I remember when my dad and I built my deck. When the building inspector came over he started laughing. He looked at my dad and said”Are you going to drive a bulldozer across this deck?” Everything my dad built was built to last. Miss you pops🤙
Yeah, my amateur home repair work might turn out a little crooked, but I figure I make up for it by wasting some of the money I'm saving on higher-rated materials than any sane professional would use. Double the recommended rating for $150 instead of $100? That's a bargain!
About 30 years ago i built a 12x24 deck behind my house. I'm an auto mechanic, not a carpenter. I researched deck building, asked a few friends questions and even went to the library and took out a few books on how to do it. I didn't get a permit to build it and someone must have said something, because a building inspector showed up when i wasn't home to inspect it. My wife said the guy went out on it, looked around, then jumped on it a few times. Then he said, " who built this, your husband?) My wife was nervous and said yes, why. He said, i can tell because its built with over kill. This deck is probanly sturdier that the house, he did one hell of a job. Just tell him to get the railings up as soon as possible. She asked if he was. Oming back to inspect the rail, he said nah, it will be ok. He signed off on it and that was that. Never built another one.
I am horribly unhandy, but how you went about preparing for the build is how I would do it, and also go in with overkill, to make sure no one got "killed" by my not-so-handiwork.
@@vvhitevvabbit6479 There's an old saying - Make something idiot proof and they'll make a better idiot. Well... I think the guy that built this deck *is* the better idiot.
Probably not. They probably got 3 bids and couldnt believe it would cost 5,000 in labor to hire a carpenter so they hired some drug addict. And theyll complain about contractors the rest of their lives.
@@boonehoustonexactly. Tired of homeowners complaining about a terrible end product when they didn’t do their research when they chose a contractor. Guy probably wasn’t even licensed and insured. Clearly he had no idea what the hell he was doing. It’s just as much their fault as his. They probably didn’t bother to ask to see his other work.
I could easily build that properly in 2 days, probably less. Built at home with a more sensible choice of material, for less than 500 euro. Anyone who can’t be bothered to learn a bit of basic diy is going to be ripped off. As someone said, this might have been built by a poor carpenter with a cannabis habit.
my thoughts are why are you walking around on that thing? I’m by no means a carpenter, but if I was to decide on building a deck, I’d do *tons* of research prior to cutting the first board. it’s a bit of a faux pas to invite your friends over for a party and then have many of them injured in a collapse situation.
In my 47 years as a carpenter, I've probably built North of 300 decks. In the late 80's they were all the rage and we were knocking out more than 30 a year for a while. I've seen and fixed some horrific things, even worse than this disaster. This is a complete tear off. There's nothing here to save except maybe some wood for other projects. And the worst part about this kind of stuff is that the homeowner or contractor that ruined this lumber pile this was undoubtedly proud, and probably even bragged about his carpentry "skills" to whoever would listen. Guys like this are part of the reason some inspectors are so hostile. They're sick and tired of the constant battle with idiots.
bro..! the goofballs didn't even go end to end with width of the house for pete sakes, smh. them star are chin stitches waiting to happen carrying groceries,, LMFAO..!
As a carpenter of 39 years I echo your thoughts and I will add one more to it. When I was doing decks for my own customers and not for the builder, I learned very quickly to put my drafting skills to use and provide scaled drawings for the building inspector. I've never had any issues
Its videos like this that get me in trouble... I see someone else do an awful job and think i can do it better... Next thing ya know the car doesnt run anymore
I'm the same way. There is usually a moment of worry about halfway through when the unforeseen issues start popping up. I sawzalled the kitchen and bathroom floors out one and then accidentally shattered the toilet when it fell off the porch.
You really are an avid RUclips watcher Dan, that or we have a similar algorithm, I come across you and Baker’s comments on random videos all the time. Cheers
My dad retired last year from his position as city building official. He got so depressed because he just wanted to keep people safe and everyone hated him for it; he got yelled at by homeowners who didn't follow his instructions, he got yelled at by contractors who were cutting corners, he got yelled at by the council for everyone else yelling about him to them. Thank you for your work and for having those uncomfortable conversations. I know the stress can be high.
To be fair, a lot rules are ludicrous and lots of inspectors are imbeciles. I've had firsthand experience with veritable morons who in no way should have had the position of inspector of anything but had it had because they were related to the mayor or the his father's brother's sister's cousin's former roommate. While there are good ones, they have a bad rep for a reason.
both of you make a valid point. I've been an elevator inspector for 25 years. if it's wrong, I write up a violation. some inspectors are not doing their job. some are tyrants.
I am a DIYer who has done a lot of major remodeling. I always do my work with permits, and I have found that inspectors have been very helpful and have helped me correct mistakes that could have created problems down the road. Building codes are not irrational nor arbitrary. I, for one, appreciate building inspectors.
@@billnancyrussell9021 In a past life I was a partner in a small contractor business. We were wiring the house for low-voltage. Audio and video. We were working in the attic and disovered exposed live leads (I think it was 12/2) laying in the insulation, as well as well damaged sheathing exposing the wires in another location, also laying in the insulation. We got the home-owner and showed him. He shook his head and told us his brother-in-law did the work, that he'd be by later, and asked us to show him. The brother-in-law shows up, we show him, and in the most stoner way possible he laughs, scratches his head and says, "Ohhh, man. Cool. Thanks, dude." His brother-in-law was the local inspector. Lol
Believe it or not. That's not the worst I've seen. But it ranks right up there with the worst I've seen category. I feel for the home owner and yes it should be taken down completely by the people who built it and the money returned in full. Then the person or people that built it should have to pay a real contractor to come back and build it correctly.
Yeah…I couldn’t care less if people like it, as long as it’s solid and straight and it lasts. Building a deck seems to be a big deal for a lot of the commentators. I used treated larch fence rails for mine, and put flashing above the frame members so it never gets wet, and only a tenner each for the lengths.
I feel like a lot of the shoddy work on this deck actually seemed more technically difficult than just building it the right way. Like that small board spanning two joists, or that board that seemed split in half. It just seems easier to replace a full board. You’re not saving much money patching it together, and you’re wasting a whole bunch of time and making a bad, ugly deck.
@phillipbarnes3452 @phillipbarnes3452 you would think, but don't underestimate how cheap people can be about materials and avoiding another trip to the hardware store. A friend of mine and myself have both bought project houses. Our running joke when we do some demo work and uncover previous work is "Bob/Mark wasn't handy". (The previous owners). Both were dedicated DIYiers. Both seemed to go out of their way to do a terrible job.
The builder had never heard the term "On Center". Well, for that matter, he had never heard of plumb, level, secure, solid, standard, accountability, integrity, workmanship, minimum requirements, allowable span, anchored, quality and my personal favorite: Building Code
What prides-manship that unfortunately very few people have anymore. I was taught at an very early age how would you feel when someone comes behind you years later and says Oh my god who did this?
@@prmayner... I thought the same thing when I found out the floor in my kitchen was simply built ON TOP OF the old floor! 😡 The dummy just thought it'd be faster to slap another floor on the old one rather than tear it all up... now my dishwasher can't be removed and is permanently stuck under the kitchen counter. 🤦
@@ryta1203 Sometimes. The thing about the "premium guy" is, he has a warranty. I'll have his ass out come back out 4-5 times for free until it's fixed correctly 🤣🤣
@@ryta1203 Good luck having that mentality that you never need to call anyone more experienced than you for a repair. One day you'll always need someone else whether it's to fix your car, refrigerator, washing machine, electrical outlet etc. It doesn't matter. The utility company rips you off right now as I'm typing. Grocery stores rip you off with high prices. EVERYBODY will get ripped off at some point in their lives. Thinking it will never happen to you is just silly 🤣
I'm not a carpenter or a builder by any means, but even I can see that won't hold up for very long. The most astounding part, to me, is the lack of support for the stairs.
I think the lack of support along the wall is even more egregious. You just know that's gonna rip out and that side will fall down against the house. The stairs will probably have a max of two people on them ever, but you could have a lot more people's weight in total on the deck itself.
Idk man, i build all the time and this guy is coming at this shit talking shit about spacing of shit etc, fuck off buddy. Tell him to pay for the fixes or talk to a shutgun. Looks good from my house
@@buyamerican3191 thats why there are soo many idiots larping as carpenters, landscapers etc. the barrier of entry is definitely the lowest cost out of any work only one that might beat it as cheaper is cleaning, maybe. even then floor waxers arent cheap.
Was thinking the same thing! They were so into salvaging what was a horrible plan, they didn't realize starting over would have probably saved more time! lol
Contractor for over 40 years…eating my lunch and stumbled on this…it’s a start over for me…the revisions would take as long as rebuild..and once your name is attached to such a project..the stink gets on you regardless of how little you were involved…so tear down and rebuild or walk away!
If it was just the decking, or even the rim joist, I think it could be salvages. The ledger board I think is what makes it a do-over. I am not even sure what it is fastened to and it needs flashing.
I agree ive been a contractor for 35 years and have built easily over 100 decks, in my opinion a smart contractor is not going to try to "fix" this mess because once you touch it you own it. Rip it out salvage materials, if you can, and rebuild it.
