New Construction Inspection and Deck Piers

I would have called that out…

1 Like

Good pic of misalignment of the columns and the up and down piers.
Also, I wonder why they would not have snapped off this cluster of aluminum form ties from the wall when removing the forms.

1 Like

I was wondering the same thing Marcel, they smacked off the rest of them… like I mentioned earlier, must have been the moonshine…

I’ve used these before for decks, they actually work pretty good especially when somebody uses a backhoe to dig the holes. I just didn’t like having to backfill them, in a bigger hole they could tip over if you weren’t careful. Easier just to drill a hole and fill it with concrete. LOL.

5’ 6" tall swinging a hammer might reach a little over 8’ with no ladder lol! New construction and gutters haven’t even been installed. Guessing there was still some “clean up” to do…but maybe not… :wink:

1 Like

I am with Marcel. The piers appear to placed in fill material. The piers should be anchored into natural soil. The fill material will move downhill over time and will take those piers with it. My gut feeling is the piers are all in fill material and the deck would end up as firewood down in that ravine.

4 Likes

I would suggest a transversal beam connecting all the piers 2 (2"x 10"), so if anything happened to one of the piers, its load will be distributed to the nearest piers.

Welcome to our forum, Magdy!..Enjoy! :smile:

1 Like

Thank you Larry .

1 Like

I am both a contractor that does a lot of decks & a home inspector, code is 18" diameter, posted centered! I would recommend buyer checking with local jurisdiction to find if deck was permitted & a final inspection completed. A have repaired decks with 12" sono tubes, they sink, 1 deck I repaired on a similar slope sunk 3+ inches at the support posts! Mickey mouse construction!

2 Likes

Sono-tubes in the OP’s pics would be fine if they are reinforced and have a 24"x24" footing under them at an undisturbed depth level of that sloped embankment.
What code are you referring too that requires 18" diameter sono tube without a footing?

1 Like

The moral of the story is “Measure twice and cut once.” or in this case pour once!

1 Like

I said 18" diameter footings, if you think those sono tubes are sitting on 160’lbs of concrete 18" diameter minimal, 27" diameter is for larger projections. 24x24 is a square hole 30-36 deep depending on jurisdiction. Either way I would recommend that the buyer check with permits, IT IS NOT STRUCTURAL! 30 yrs of building decks with permits tells me that. MD & PA deck footing requirements.

Misunderstood you meant footing.

1 Like

Oh great! I have this one coming up on Tuesday. Have I been jinxed?

1 Like

Brian, the post is off center at the end and the other concrete pier is leaning.

1 Like

No, you’ve been blessed… :sunglasses:

2 Likes

I want to know what’s behind the vehicle door under the deck.

1 Like

What is wrong with people? Looks like attention to the roof is required also, hope they don’t get the same contractor that built the deck.
Maybe they hit a rock on one sono tube, so they could not keep it plumb and the same height as the other that shifted offline when they poured it. LOL

1 Like

A pretty nice collection of toys

1 Like