How To Perform Deck Inspections Video Course

Research & Writing Assignment:

This is an image illustrating the minimum requirement for clearance between untreated wood and grade. Code requires the top of the footing to be a minimum of 12 inches above grade and untreated wood to be a minimum of 18 inches above grade.

Inspection & Writing Assignment:

I presently don’t have access to a deck, per say, they are pretty rare in my neighborhood, so I have attached photo of a covered pool deck area, with outdoor furniture. The photoed area has similarities characteristics for social events such as BBQ’s as a conventional wooden deck would have.

Research & Writing Assignment:

There is more than 2 million decks built each year in North America. Of the 45 million existing decks, InterNACHI estimates that only 49% are completely safe. Most decks collapses in the summer than during the rest of the year combined.

Inspection & Writing Assignment:

When building a deck the ledger board should be properly fastened to the structure of the home. Lag screws or through bolts are the 2 most common appropriate ways to secure a deck to the structure. Nails and screws have the possibility of withdrawing from the structure when a load is out on them and therefore shouldn’t be used to secure a ledger board. Like in the picture there are just screws being substituted for bolts. To figure out how many fasteners you would need the InterNachi formula for determining it is, on center spacing in inches = 100 divided by the joist length in feet, typically you should have 2 fasteners per bay between the joists.

Research & Writing Assignment:

Exterior outlets for homes especially newer ones built after 2005 should have 1 one the front of the house and 1 on the back. They need to be GFCI protected and should have a protective waterproof cover over them. They need to be no more than 6.5 feet from the ground. For Decks when a building or adding onto a house need to have a outlet no more than 6.5 feet above the deck floor. If the deck is less than 20 sq feet than an outlet is not required. Extension cords should never be used as long term power sources for supplying power to a deck or anywhere outside. They can become frayed or tripping hazards over time and are not recommended.

Inspection & Writing Assignment:

The inspection of this wood deck revealed that the lag bolts attaching the ledger to the structure were of inadequate size and missing washers. The lag bolts were replaced with 1/2" lag bolts and the proper size washer to secure the ledger.

Research & Writing Assignment:

It is very important to properly secure the deck to the ledger with the correct size of bolts. Deck failures are mostly due to too much weight on the railing. However, deck failure has also been attributed to the deck disconnecting from the ledger and falling.

Research & Writing Assignment:

Any Deck Over 6ft tall needs added strength, to obtain this we add bracing. Any decks greater than 6 feet all need diagonal bracing from post to joist and bracing from post to girders, and all free-standing Deck Over 6ft need bracing on all sides. Lastly any deck over 60 that does not have diagonal bracing from post to joist should have bracing diagonally from corner to corner to keep the deck square and pulling away from the house.

Inspection & Writing Assignment:

An inspector will be required to inspect all of the framing in the deck assembly. Attention must be payed to the structural members that are fastened to the home. Railings are also a large point of concern that will need to be reported on.

Research & Writing Assignment:

If a structural element is in contact with soil it should always be treated wood. Common wood will rot prematurely thus causing issues with the supporting members of the deck. A pick test will need to be performed on any wood that is showing issues of rot.

Research & Writing Assignment:

Inspecting a deck. Much of what is in this article reconfirms what I learned in the class just taken. One of the main things I took away from the article is that construction of decks should follow the same guidelines or rules as the construction of a residence.

Inspection & Writing Assignment:

40 Edgehill RD Homewood Alabama. This deck is only 24 inches above grade. The safety railing meets modern day standards as far as height and the spacing of the balusters. The hand rail is made of a 2x4 which cannot be grasp.

Inspection & Writing Assignment:

This beautiful deck was installed a few inches above grade. Over the years leaves and debris have accumulated under it causing moisture to be held against the wood structure, most of the joist were completely rotted and not properly supporting the deck

Research & Writing Assignment:

Crawling under decks is a dirty job that most inspectors dont do, but its an important part of the deck inspection due to the fact that a lot of structural components can be missed by simply looking under the deck from the perimeter

Inspection & Writing Assignment:

A few defects were observed when inspecting this deck. First we can see that there’s not enough fasteners attaching the deck to the ledger board. Second the deck was greater than 6’ from the ground and there was no bracing present. Last which can’t be seen in the photo is the guardrail balustrades were spaced greater than 4". It was recommended that the client have a professional evaluate the deck for the recommended corections needed.

Inspection & Writing Assignment:

Inspecting ther deck: This home has a deck that is made out of treated lumber with 5/4 deck boards as the walking surface. The home owner has had the surface coated with a semi transparent deck stain. The deck is solid.

Research & Writing Assignment:

It is very important to check the ledger board and the way it is fastened if it is attached to the home. Most deck failures that are attached to homes fail due to the ledger board being improperly attached to the home.

Inspection & Writing Assignment:

I spent some time at my local home improvement store looking at all the available deck hardware. There were many configurations of brackets and hardware choices to accommodate all the possible needs of the deck builder. I also looked at the treated lumber sizes and options.

Research & Writing Assignment:

I looked at many of the images concerning deck inspection. It’s important to be assured the columns are sufficient thickness to support the weight and the deck is secured correctly to the structure. Braces and cross bracing is necessary to prevent collapse.

Inspection & Writing Assignment:

Here is a photo of an improperly supported deck and improper construction. The outer joist is single and bowing badly. Suggest putting another 6x6 post underneath to support the load. Deck is properly attached to the house and otherwise build well.