Reminds me of a fence I had built for us. Came home from a weekend trip, excited to see the progress.... everything that could be wrong, was. Planks not vertical, meeting in the middle with a "special v cut", not level, posts between only 12 and 18 inches deep ( I pulled them all by hand)..... that was my lesson in "get what you pay for", and "if you can do it, you should just do it". I rebuilt it all myself, over 10yrs later it still stands and looks good
@@afridgetoofar1818that's moore like a 4ft fall, when you're unprepared and have objects falling unpredictably with you, serious injuries can occur 🤷♂️
When I was a newly married kid about 32 years ago, I built a cedar deck off the back of our house. It was a good size, 12' x 26' if I recall. I went to home depot and bought one of those "How" To books, as well as hit our local video store and picked up every VHS tape I could find on deck building. I never pulled a permit, but built that thing to withstand anything our planet could throw at it. The under structure was all pressure treated wood, with the decking and railings all cedar. It's still standing today.
@@justadbeer heard this joke the other day If you were my wife, I'd put poison in your coffee , If you were my husband I'd drink it 🤔🤣🤣🤣🤣 congrats on being married 37 years 👍👍 blessings to ya both
I have 30 years as a carpenter and I can say this deck is very dangerous. If you have a refrigerator delivered or friends over for a barbeque on that deck, people are going to be hurt.
Yeah... I didn't see the issue with that until he showed that it wasn't a 2x6... 😬 That's one of those really bad issues that'd be hard to notice if you weren't paying close attention and actually looked under the board.
@jasono2139 2x6's are for joists. When a rim joist serves the purpose of a beam as that one was doing, 6" don't cut it. Ky code called for 2 2x8's for each of the beams in my deck, I went with 3 each for durability. With tighter post spacing you can cut down to 2x6's, but code likely requires you to double up for beams, and notch them to the posts, never just bolt them.
@@Flamingtac0 ehhh... you're probably right about "code" engineering wise though. A 2x6 would likely be fine for 90% of people's uses, but the building codes assume the deck needs to last 50+ years and have a 3 ton truck parked on top of it. When you actually do the engineering calculations, you'll find that even x3 bolts and that trim board would hold a whole party of buffet goers at least once.
@@TimTimTomTom it's a deck... not the main floor to a 3 story house. 🙄 Do you even have any clue how much weight a SINGLE 10' long 4x10 could hold in the middle of the span?? I'd guess that it's between 3 to 5 TONS. There's zero reason to build a deck like that to hold PEOPLE... especially once you add the floor boards on top that help distribute the load.
When I was building my deck, I went to Lowes and asked some of the "construction" people how to go about building it, and they basically told me to do it the way you see it here. Since then, I've learned otherwise, but the deck I built in 2011 is still standing and is in good shape, as well as being pretty solid. I did not connect it to the house, but used concrete pillars instead. I'm still learning which is why I like channels like yours. It teaches me how to do things correctly.
Lowes "construction" people were waiters last week. I cannot believe people think these associates at the big box stores have a skillset like that but choose to walk around Lowes.
Trying to get free professional instruction - don't blame them. Stores don't send employees out building houses for training. They can give product information- what it can and can't do.Fair for 17/hour or whatever they pay. The deck builders are out building decks for good money!
Built my first deck alone a few decades ago. A neighbor across the street was a structural engineer and county inspector. After I finished the deck, I decided to invite him over to take a look. He said, oh it's not going anywhere and are you driving tanks onto it? I was the opposite of this video as I knotched 8x8s every 8ft for 16' x 20' and achcored them with 3ft deep footings, used 2x12 joists and along with 4x6 railing posts on footings. It's all still there exactly how it was the day i finished except for new deck boards. I still overbuild most everything as it never seems to change the costs more than 15% and I'm just happier and more comfortable with the outcome. Built some bunk beds last year...just use your imagination.
When I saw just that small amount of friction affixed this abomination's ledger board to the foundation; I freaked-out, too. I would have RED TAGGED several immediate causes for FAILING inspection. Actually, ... I would have decorated that deck with RED TAGS ... Staple gunned ... atop each other ... with LOTS of staples. A quarter of a mile of YELLOW CAUTION tape. Some more Staples. Oh, geeze. I gotta run-back to the office for a minute. I'm outta staples!!!
Yeah, those looked like construction screws to me. Even if they put a ton of those in they shear really easily. Yet it looked like they used maybe four or five to hold the entire deck up? I wouldn't go under there.
You know the scary thing about this is that I've seen many decks that are a lot worse than this. I used to work for an inspection company in the Astoria, OR area, so the amount of not only shoddy work (typical here), but also just super old and decrepit made the whole situation worse. It got to the point that I wouldn't walk on most decks (no matter how good they looked inititially) without inspecting under it first.
These kind of faults are why I like watching these kinds of videos. I wouldn't have seen hardly any of these mistakes unless someone pointed them out. Thanks much.
please keep watching them then, people who build things this badly need to be prevented from building anything else in the future, this is the sort of thing that gets people hurt. that "deck" was built about as well as 8 year kids scrap wood tree fort.
One of those things you don't pay attention too until you faceplant the deck boards because you happened to be the last one to use the steps before they gave up the ghost.
ABSOLUTELY tear it all down and start over. It's incredible how it almost resembles a deck if you squint, but upon any inspection is an absolute nightmare how poorly it is assembled. the material is literally almost all there to make a decent (albeit slightly smaller, wrongly fastened) deck. amazing. thanks for sharing.
If they can't get it torn down at the least it needs to be secured properly to the house with larger bolts, the stairs need to be secured properly to the deck, the front board needs replacing with something thicker, larger bolts to hold it to the posts (can get away without notching), and the short deck floorboards replaced. It'll still be built a bit rough but it'll be safe then. After a few years everything doesn't look great anyway, I've done stuff perfectly and in a few years the wood warps and moves anyway
Or just have a 'one at a time' rule. Only one person at a time on the deck, no furniture, no lingering. Just pass over it. One at a time. Don't paint it either, it probably can't take the weight of the stain/paint!
I grew up with parents that always worked on our homes, long before the house-flip fad. Not for profit, but for personal investment in a home. My father was obsessive about doing it right. I don't know if I'll ever get to own a home in todays world, but I still like watching these to learn the most important details: What NOT to do!
I’ve made mistakes on projects but this one looks like it was built by a stage set builder where nothing is to code but looks fine from a distance. I was worried for you when you walked up the stairs! It’s good to see the problems from an inspectors view. Thanks!
@@chazp3496 Haha, yeah this deck doesn’t even look like it’s safe to stand on. What kills me is they must have spent a small fortune on the cedar boards, but whoever did it didn’t even bother to watch a few RUclipss on deck building or buy a how-to book. There’s so much good info out there, but I guess some people just want to slap things together.
This is why building codes are so important. I’m a builder in East Tennessee and I’m constantly surprised how bad things are built down here… I suppose that’s what one gets when they’re so anti government regulations.
I am not a carpenter but have built 5 decks in my time and without doubt whomever built this one doesn’t have a clue, it is a bundle of dangerous mistakes. He had no idea of structural integrity needed- imagine a dozen people partying on this deck!
I wish we had an inspector like you when we bought our house. The deck on the house was secured not to the house but the trim. It collapsed when I was walking on it, and I was injured. There was nothing we could do.
I was looking at a house to buy. I liked it and I was thinking of putting in an offer. Was talking with my real estate agent about it while standing on the back deck when the deck board gave way and I fell through. I didn't put in an offer on that one after all! Who knows what the maintenance on the rest of the house was like?
@@juzoli Good luck with that.. I had a house in NY that "passed inspection" and the deck was held in with 3 nails. I tore it down and rebuilt it, went to sell the house and the town made me spend 2500 to get an engineering firm to sign off on the structure I put up and pay for permit fees.. Permits are just money grabs as many contractors grease the locals to let them build like shit...
Built by a cousin of a friend who is a carpenter of sorts. I particularly like the way the sonotube can collect water and rot the 4x4 at the base. Don't go in the house and examine the electric upgrades. They were probably done by another friend of a cousin.
Every time I cut a board too short a guy I worked with would always say "Piss on it, it will swell up" then it was said about anything that was wrong with something. "The wind blew over our trusses last night" Mike: PISS ON IT! He'd always manage to sneak that into a serious situation that would make everybody laugh.
After cutting a 1x6 too short, my shop teacher had me go next door to the other shop class and ask the instructor for that class if I could have the "board widener". I did as instructed and the teacher of the other class pointed out a 200lbs anvil on the floor. He had a couple of guys from the class help me put it on a dolly. All of them had a smirk on their faces as I wheeled this thing next door. We had a storage area that was above the shop's "office" and drafting room.... My teacher told me to lay the board on the floor and take the anvil up the stairs and drop it on the board to "widen" it. I was 13 years old, in the 8th grade. Along with some laughter and the stupid look on my face, he then explained the "measure as many times as necessary and cut only once" rule. That was a lesson I had to learn only one time. I made some errors over the years doing some woodwork...but that is one I never made again... The problem with this deck is an overall lack of respect for the trades, tradesmen and the fact that carpentry/woodwork is a craft and skill and even when done only on the weekends or as a hobby, one should exercise respect for it as well as other trades. Trade Schools are a necessary part of any society... One of the dumbest things ever was removing funding for trade and shop classes in public schools. They are an invaluable part of a boy's upbringing (yeah...and any girls who are interested too). It's a damned shame. sidenote: the anvil remained in our class until the following semester when another "new-to-wood-shop" student made a similar error. The two wood shop instructors used that anvil as a "teaching tool" for many years.
