusion as the notches allow for any water to disperse and fresh air is allowed in and out. Recommend the proper length of soffit be installed.
Research & Writing Assignment:
I studied a photo of a roof and wall junction using the proper kickout and step flashing for proper drainage and protection of the join/seem of the roof and wall. unable to get the exact measurements from the photo but caulking and wall sheathing are properly in place for home protection.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
This is a photo of an enclosed deck. This particular deck was supported by joist and posts. However this deck did not have the proper flashing behind the ledger board. The joist were properly fastened with joist hangers as well as using the correct inch bolts and washers.
Research & Writing Assignment:
According the the NEC (National Electrical Code) outdoor receptacles should be enclosed in a sealed casing and should be GFCI protected. All 15 and 20 amp receptacles located outdoors should be within a weatherproof enclosure and sealed to prevent water intrusion. In addition, no extension cords should be used as this promotes hazardous conditions.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
There are several factors to consider when inspecting decks and porches. Safety is the biggest priority when inspecting them. They need to be properly attached and built. An often overlooked safety issue is in regard to railing baluster spacing. The gap between balusters should not exceed 4 inches. This gap is important so that small children will not be able to squeeze through and potentially fall out or off the deck or porch.
Research & Writing Assignment:
There are several aspects of inspecting a deck or porch. Safety should be the highest priority while doing these inspections. An often overlooked part of the inspection are the outdoor electrical receptacles. Not only are the receptacles required, but they must not be more than 6 and a half feet above the deck, they must be GFCI protected, and they must be housed in a weatherproofed enclosure for moisture protection.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
This deck was constructed using wood framing and wood decking. As can be seen at the left end of the photo, there is a butted joint in the beam at the rear edge of the deck. This can cause sagging over time and even failure. The strength of the beam is potentially reduced in comparison with an appropriate beam constructed in a single span. At the right side of the photograph one can see that although the post was notched to allow the beam to rest on top of part of the post, the beam is not seated properly into the cut. This connection still relies on the fasteners (shear strength) rather than transferring pressure directly to the post.
Research & Writing Assignment:
Inspecting a Deck, Illustrated.
There are over 45 million decks in the United States with only approximately 45 million being considered safe. People perceive decks as periphery items and not real structures which must be designed and installed with care. There are in fact a myriad of safety issues with many decks. The most serious of these are those which may lead to deck collapse including those which result in the separation of the house and the deck ledger board accounting for approximately 90% of deck collapses.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
This is an image of an outdoor receptacle. The receptacle has a GFCI protection that appear to be operational . The receptacle has a weather cover appropriate for an outdoor receptacle. Having a receptacle outlet installed outside this balcony reduces the risk of tripping over an electrical cord and eliminates all the dangers of using an extension cord like using an under gauge cord for the intended use .
Research & Writing Assignment:
I choose the image of cantilevered floors. In a deck construction ,joist should not cantilever more than 1/4 joist length or 3 times the joist depth, whichever is smaller. This measure in nominal depth. A deck construction may appear simple , however it should not be taken lightly. It needs to be secure and well constructed because it is a place that is expose to the elements and it must hold heavy loads.
Inspection & Writing Assignment:
The attached photo depicts the proper deck construction of guards/railings (4" sphere vertically or horizontally), deck boards (1/8" spacing between boards), electrical outlet installed (minimum sq/ft), deck boards are installed over the minimum of 4 support joints, and all deck board hardware is recessed to prevent injury.
Research & Writing Assignment:
The selected article was Deck Receptacles. All decks larger than 20 sq/ft must have a receptacle. The receptacle must have a moisture protection face plate/cover and be not more than 6 1/2’ above the deck surface. The main reason for the receptacle is safety. The use of extension cords is dangerous and can cause many different injury’s (fires, trip hazard, overloading circuits, and shocks.