Another big problem, though, is that getting quality decking lumber is becoming very difficult. I have bought treated lumber that had incomplete treatment and developed rot far ahead of the norm. Knotted lumber is no longer culled much, and it really is a pain to work around.
Agreed. Even roof trusses and engineered floor trusses are garbage compared to only 5 years ago. At least in my area the building inspectors are powerless as long as these trusses carry the stamp. In one case I had to go back after the inspection and reinforce the floor joists. It is getting ridiculous.
yep, i had to replace the ramp on our deck, and it took a visit to multiple yards to get decent lumber for that small project. nearly every decking board was warped, knotted or cracked. we went through hundreds at my local lumber store before finding the the 16 i needed for my build. crazy
@@charliewatts6895you definitely have to buy about 1/4 or 1/3 extra if buying for delivery. When I go to a big box for lumber I swear I spend 1.5 hours tearing through the boards trying to find the usable ones for something that should take 15 minutes.
Good grief, that's a teardown. I'm always curious about what I'm going to find when I get hired for deck inspections specifically. I just inspected one about a month ago that was almost as bad as this one. I'm almost never seeing flashing over the top side of the ledger around here, even on decks that are otherwise good builds. Good content - keep up the good work!
If I paid good money I'd get them to tear it down and start again, if someone did it to help me out cheap or whatever I'd just fix it and make it safe.
I just tore down an Entryway deck and stairs leading up to it. The only thing holding the Stringers up was a 7/16” piece of OSB! When I started walking up the stairs I could feel them flex each step I took. That's when I looked over the edge and noticed the OSB. I told the homeowner that it all needed to be removed right now. Of course he wanted to beat me up on price since he already “paid once” for this to be done. I explained that taking the lowest bid to save a dollar could be why he got what he did in the first place. I have been in behind too many “contractors” fixing shoddy work, to even count.
We built our deck slightly stronger than local code allows which is 12x20 with 12' long 2x8 joists on 16" centers. The outside is supported by a TRIPLE 2x10 beam sitting directly on top 6x6 posts on 10' centers The beam is strapped to the posts on both sides with 1/4" galvanized steel brackets. The Ledger is a 2x10 with 1/2" through bolts with nuts and washers on the inside of the house double band board. We used knee braces from posts to beams to eliminate any sway (racking). This thing could support a bulldozer.
I've built,rebuilt,repaired alot of docks and decks in Florida. And have never seen such shotty work. Unbelievable!! I would absolutely be ashamed of myself if I ever left my work like that. Careful going up and down those steps. Great Job calling that out ty
Hey Amigo, How much to build me a deck (or dock) ?? People may like the Amigo price at first, but things get REAL expensive when they have to be done two or three times!! Only in Florida...
My only top anymore never attach a deck to a house, best thing to do is a free standing deck it will save you headaches later down road.. and a level is your best friend.
Where I live (Australia) decks that aren't connected to the house don't have to have a building permit or inspection. I found that out when the deck started sinking on a house that was only 3 years old that I'd bought. It was sinking because the builders had put a 4kL rainwater tank on the top of the deck instead of next to it. My first job was to get the tank off the deck. Second job was to jack up the deck again.
I haven't attach a deck to a building in 30 years and I don't build them up tight to a door threshold anymore. I tore out a deck that was 10 years old, attached to the house, and rotted out the rim joist and sheeting on the house the worse part was it had flashing but was poorly done.
Ok, couple things to fix. As just a home owner I would be damn proud of that! Problem is they under built instead of overbuild! If your not sure, go Big! Example, I would of used big ass lag bolts and washers to secure that to the property. If they pull out, dont worry about it, it's literally the apocalypse and we're all dead anyways. Thats how I build things.
That is a magnificent structure by any measure. Our builders are currently installing 5 decks at home and we could have saved at least a BMW in costs with this crew!
What sucks is a lot of these people will advertise themselves/ tell you to your face that they can build a deck, or shingle your roof, etc, and they don't have anywhere near the skill, experience, or familiarity with any of the building codes to do the job right, but will charge you as if they are a professional. Criminal, really.
Thanks for sharing. Goes to show you that some folks have not a clue. Back a couple of months ago, I was contacted a contractor to discuss build a sun room addition onto my house. I told him I would be hiring an architect who would look after the plans and applying for the building permit. The contractor said; " I would not get a building permit if I were you." With that statement, I said, I would never hire any contractor to do work without a permit. Thank goodness for building permits, and city inspectors.
In my country, you literally cannot hire a licensed contractor to do work that you require a permit for, without a permit, as that makes them liable and can lose their license. Anyone who is not licensed doing commercial work can be subject to criminal prosecution. Of course, you can do it yourself, but that can then make it difficult to sell the house.
Good idea, tear it down and start over. They should be able to reuse a lot of the material. That railing is scary and is the reason I don’t go near railings.
The labor to tear it, and labor to do the new one will cost at least 2k. This is after keeping a lot of the old wood. Most cheap homeowners will just keep it and use it, since its not too high up. If its on the second floor, then its dangerous so its better to tear it and start over.
That deck is a blessing. If you’re looking for a house and see a deck like that, it’s telling you to keep looking. If this is how the homeowner builds a deck, a showcase feature where their work is right there for everyone to see, you sure as heck know any plumbing or electrical work they’ve got hiding in the walls is the stuff of nightmares.
LOL. I saw a guy who dragged a kitchen counter and a faucet OUTSIDE, uncovered, in CHICAGO and his source was a garden hose! And he was PROUD OF THIS. It wasn't made to go outside.
I built my 10 X 10 deck using 6" post with 36" concrete foundation holes, 2 X 10 on 12" centers for all the joist, and 2 X 6 for the decking boards. Stairs and runners were all made from 2 X 12. I filled all nail holes on the joist hangers and the metal L brackets for the steps and used 5/8" bolts for attaching to the house and post. That was 25 years ago and I am confident you could park a car on it today and it would not even budge.
I tried my hand at building my own deck a couple years ago. I had never done any kind of building before and wasn't too proficient in carpentry. I took my time and learned as I went. Turns out that it went pretty well compared to this 😂
Glad it came out well. If others, like you did, would take the time to watch videos, read, and talk to the pros about any projects they're about to embark on as DIY, things will turn out good at the end.
My dad wasn't a carpenter, but he build decks and stairs and everything way before the internet made things easy, and still managed to have things to code using proper spacing, thickness, etc... Not to mention with common sense having proper fasteners and everything structurally supported. What's the scariest about this deck is that from a distance or the eyes of someone who's not observant, it doesn't look sketchy or like a redneck backwoods project so you won't even expect to fall through the stairs or small boards or slide through the railing after it rains a few times.
I think what might have happened is this: Someone was in Lowes and saw in the restroom where somebody had written on the wall “for a good time call __________”. They called the number and was asked, “Hey, how would you like to help build a deck?” In the end everyone was disappointed. They ended up working all day on someone else’s deck and had to buy their own pizza at the end of the day, and the deck wasn’t done anywhere near right.
Most likely the homeowner built that deck for better selling price....and now the place is for sale....thus the inspection. That deck has "Do It Yourself" written all over it.
Number one reason for deck failure is pulling away from the house. The lag screws, or lack there of, shows you that the rest of the work is suspect at best. Good call out! 🤙😎
I was looking at houses a few years ago and the one had a deck where every post was leaning the same amount in the same direction. I could only surmise the entire house slid downhill an inch or two and pulled the deck over with it. I liked the house, and that slip *probably* happened soon after construction years ago, but it still was enough to make me move on.
Usually the way of it, yeah. My old man often said when doing a project, pick two of these three... I. Quick. II. Cheap. III. Quality. Pick any two, understanding you can't ever have all three. Clearly this home owner went with the first two.
The home owner was probably some old lady who complained about how many fasteners they were going to use and insisted on not having any scraps left over. I've run into this quite a bit and you can't ration with clients of this mind set. They think you're wasting their money if they see a two foot piece of scrap lumber in a pile. Then when the job is completed they don't want to pay because they think you wasted their money.
@@baldmanariz Quite likely. I am reminded here of the old courtroom saying that he who acts as his own lawyer has a fool for a client. I feel this could also be applied to other specialized fields as well.
Lol, I just built a 8x24 deck (not attached to house) and I messed up a little bit, I'm a first time builder. but that deck here is scary. Whoever built that just didn't care.
Safe to say if they built it so cheaply and shoddy to begin with they would prob not be able to afford tearing it down and redoing it anyway. Best to tear it down just for safety's sake.
My dad and grandpa are carpenters, so I grew up in the trade. I do pretty much all my own home improvement work, and I know some of the finish work could look better if an expert did it...but I just can't imagine someone building that thinking it was even close to acceptable.
As a certified building inspector for a few years in a large municipality and a licensed architect, I have seen some bad, unsafe, non-conforming decks constructed by unlicensed contractors, but this deck is by far the worst. Best advice for residential clients: Make sure the contractor is licensed. Make sure the contractor has insurance. Make sure there is a formal contract with design drawings/specifications, a scheduled start and completion date, including a scheduled payment plan based upon satisfactory completion milestones and/or successful inspections. Make sure that ONLY the contractor applies for and obtains a building permit and not the client. Make sure that the contractor commits to the required inspections, in accordance with the building code. Make sure there is an understandable line-item estimate. The contract should account for unforeseen conditions and contingency procedures. Ask for references and review other completed construction. Speak to other clients of the contractor. Understand, if the contractor is local and how long the contractor has been in business. Understand the contractor's workforce. The contractor shall coordinate with dig-safe prior to any excavations and conform to OSHA standards.
At least this one is only 3 or 4 feet above grade. I was visiting a friend this weekend with a 3 tiered massive deck that was 30 feet above grade on the top tier. I noticed the stairs were now pulling away with a 5degree outward droop....the middle tier (biggest) was drooping in the middle. This was built by the housing contractor 25 years ago. I saw a lot of these tricks and shoetcuts in that deck when I just happened to walk under it to get a bag from my car. Wow...more common than one thinks. Likely a $50000 -75k replacement or better. Really no way to fix it that wouldn't make it even worse.
As a female on my 50s I single handedly built a freestanding 4 x 8 deck for my above ground pool. Between you tube and the internet I was able to determine what the right way was and if anything overbuilt it. Lot of compliments from the guys. Is it perfect-no but pretty close.
Good on you! That's often the maddening part. Information is so easy to access these days. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of videos and websites that will explain the proper deck construction process step by step. Even the rank amateur really has no excuse these days beyond laziness.
After watching this video I can’t help but wonder why I bothered to waste my time getting a builders license. If a guy can get away with work like this and not have to be responsible for any call backs for 18 months, I need to rethink my decision.
It almost seems like they were trying to make it in the worst possible way. They followed zero codes. Something tells me, their life story recap starting from 3rd grade would answer most of our questions.
I've seen situations like this. Usually the builder wanted to be paid in cash, had their pickup as a working address and was long gone very quickly. This deck is not only dangerous but will have a very short life span.
Probably built by the homeowner who watched a few seconds on RUclips or maybe just went to the hardware store and asked someone for the materials for a deck and just winged it.
@@Gadfly321 Having a nice pickup truck, being licensed and bonded doesn't necessarily make a contractor any good or even legitimate. Obtaining license and bonding just help make a contractor look legitimate. What makes a contractor good is to follow proper protocol, being knowlegeable of the building codes, knowing what they're doing, and doing a good job for a fair price. That and building and maintaining good customer relationships. These are things that I strived for when I had my construction and handyman business..
They spent more time on their carpentry skills creating the two by four filler. Seems that's the only workmanship on this deck, and that isn't saying much.
This is a little sad, but also really good. This was probably the homeowner trying to save some money. Now it’s gonna cost them more , they are certain things they have to hire a professional.
This is probably a GC to be honest. Any high school dropout can get their license and pass themselves off as a "professional." Go to any job site, and you will see a bunch of dudes who made a lot of life mistakes. 😂
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That 2x4 with the rip along side it was actually the best work!
I was thinking the same, that was actually a nice cut they did lol
lol yup
😂
No way it came out that perfect he had to measure it 📏
Why not just put a solid piece instead of adding a taper like that?
Thank you, to whomever built this deck, for making us all feel better about our "craftsmanship"
bahahah thats hilarious and spot on.
Never hire "I know a guy" guys to do work on your house...not even for painting, they'll screw that up, too.
If I ever built a deck to this spec. I'd expect to be run out of town strapped to the nose of a missile.
Gd I'm a god geez ohhh and my thumb hurts
I am now officially a carpenter 🤣
As bad as this is I think I'm more surprised that you walked up those stairs after showing us how poorly they were attached.
he was hoping somebody had good insurance
That's why he had the camera rolling lol
Oh please! Those stairs are fine and not going anywhere. The build crew did a fine job.
@@jamess3532 you built it, didn’t you😂😂
Okay I admit it, it was me and I stand by my work. If I stood on my work it would collapse.@@karmyleon3111
I remember when my dad and I built my deck. When the building inspector came over he started laughing. He looked at my dad and said”Are you going to drive a bulldozer across this deck?” Everything my dad built was built to last. Miss you pops🤙
@coaltrain18000, What was your old man's name. Good on him for making sure you knew the right way to do it!
Stan the man🤙
@@coaltrain18000 That's awesome dude! have a great start to your day.
@@rfugythanks, you do the same!
Yeah, my amateur home repair work might turn out a little crooked, but I figure I make up for it by wasting some of the money I'm saving on higher-rated materials than any sane professional would use. Double the recommended rating for $150 instead of $100? That's a bargain!
About 30 years ago i built a 12x24 deck behind my house. I'm an auto mechanic, not a carpenter. I researched deck building, asked a few friends questions and even went to the library and took out a few books on how to do it. I didn't get a permit to build it and someone must have said something, because a building inspector showed up when i wasn't home to inspect it. My wife said the guy went out on it, looked around, then jumped on it a few times. Then he said, " who built this, your husband?) My wife was nervous and said yes, why. He said, i can tell because its built with over kill. This deck is probanly sturdier that the house, he did one hell of a job. Just tell him to get the railings up as soon as possible. She asked if he was. Oming back to inspect the rail, he said nah, it will be ok. He signed off on it and that was that. Never built another one.
I am horribly unhandy, but how you went about preparing for the build is how I would do it, and also go in with overkill, to make sure no one got "killed" by my not-so-handiwork.
@@PlasmaCoolantLeakover-built is probably a better way to describe it
Overkill is better than the opposite problem, so that's good. 😂
Good job; proving it can be done especially if you have "overkill" in mind.
"its built with over kill"
I really did LOL at that.
This could be used to train new inspectors because it has one of everything you could get wrong on this job.
I love that idea. There should be a whole home with a carefully enumerated list of issues, and the test is to find 95% of them.
Brother, this deck has problems that you couldn't find in any book.
Bruh 💀
@@vvhitevvabbit6479 There's an old saying - Make something idiot proof and they'll make a better idiot. Well... I think the guy that built this deck *is* the better idiot.
Oh it's gonna come down. Hopefully no one gets hurt.
Sad part of this is some unsuspecting homeowner payed someone good money for that deck
Did it her self
Probably not. They probably got 3 bids and couldnt believe it would cost 5,000 in labor to hire a carpenter so they hired some drug addict. And theyll complain about contractors the rest of their lives.
@@boonehoustonexactly. Tired of homeowners complaining about a terrible end product when they didn’t do their research when they chose a contractor. Guy probably wasn’t even licensed and insured. Clearly he had no idea what the hell he was doing. It’s just as much their fault as his. They probably didn’t bother to ask to see his other work.
@@boonehouston nah
I could easily build that properly in 2 days, probably less. Built at home with a more sensible choice of material, for less than 500 euro. Anyone who can’t be bothered to learn a bit of basic diy is going to be ripped off. As someone said, this might have been built by a poor carpenter with a cannabis habit.
It escalated from “ok that’s fixable” to “burn it down” very quickly
Yea, I'm thinking "that's not that bad" then... well, it really went downhill fast! 😂
my thoughts are why are you walking around on that thing? I’m by no means a carpenter, but if I was to decide on building a deck, I’d do *tons* of research prior to cutting the first board.
it’s a bit of a faux pas to invite your friends over for a party and then have many of them injured in a collapse situation.
The color makes it look pressure treated. I hear it’s bad to burn that stuff.
The ‘builder’ is going to kill someone.
It’s OK, the Hot Tub will cover the splice in the floor boards. 🤣🤣
that's funny! of course they're ain't no way that floor is gonna handle the live load of water that shit is HEAVY!
Lmao. That hot tub would drop like a hot potato
That'll work till they fill it.
Maybe the home owner can just stack some bricks somewhere in the middle for some extra support.
there you go problem with the splice has been resolved.
In my 47 years as a carpenter, I've probably built North of 300 decks. In the late 80's they were all the rage and we were knocking out more than 30 a year for a while. I've seen and fixed some horrific things, even worse than this disaster. This is a complete tear off. There's nothing here to save except maybe some wood for other projects. And the worst part about this kind of stuff is that the homeowner or contractor that ruined this lumber pile this was undoubtedly proud, and probably even bragged about his carpentry "skills" to whoever would listen. Guys like this are part of the reason some inspectors are so hostile. They're sick and tired of the constant battle with idiots.
Amen, brother. I used to build em back in the 80s/90s in Florida. I worked for a co where we took pride in our work and guaranteed it.
bro..! the goofballs didn't even go end to end with width of the house for pete sakes, smh. them star are chin stitches waiting to happen carrying groceries,, LMFAO..!
Preach! 🫡
As a carpenter of 39 years I echo your thoughts and I will add one more to it.
When I was doing decks for my own customers and not for the builder, I learned very quickly to put my drafting skills to use and provide scaled drawings for the building inspector. I've never had any issues
Is it ignorance or apathy? Do people just not know how to build or they know and don't give a shit?
Its videos like this that get me in trouble... I see someone else do an awful job and think i can do it better... Next thing ya know the car doesnt run anymore
Yep 😂
I'm the same way. There is usually a moment of worry about halfway through when the unforeseen issues start popping up. I sawzalled the kitchen and bathroom floors out one and then accidentally shattered the toilet when it fell off the porch.
If ya manage to break your car while building a deck...I mean, I'm not even mad. That's impressive.
I know its not your normal content but I'd watch it lol
You really are an avid RUclips watcher Dan, that or we have a similar algorithm, I come across you and Baker’s comments on random videos all the time. Cheers
My dad retired last year from his position as city building official. He got so depressed because he just wanted to keep people safe and everyone hated him for it; he got yelled at by homeowners who didn't follow his instructions, he got yelled at by contractors who were cutting corners, he got yelled at by the council for everyone else yelling about him to them. Thank you for your work and for having those uncomfortable conversations. I know the stress can be high.
To be fair, a lot rules are ludicrous and lots of inspectors are imbeciles. I've had firsthand experience with veritable morons who in no way should have had the position of inspector of anything but had it had because they were related to the mayor or the his father's brother's sister's cousin's former roommate. While there are good ones, they have a bad rep for a reason.
both of you make a valid point. I've been an elevator inspector for 25 years. if it's wrong, I write up a violation. some inspectors are not doing their job. some are tyrants.
To root is the nepotism and GI. General Incompetence.
Book explains it all.
The Peter Principle.
I am a DIYer who has done a lot of major remodeling. I always do my work with permits, and I have found that inspectors have been very helpful and have helped me correct mistakes that could have created problems down the road. Building codes are not irrational nor arbitrary. I, for one, appreciate building inspectors.
@@billnancyrussell9021 In a past life I was a partner in a small contractor business. We were wiring the house for low-voltage. Audio and video. We were working in the attic and disovered exposed live leads (I think it was 12/2) laying in the insulation, as well as well damaged sheathing exposing the wires in another location, also laying in the insulation. We got the home-owner and showed him. He shook his head and told us his brother-in-law did the work, that he'd be by later, and asked us to show him. The brother-in-law shows up, we show him, and in the most stoner way possible he laughs, scratches his head and says, "Ohhh, man. Cool. Thanks, dude." His brother-in-law was the local inspector. Lol
I feel immensely better about the "shoddy" work on my own deck after seeing this work.
That's what I was thinking too 😅
Believe it or not. That's not the worst I've seen. But it ranks right up there with the worst I've seen category. I feel for the home owner and yes it should be taken down completely by the people who built it and the money returned in full. Then the person or people that built it should have to pay a real contractor to come back and build it correctly.
Yeah…I couldn’t care less if people like it, as long as it’s solid and straight and it lasts. Building a deck seems to be a big deal for a lot of the commentators. I used treated larch fence rails for mine, and put flashing above the frame members so it never gets wet, and only a tenner each for the lengths.
I feel like a lot of the shoddy work on this deck actually seemed more technically difficult than just building it the right way. Like that small board spanning two joists, or that board that seemed split in half. It just seems easier to replace a full board. You’re not saving much money patching it together, and you’re wasting a whole bunch of time and making a bad, ugly deck.
@phillipbarnes3452 @phillipbarnes3452 you would think, but don't underestimate how cheap people can be about materials and avoiding another trip to the hardware store.
A friend of mine and myself have both bought project houses. Our running joke when we do some demo work and uncover previous work is "Bob/Mark wasn't handy". (The previous owners). Both were dedicated DIYiers. Both seemed to go out of their way to do a terrible job.
As a carpenter this just blows my mind.... did kids do this? Probably won't need to tear it down it will fall on its own.
I've seen better built tree forts. This abomination is an insult to kid carpenters,
And fast
Kids would have done a better job.
Talk about a real “Mickey mouse “ job 😂
Not all decks need to be to code. By not attaching it to the house... bye bye code
The builder had never heard the term "On Center". Well, for that matter, he had never heard of plumb, level, secure, solid, standard, accountability, integrity, workmanship, minimum requirements, allowable span, anchored, quality and my personal favorite: Building Code
😂😂😂😂
What prides-manship that unfortunately very few people have anymore. I was taught at an very early age how would you feel when someone comes behind you years later and says Oh my god who did this?
Reminds me of a co-worker long ago who said to me “I hate Mike Holmes. He gives people like me a bad name”. A charlatan.
@@prmayner... I thought the same thing when I found out the floor in my kitchen was simply built ON TOP OF the old floor! 😡
The dummy just thought it'd be faster to slap another floor on the old one rather than tear it all up... now my dishwasher can't be removed and is permanently stuck under the kitchen counter. 🤦
Builder? That has homeowner written all over it.
This build has "I know a guy who can do it cheaper" written all over it 🤣
Sometimes you pay for the premium guy and still get ripped off.
@@ryta1203 Sometimes. The thing about the "premium guy" is, he has a warranty. I'll have his ass out come back out 4-5 times for free until it's fixed correctly 🤣🤣
@@Jedi_Luke Good luck with that, lol.
@@ryta1203 Good luck having that mentality that you never need to call anyone more experienced than you for a repair. One day you'll always need someone else whether it's to fix your car, refrigerator, washing machine, electrical outlet etc. It doesn't matter. The utility company rips you off right now as I'm typing. Grocery stores rip you off with high prices. EVERYBODY will get ripped off at some point in their lives. Thinking it will never happen to you is just silly 🤣
@@Jedi_Luke You missed my point: Just because someone is charging you more money for something doesn't mean they are better.
holy shit when he revealed the 2x6 is all hung on a piece of decking I lost it
As shoddy as it all is I bet it lasts ten years before collapsing. Except that stair connection. I give that maybe 2 years depending on usage.
@@jesseback353610 years? Maybe in absolutely ideal conditions, not out in the weather.
not if the fat next door neighbor stops by@@jesseback3536
had to be a diversity hire doing this
@@Convolutedtubules 10 years if it never has to bear a load and the wind never gets above 20mph lol
I'm not a carpenter or a builder by any means, but even I can see that won't hold up for very long. The most astounding part, to me, is the lack of support for the stairs.
I wouldn’t feel comfortable using those stairs.
the deck board rim joist was horrendous as well....
I think the lack of support along the wall is even more egregious. You just know that's gonna rip out and that side will fall down against the house. The stairs will probably have a max of two people on them ever, but you could have a lot more people's weight in total on the deck itself.
I've seen stairs immensely worse and done by contractors, but yea, these are garbage.
@ryans413 Same, as soon as he started climbing them I was like bold move.
As my late father used to say: "Just cause you own a hammer don't make you a carpenter."
Idk man, i build all the time and this guy is coming at this shit talking shit about spacing of shit etc, fuck off buddy. Tell him to pay for the fixes or talk to a shutgun. Looks good from my house
My dad used to say “they can sell these tools to just anybody…”
Yup, somebody buys a pickup truck and a skill saw and they're a professional builder!
@@buyamerican3191 thats why there are soo many idiots larping as carpenters, landscapers etc. the barrier of entry is definitely the lowest cost out of any work only one that might beat it as cheaper is cleaning, maybe. even then floor waxers arent cheap.
"when all you got is a hammer, all your problems look like nails"
I want to see a video of you telling the owners it needs to be removed and redone. That would make my day.
They spent way more time trying to make scraps work, then if they had done it right in the first place 😂
Was thinking the same thing! They were so into salvaging what was a horrible plan, they didn't realize starting over would have probably saved more time! lol
using scraps? or f-ing up? im thinking the latter
Word!
Contractor for over 40 years…eating my lunch and stumbled on this…it’s a start over for me…the revisions would take as long as rebuild..and once your name is attached to such a project..the stink gets on you regardless of how little you were involved…so tear down and rebuild or walk away!
If it was just the decking, or even the rim joist, I think it could be salvages. The ledger board I think is what makes it a do-over. I am not even sure what it is fastened to and it needs flashing.
Nah
Antoinette balistari job
On the positive side it wouldn't take but a few hours work to take it all apart,..
I agree ive been a contractor for 35 years and have built easily over 100 decks, in my opinion a smart contractor is not going to try to "fix" this mess because once you touch it you own it. Rip it out salvage materials, if you can, and rebuild it.
This is unbelievable. The way the stairs were connected to the deck. Wow.
I'm curious as to how the homeowners let it get so far when you clearly see the post leaning
Oh but the screws go “all the way through”🤣😂🤣
I'm guessing they added structural integrity though given the lack of a beam situated over top of those posts.
And then he climbed up them and walked around 😅
Reminds me of a fence I had built for us. Came home from a weekend trip, excited to see the progress.... everything that could be wrong, was. Planks not vertical, meeting in the middle with a "special v cut", not level, posts between only 12 and 18 inches deep ( I pulled them all by hand)..... that was my lesson in "get what you pay for", and "if you can do it, you should just do it". I rebuilt it all myself, over 10yrs later it still stands and looks good
That deck is terrifying to look at. Can you imagine this family having a house party and 7 or 8 people on this at once?
Yeah. When that would collapse under all that weight, they'd have probably everybody there, filing lawsuits against 'em!
I hope they survive the two foot fall 🙏
@@afridgetoofar1818that's moore like a 4ft fall, when you're unprepared and have objects falling unpredictably with you, serious injuries can occur 🤷♂️
Don’t worry. I doubt that will happen twice. 😅
Dance lessons
When I was a newly married kid about 32 years ago, I built a cedar deck off the back of our house. It was a good size, 12' x 26' if I recall. I went to home depot and bought one of those "How" To books, as well as hit our local video store and picked up every VHS tape I could find on deck building. I never pulled a permit, but built that thing to withstand anything our planet could throw at it. The under structure was all pressure treated wood, with the decking and railings all cedar. It's still standing today.
What about your marriage though?
@@JohnDoe-ld8nr - Still hanging in there after 37 years John!
good job. wanna build me a deck? lol
@@justadbeer heard this joke the other day If you were my wife, I'd
put poison in your coffee , If you were my husband I'd drink it 🤔🤣🤣🤣🤣 congrats on being married 37 years 👍👍 blessings to ya both
Ex got the house and still lives there today thanks to your craftsmanship. Lol
The beam being a deck board is my favorite part
I have 30 years as a carpenter and I can say this deck is very dangerous. If you have a refrigerator delivered or friends over for a barbeque on that deck, people are going to be hurt.
Im surprised you survived walking on it , much braver than I would have been
Camera man never dies
The scabbed together deck board was by far the best carpentry on that cob job. 😂😂
The 5/4 x 6 deck board as the main joist support is quite scary.
Yeah... I didn't see the issue with that until he showed that it wasn't a 2x6... 😬
That's one of those really bad issues that'd be hard to notice if you weren't paying close attention and actually looked under the board.
@jasono2139 2x6's are for joists. When a rim joist serves the purpose of a beam as that one was doing, 6" don't cut it.
Ky code called for 2 2x8's for each of the beams in my deck, I went with 3 each for durability. With tighter post spacing you can cut down to 2x6's, but code likely requires you to double up for beams, and notch them to the posts, never just bolt them.
@@Flamingtac0 ehhh... you're probably right about "code" engineering wise though. A 2x6 would likely be fine for 90% of people's uses, but the building codes assume the deck needs to last 50+ years and have a 3 ton truck parked on top of it.
When you actually do the engineering calculations, you'll find that even x3 bolts and that trim board would hold a whole party of buffet goers at least once.
@@jasono2139 2x6 would be not much better at all. That should be minimum 2-2x10's nailed together, notched into (minimum) 4x6 posts.
@@TimTimTomTom it's a deck... not the main floor to a 3 story house. 🙄
Do you even have any clue how much weight a SINGLE 10' long 4x10 could hold in the middle of the span?? I'd guess that it's between 3 to 5 TONS. There's zero reason to build a deck like that to hold PEOPLE... especially once you add the floor boards on top that help distribute the load.
When I was building my deck, I went to Lowes and asked some of the "construction" people how to go about building it, and they basically told me to do it the way you see it here. Since then, I've learned otherwise, but the deck I built in 2011 is still standing and is in good shape, as well as being pretty solid. I did not connect it to the house, but used concrete pillars instead. I'm still learning which is why I like channels like yours. It teaches me how to do things correctly.
Library has all the Time Life books. Lots of good stuff in. There.
Lowes "construction" people were waiters last week. I cannot believe people think these associates at the big box stores have a skillset like that but choose to walk around Lowes.
If people at Lowes had the skills set they wouldn't be working at Lowes.
Trying to get free professional instruction - don't blame them. Stores don't send employees out building houses for training. They can give product information- what it can and can't do.Fair for 17/hour or whatever they pay. The deck builders are out building decks for good money!
The builder was just trying to match the quality of the house foundation. 10/10
Bought a house with a flagstone foundation and hewn-log floor joists. The subfloor had an eight-inch sag in the middle.
"Make the deck look original to the house."
Are those “Jesus Bolts”holding the deck to the foundation? Operate solely on faith?
Consistent with that crap house
Built my first deck alone a few decades ago. A neighbor across the street was a structural engineer and county inspector. After I finished the deck, I decided to invite him over to take a look. He said, oh it's not going anywhere and are you driving tanks onto it? I was the opposite of this video as I knotched 8x8s every 8ft for 16' x 20' and achcored them with 3ft deep footings, used 2x12 joists and along with 4x6 railing posts on footings. It's all still there exactly how it was the day i finished except for new deck boards. I still overbuild most everything as it never seems to change the costs more than 15% and I'm just happier and more comfortable with the outcome. Built some bunk beds last year...just use your imagination.
I've said this before: "I'm not an engineer; I'm an overengineer!"
@@TomPVideo So you're a German engineer?
I mean that's pretty fair I think. If you aren't an expert who built a hundred already then overdoing it seems the safer approach.
When in doubt, build it stout. Or, if two screws work, fifty will work better.
"Stepbrothers" bunk beds 😂
When he was pointing out the ledger board not being attached well to the house I was legitimately scared for him being under there.
When I saw just that small amount of friction affixed this abomination's ledger board to the foundation; I freaked-out, too.
I would have RED TAGGED several immediate causes for FAILING inspection.
Actually, ... I would have decorated that deck with RED TAGS ... Staple gunned ... atop each other ... with LOTS of staples.
A quarter of a mile of YELLOW CAUTION tape.
Some more Staples.
Oh, geeze. I gotta run-back to the office for a minute.
I'm outta staples!!!
Maybe it was done so flimsy so anyone can lift it up ...
Yeah, those looked like construction screws to me. Even if they put a ton of those in they shear really easily. Yet it looked like they used maybe four or five to hold the entire deck up? I wouldn't go under there.
I love how people nonchalantly say "I'm building a home" or "I'm building a deck" when they're actually paying others to build it for them.
You know the scary thing about this is that I've seen many decks that are a lot worse than this. I used to work for an inspection company in the Astoria, OR area, so the amount of not only shoddy work (typical here), but also just super old and decrepit made the whole situation worse. It got to the point that I wouldn't walk on most decks (no matter how good they looked inititially) without inspecting under it first.
Hard to believe worse than that seeing it doesn't even have a beam carrying the joists. That would fail if one big guy stood midspan by the rail.
Ah, and the sea air. Take everything in account, and then speed up the decay rate.
These kind of faults are why I like watching these kinds of videos. I wouldn't have seen hardly any of these mistakes unless someone pointed them out. Thanks much.
Yeah, I think the only one I would have noticed had i been there in person would have been the crooked, wobbly railing.
please keep watching them then, people who build things this badly need to be prevented from building anything else in the future, this is the sort of thing that gets people hurt. that "deck" was built about as well as 8 year kids scrap wood tree fort.
I wouldn't build your own then. Just some friendly advice.
One of those things you don't pay attention too until you faceplant the deck boards because you happened to be the last one to use the steps before they gave up the ghost.
Exactly it’s fine. What gone happen fall from 2 feet…
ABSOLUTELY tear it all down and start over.
It's incredible how it almost resembles a deck if you squint, but upon any inspection is an absolute nightmare how poorly it is assembled. the material is literally almost all there to make a decent (albeit slightly smaller, wrongly fastened) deck. amazing. thanks for sharing.
I was most shocked when he used the stairs...
If they can't get it torn down at the least it needs to be secured properly to the house with larger bolts, the stairs need to be secured properly to the deck, the front board needs replacing with something thicker, larger bolts to hold it to the posts (can get away without notching), and the short deck floorboards replaced. It'll still be built a bit rough but it'll be safe then. After a few years everything doesn't look great anyway, I've done stuff perfectly and in a few years the wood warps and moves anyway
There also weren't enough screws in the joist holders, I'd finish those off too with the correct type
Or just have a 'one at a time' rule. Only one person at a time on the deck, no furniture, no lingering. Just pass over it. One at a time. Don't paint it either, it probably can't take the weight of the stain/paint!
what an absolute waste of manpower, tools, lumber, and hardware.... wow, sure am glad this homeowner had you come out and get things sorted out.
I was like "oh well some ppl tried to do a project but did a bad job" until i saw the screws "holding" the stairs up XD
I grew up with parents that always worked on our homes, long before the house-flip fad. Not for profit, but for personal investment in a home. My father was obsessive about doing it right. I don't know if I'll ever get to own a home in todays world, but I still like watching these to learn the most important details: What NOT to do!
He have all the Time Life books. Too?
I’ve made mistakes on projects but this one looks like it was built by a stage set builder where nothing is to code but looks fine from a distance. I was worried for you when you walked up the stairs! It’s good to see the problems from an inspectors view. Thanks!
I work with stage set builders. They do WAY better work than this.
@@chazp3496 Haha, yeah this deck doesn’t even look like it’s safe to stand on. What kills me is they must have spent a small fortune on the cedar boards, but whoever did it didn’t even bother to watch a few RUclipss on deck building or buy a how-to book. There’s so much good info out there, but I guess some people just want to slap things together.
@@thedeergarden3964it would have been a real crime if they wasted cedar, still pressure treated ain’t that cheap anymore
This is why building codes are so important. I’m a builder in East Tennessee and I’m constantly surprised how bad things are built down here… I suppose that’s what one gets when they’re so anti government regulations.
I am not a carpenter but have built 5 decks in my time and without doubt whomever built this one doesn’t have a clue, it is a bundle of dangerous mistakes. He had no idea of structural integrity needed- imagine a dozen people partying on this deck!
It is crap, but who cares? It would collapse under the weight and everyone would fall a few feet. Oooh, scary.
Yup, nothing holding it up except the concrete and those will soon rot off
@@ohsweetmystery You rode the short bus to school didn't you??? Tool
Someone could get hurt walking up those steps if they fall, particularly small children or elderly.
Im inviting the whole biden clan to bring their decency and come party on this deck
I wish we had an inspector like you when we bought our house. The deck on the house was secured not to the house but the trim. It collapsed when I was walking on it, and I was injured. There was nothing we could do.
Did you recover from the collapsed deck incident? Hope you're OK.
I was looking at a house to buy. I liked it and I was thinking of putting in an offer. Was talking with my real estate agent about it while standing on the back deck when the deck board gave way and I fell through. I didn't put in an offer on that one after all! Who knows what the maintenance on the rest of the house was like?
Did that deck have a permit? If yes, and it passed town inspection, you might have a claim against them.
@@juzoli Good luck with that.. I had a house in NY that "passed inspection" and the deck was held in with 3 nails. I tore it down and rebuilt it, went to sell the house and the town made me spend 2500 to get an engineering firm to sign off on the structure I put up and pay for permit fees.. Permits are just money grabs as many contractors grease the locals to let them build like shit...
@@FJB2020 Did you even try to start a lawsuit?
If my dad handed me a few basic tools and a pile of scrap lumber this looks like what i would have built. When i was twelve
I'm guessing whoever built this deck must have peaked at 12...
Secured to what, that ancient ruin of a foundation? Forget the deck. That house is a living history exhibit.
They lagged it to the floor framing of the house. The stone was below it
Built by a cousin of a friend who is a carpenter of sorts.
I particularly like the way the sonotube can collect water and rot the 4x4 at the base.
Don't go in the house and examine the electric upgrades. They were probably done by another friend of a cousin.
That was spot on !! Lol!!
Those are two different cousins, and they are not relations.
If the electrition had the same trade skills as the deck builder it wouldn't be a problem as the house would have done burnt down.
As a joke we'd send the new guy to go get the board stretcher. I think these guys or gals actually found it. Truly impressive
Yes, that's like sending the new car tech helper for a can of compression!
LOL now that's funny, as a mechanic by trade who ran a one man show for 30 years we used to tell the noobs change out that muffler bearing.
Every time I cut a board too short a guy I worked with would always say "Piss on it, it will swell up" then it was said about anything that was wrong with something. "The wind blew over our trusses last night" Mike: PISS ON IT!
He'd always manage to sneak that into a serious situation that would make everybody laugh.
After cutting a 1x6 too short, my shop teacher had me go next door to the other shop class and ask the instructor for that class if I could have the "board widener". I did as instructed and the teacher of the other class pointed out a 200lbs anvil on the floor. He had a couple of guys from the class help me put it on a dolly. All of them had a smirk on their faces as I wheeled this thing next door. We had a storage area that was above the shop's "office" and drafting room.... My teacher told me to lay the board on the floor and take the anvil up the stairs and drop it on the board to "widen" it.
I was 13 years old, in the 8th grade.
Along with some laughter and the stupid look on my face, he then explained the "measure as many times as necessary and cut only once" rule.
That was a lesson I had to learn only one time. I made some errors over the years doing some woodwork...but that is one I never made again...
The problem with this deck is an overall lack of respect for the trades, tradesmen and the fact that carpentry/woodwork is a craft and skill and even when done only on the weekends or as a hobby, one should exercise respect for it as well as other trades. Trade Schools are a necessary part of any society... One of the dumbest things ever was removing funding for trade and shop classes in public schools. They are an invaluable part of a boy's upbringing (yeah...and any girls who are interested too). It's a damned shame.
sidenote: the anvil remained in our class until the following semester when another "new-to-wood-shop" student made a similar error. The two wood shop instructors used that anvil as a "teaching tool" for many years.
@@monicadaniels784 or the muffler shop need to order a new Fallopian tube.
Another big problem, though, is that getting quality decking lumber is becoming very difficult. I have bought treated lumber that had incomplete treatment and developed rot far ahead of the norm. Knotted lumber is no longer culled much, and it really is a pain to work around.
Agreed. Even roof trusses and engineered floor trusses are garbage compared to only 5 years ago. At least in my area the building inspectors are powerless as long as these trusses carry the stamp. In one case I had to go back after the inspection and reinforce the floor joists. It is getting ridiculous.
Plus most cedar nowadays is heart wood, which doesn't have much rot resistance
Agree. Buy 20 deck boards, and probably about 5 of them are absolute crap - severely warped with holes where the knots have fallen out.
yep, i had to replace the ramp on our deck, and it took a visit to multiple yards to get decent lumber for that small project. nearly every decking board was warped, knotted or cracked. we went through hundreds at my local lumber store before finding the the 16 i needed for my build. crazy
@@charliewatts6895you definitely have to buy about 1/4 or 1/3 extra if buying for delivery.
When I go to a big box for lumber I swear I spend 1.5 hours tearing through the boards trying to find the usable ones for something that should take 15 minutes.
Good grief, that's a teardown. I'm always curious about what I'm going to find when I get hired for deck inspections specifically. I just inspected one about a month ago that was almost as bad as this one. I'm almost never seeing flashing over the top side of the ledger around here, even on decks that are otherwise good builds. Good content - keep up the good work!
If I paid good money I'd get them to tear it down and start again, if someone did it to help me out cheap or whatever I'd just fix it and make it safe.
Absolutely blows my mind that you climbed up on that deck.
I just tore down an Entryway deck and stairs leading up to it. The only thing holding the Stringers up was a 7/16” piece of OSB! When I started walking up the stairs I could feel them flex each step I took. That's when I looked over the edge and noticed the OSB. I told the homeowner that it all needed to be removed right now. Of course he wanted to beat me up on price since he already “paid once” for this to be done. I explained that taking the lowest bid to save a dollar could be why he got what he did in the first place. I have been in behind too many “contractors” fixing shoddy work, to even count.
We built our deck slightly stronger than local code allows which is 12x20 with 12' long 2x8 joists on 16" centers. The outside is supported by a TRIPLE 2x10 beam sitting directly on top 6x6 posts on 10' centers The beam is strapped to the posts on both sides with 1/4" galvanized steel brackets. The Ledger is a 2x10 with 1/2" through bolts with nuts and washers on the inside of the house double band board. We used knee braces from posts to beams to eliminate any sway (racking). This thing could support a bulldozer.
I've built,rebuilt,repaired alot of docks and decks in Florida. And have never seen such shotty work. Unbelievable!! I would absolutely be ashamed of myself if I ever left my work like that. Careful going up and down those steps. Great Job calling that out ty
Hey Amigo, How much to build me a deck (or dock) ?? People may like the Amigo price at first, but things get REAL expensive when they have to be done two or three times!! Only in Florida...
My only top anymore never attach a deck to a house, best thing to do is a free standing deck it will save you headaches later down road.. and a level is your best friend.
Where I live (Australia) decks that aren't connected to the house don't have to have a building permit or inspection.
I found that out when the deck started sinking on a house that was only 3 years old that I'd bought.
It was sinking because the builders had put a 4kL rainwater tank on the top of the deck instead of next to it.
My first job was to get the tank off the deck.
Second job was to jack up the deck again.
I haven't attach a deck to a building in 30 years and I don't build them up tight to a door threshold anymore. I tore out a deck that was 10 years old, attached to the house, and rotted out the rim joist and sheeting on the house the worse part was it had flashing but was poorly done.
Code in my state dictates that a deck with any more than two steps has to be attached.
Holy moly. That is a piece of work. I hate that someone ripped a customer off with that quality of work. I wouldn't even walk on that deck.
Could have been homeowner DIY also "honey, I'll put up a new deck and we'll get more $$ for the house"
Ok, couple things to fix. As just a home owner I would be damn proud of that! Problem is they under built instead of overbuild! If your not sure, go Big! Example, I would of used big ass lag bolts and washers to secure that to the property. If they pull out, dont worry about it, it's literally the apocalypse and we're all dead anyways. Thats how I build things.
You built this deck, huh?
compared to a few ive built in the past this ones a masterpiece
That is a magnificent structure by any measure. Our builders are currently installing 5 decks at home and we could have saved at least a BMW in costs with this crew!
What sucks is a lot of these people will advertise themselves/ tell you to your face that they can build a deck, or shingle your roof, etc, and they don't have anywhere near the skill, experience, or familiarity with any of the building codes to do the job right, but will charge you as if they are a professional. Criminal, really.
Some workmen can do the same job every day and it's always for the first time.
2:40 killed me 🤣
Thanks for sharing. Goes to show you that some folks have not a clue. Back a couple of months ago, I was contacted a contractor to discuss build a sun room addition onto my house. I told him I would be hiring an architect who would look after the plans and applying for the building permit. The contractor said; " I would not get a building permit if I were you."
With that statement, I said, I would never hire any contractor to do work without a permit.
Thank goodness for building permits, and city inspectors.
In my country, you literally cannot hire a licensed contractor to do work that you require a permit for, without a permit, as that makes them liable and can lose their license. Anyone who is not licensed doing commercial work can be subject to criminal prosecution. Of course, you can do it yourself, but that can then make it difficult to sell the house.
Good idea, tear it down and start over. They should be able to reuse a lot of the material. That railing is scary and is the reason I don’t go near railings.
The labor to tear it, and labor to do the new one will cost at least 2k. This is after keeping a lot of the old wood. Most cheap homeowners will just keep it and use it, since its not too high up. If its on the second floor, then its dangerous so its better to tear it and start over.
As someone who got pretty hurt falling through a deck of similarly shoddy construction, this thing is going to bring back nightmares for me.
@@paddyb456 Sure, I did.
@@paddyb456 your mother serviced my johnson pretty terribly, but I still paid her $5
There is no way they should have lagged into the rubble foundation. The deck should be free standing. I love the 5/4 outer beam.
Not lagged into the stone. The stone was below the floor framing
When your neighbor brags how much money they saved . . . .
that home owner hates his wife and this deck is the perfect crime 😂
Maybe their marriage is as stable as the deck.
This got me rolling 😂
Imagine this at a college fraternity house. Actually an ideal way to test the structure.
That deck is a blessing. If you’re looking for a house and see a deck like that, it’s telling you to keep looking. If this is how the homeowner builds a deck, a showcase feature where their work is right there for everyone to see, you sure as heck know any plumbing or electrical work they’ve got hiding in the walls is the stuff of nightmares.
LOL. I saw a guy who dragged a kitchen counter and a faucet OUTSIDE, uncovered, in CHICAGO and his source was a garden hose!
And he was PROUD OF THIS. It wasn't made to go outside.
I built my 10 X 10 deck using 6" post with 36" concrete foundation holes, 2 X 10 on 12" centers for all the joist, and 2 X 6 for the decking boards. Stairs and runners were all made from 2 X 12. I filled all nail holes on the joist hangers and the metal L brackets for the steps and used 5/8" bolts for attaching to the house and post. That was 25 years ago and I am confident you could park a car on it today and it would not even budge.
Lighten up Francis
I' am your neigbour. Your deck looks like shieet
Your "foundation Holes" are likely not deep enough.
It’s the stair stringers hanging onto decking boards for me. Imagine bouncing down those stairs one morning carrying your kid or something. 😮
Luckily it's not very high, but still....
I tried my hand at building my own deck a couple years ago. I had never done any kind of building before and wasn't too proficient in carpentry. I took my time and learned as I went. Turns out that it went pretty well compared to this 😂
Same Here! Mystery Achievement!😆😆😆
Glad it came out well. If others, like you did, would take the time to watch videos, read, and talk to the pros about any projects they're about to embark on as DIY, things will turn out good at the end.
Yeah. It's actually not hard to do it right if you do a little research 😂
My dad wasn't a carpenter, but he build decks and stairs and everything way before the internet made things easy, and still managed to have things to code using proper spacing, thickness, etc... Not to mention with common sense having proper fasteners and everything structurally supported. What's the scariest about this deck is that from a distance or the eyes of someone who's not observant, it doesn't look sketchy or like a redneck backwoods project so you won't even expect to fall through the stairs or small boards or slide through the railing after it rains a few times.
@2:15: Oh, that's just beautiful. Wow. Hat's off the world-famous crew from the Home Depot parking lot.
This is a great video. I liked seeing some of the mistakes from a learning standpoint.
I think what might have happened is this: Someone was in Lowes and saw in the restroom where somebody had written on the wall “for a good time call __________”. They called the number and was asked, “Hey, how would you like to help build a deck?” In the end everyone was disappointed. They ended up working all day on someone else’s deck and had to buy their own pizza at the end of the day, and the deck wasn’t done anywhere near right.
Most likely the homeowner built that deck for better selling price....and now the place is for sale....thus the inspection.
That deck has "Do It Yourself" written all over it.
More like "Done by a Meth Head"
Number one reason for deck failure is pulling away from the house. The lag screws, or lack there of, shows you that the rest of the work is suspect at best. Good call out! 🤙😎
Thanks
I was looking at houses a few years ago and the one had a deck where every post was leaning the same amount in the same direction. I could only surmise the entire house slid downhill an inch or two and pulled the deck over with it. I liked the house, and that slip *probably* happened soon after construction years ago, but it still was enough to make me move on.
Looks like something I’d build
I don't even feel bad for the homeowner as they probably wanted the job done as cheaply as possible by an unlicensed contractor
Usually the way of it, yeah. My old man often said when doing a project, pick two of these three...
I. Quick.
II. Cheap.
III. Quality.
Pick any two, understanding you can't ever have all three.
Clearly this home owner went with the first two.
The home owner was probably some old lady who complained about how many fasteners they were going to use and insisted on not having any scraps left over. I've run into this quite a bit and you can't ration with clients of this mind set. They think you're wasting their money if they see a two foot piece of scrap lumber in a pile. Then when the job is completed they don't want to pay because they think you wasted their money.
I bet the homeowner did this themselves
@@baldmanariz Quite likely. I am reminded here of the old courtroom saying that he who acts as his own lawyer has a fool for a client. I feel this could also be applied to other specialized fields as well.
@@jamess3532 James, are you by chance the builder?
My brother-in-law gets so mad about the “government” having building codes he must follow. This is exactly why codes are so important.
Oh, I would love to see more of their fantastic work elsewhere, you should track them down and see what else they built
Lol, I just built a 8x24 deck (not attached to house) and I messed up a little bit, I'm a first time builder. but that deck here is scary. Whoever built that just didn't care.
It's one thing if you are learning, but another if you are charging for your service.
WOW! 😮 That made my head hurt. You’re right. Demo it, salvage the materials, and start over.
do not salvage the materials , its a total loss ............good fire wood though
@@Ebbrush3 You don't know anything. Don't speak about things you don't know. You don't burn treated lumber.,
@@Dan_Lynch Maybe he meant have a fire outside?
Safe to say if they built it so cheaply and shoddy to begin with they would prob not be able to afford tearing it down and redoing it anyway. Best to tear it down just for safety's sake.
I do handyman work and I would be ashamed to sign off on that kind of work. Sad part about that work is that someone got paid to do that.
You were brave to even walk on it 😂
Im no contractor or carpenter but I was laughing while he’s explaining all of the mistakes the contractor made.😅😂
As you should! 😁
My dad and grandpa are carpenters, so I grew up in the trade. I do pretty much all my own home improvement work, and I know some of the finish work could look better if an expert did it...but I just can't imagine someone building that thinking it was even close to acceptable.
As a certified building inspector for a few years in a large municipality and a licensed architect, I have seen some bad, unsafe, non-conforming decks constructed by unlicensed contractors, but this deck is by far the worst.
Best advice for residential clients: Make sure the contractor is licensed. Make sure the contractor has insurance. Make sure there is a formal contract with design drawings/specifications, a scheduled start and completion date, including a scheduled payment plan based upon satisfactory completion milestones and/or successful inspections. Make sure that ONLY the contractor applies for and obtains a building permit and not the client. Make sure that the contractor commits to the required inspections, in accordance with the building code. Make sure there is an understandable line-item estimate. The contract should account for unforeseen conditions and contingency procedures. Ask for references and review other completed construction. Speak to other clients of the contractor. Understand, if the contractor is local and how long the contractor has been in business. Understand the contractor's workforce. The contractor shall coordinate with dig-safe prior to any excavations and conform to OSHA standards.
At least this one is only 3 or 4 feet above grade.
I was visiting a friend this weekend with a 3 tiered massive deck that was 30 feet above grade on the top tier.
I noticed the stairs were now pulling away with a 5degree outward droop....the middle tier (biggest) was drooping in the middle.
This was built by the housing contractor 25 years ago. I saw a lot of these tricks and shoetcuts in that deck when I just happened to walk under it to get a bag from my car.
Wow...more common than one thinks. Likely a $50000 -75k replacement or better. Really no way to fix it that wouldn't make it even worse.
As a female on my 50s I single handedly built a freestanding 4 x 8 deck for my above ground pool. Between you tube and the internet I was able to determine what the right way was and if anything overbuilt it. Lot of compliments from the guys. Is it perfect-no but pretty close.
Good on you! That's often the maddening part. Information is so easy to access these days. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of videos and websites that will explain the proper deck construction process step by step. Even the rank amateur really has no excuse these days beyond laziness.
After watching this video I can’t help but wonder why I bothered to waste my time getting a builders license. If a guy can get away with work like this and not have to be responsible for any call backs for 18 months, I need to rethink my decision.
You're good! The world needs more people like you building than FOB jobs!
Whoever built it had the lowest bid. Or a family member did it for beer money.
I think it was a methhead
It almost seems like they were trying to make it in the worst possible way. They followed zero codes. Something tells me, their life story recap starting from 3rd grade would answer most of our questions.
that right there is a 2-3 case deck job
The only person in 3rd grade with their own car and a driver's license. Longest 4 years of their life
I've seen situations like this. Usually the builder wanted to be paid in cash, had their pickup as a working address and was long gone very quickly. This deck is not only dangerous but will have a very short life span.
Probably built by the homeowner who watched a few seconds on RUclips or maybe just went to the hardware store and asked someone for the materials for a deck and just winged it.
Deanwolf
Cuz having a cpl truckd and being licensed and insured means quality work?
Yeah ok 🤣👍
@@Gadfly321 Having a nice pickup truck, being licensed and bonded doesn't necessarily make a contractor any good or even legitimate. Obtaining license and bonding just help make a contractor look legitimate. What makes a contractor good is to follow proper protocol, being knowlegeable of the building codes, knowing what they're doing, and doing a good job for a fair
price. That and building and maintaining good customer relationships. These are things that I strived for when I had my construction and handyman business..
They spent more time on their carpentry skills creating the two by four filler. Seems that's the only workmanship on this deck, and that isn't saying much.
ill bet ya the guy at home depot said it would be fine.
This is a little sad, but also really good. This was probably the homeowner trying to save some money. Now it’s gonna cost them more , they are certain things they have to hire a professional.
This is probably a GC to be honest. Any high school dropout can get their license and pass themselves off as a "professional." Go to any job site, and you will see a bunch of dudes who made a lot of life mistakes. 😂