I work in home improvement and usually do an informal inspection on houses even if I'm painting inside rooms. That deck is worse than any I've seen but I like how you suggest improvements can be made. Sometimes people don't have a lot of money but I can make it lot safer by putting in lag bolts that are often missing, adding or replacing posts especially if there is rot (or rust on steel posts), and securing railings. I'm watching some videos to see if I spot things before inspectors point them out. Hope you video helps people and they check their decks and make repairs if needed before people get hurt.
Thank you for doing such a comprehensive job explaining what to look for to ensure a well built and safe deck. Rodger Mann owner EvolvedDecks California
@@HipsterDoofus100 seriusly never in my life have heard of this lol. Just a money Grab. Like getting your furnace inspected yearly.. How bout some premium air for your cars tires while youre at it
You don't have to hire any one to look it over, I check mine every 2 years, and tighten any bolts that are loose and make sure railings and stairs are still solid
When I bought my last house they complained about a lack of joist hangers and lag screws during the inspection. Deck had been up for thirty years and went another 7 years before I moved. I replaced most of the planking but those things were just fine.
@@cg3771 Howdy, I have some answers for you. Replacing a ledger board on an existing deck involves bracing and supporting the deck. Temporarily turning it into a free standing structure. Cost would depend on the size of the deck and what kind of siding is on your home. Different sidings can effect how difficult it is to remove the ledger and install the flashing properly. I'd ballpark it at around $1500 but I'm in Los Angeles so depending on your region that could vary quite a bit. But ,there could be a number factor I'm unaware of that could increase costs. The moisture meter isn't a horrible idea but if water is getting by your ledger board and into the structure of your home that meter isn't going to tell you much.
A rotting ledger board is extremely common and will lead to the failure of the deck, the floor and siding of the home it is attached to and even the foundation of the home. The rim joist of the home's floor is never pressure treated and the attaching hardware will introduce water into that critical structure rotting it as well. Ledger boards are unsafe and will eventually be outlawed by code. 90% of the time they are done wrong and even when done properly they are going to fail and damage the home in a relatively short time. Ledger boards are lazy cheapskate shortcuts that only poor carpenters will employ. .
How do you not mention the location of lag bolts into home being at the top 1/3 of band board and not bottom 1/3. All the weight is pushing down with barely 3 in of stock above anchor bolt. Handrail post lags , top one is almost into tread. . Ledger boards SHOULD be sitting on a notch in top of post.carriage bolts should be holding the board in place on notch. Brackets in place of a notch is not acceptable.
How is this deck still standing? Looks like someone did it themselves without doing any research. Lesson of the day: do your research before doing it yourself or hire reputable contractor.
Joist hangers and ledger boards are shortcuts that need to be outlawed. Neither can ever be made safe.Stupid, lazy and cheapskate contractors who use these shortcuts need to be sued out of business.
@@bw538 It's a bit unconventional , but here goes...The deck I built at the back of our home is 100% self supporting on nine concrete footings and posts Those 4X4 posts are notched to hold up three girder sets of doubled 2 X 8s bolted through the posts. The 16 on center 2X6 joists are resting on the girder sets and fastened to them with hurricane ties. On top of the joists rests my decking material which is 5/8 exterior plywood, screwed down and sealed with elastomeric rubber roofing sealant and covered in green indoor/ outdoor carpeting. The deck is 16 feet by 12 feet and the rim joist sits a little over 1/2 inch from my house siding, and 7 inches down from the back door threshold so I can open the storm door even when it has snowed. Because the deck is less than 200 sq feet and it is not attached to my house in any way, it is just under 30 inches above grade the IRC code allows me to build this deck without pulling a building permit or have building inspections done on my work. The entire deck is canted 3/16ths of an inch per foot away from the house so rain and melt water will drain off and not puddle. Because the deck is built like a roof none of the superstructure under the sealed plywood ever gets wet and it looks the same as the day I built it five years ago. The railing system consists of 4X4 PT posts through bolted with nuts and washers to the joists and rim joists plus blocking and center pitched redwood 2X4 rails with redwood 11/2 " balusters set every 3 1/2 inches. That is how a deck is actually built instead of being hung on flimsy metal fasteners. There are three redwood gates in the railing. One goes down three steps to our backyard boardwalk. One two steps down to the lawn on the other side and one with a short redwood bridge to our hot tub that sits on a concrete pad in the backyard about a foot from the deck We spend a lot of time on our deck even in the winter because I have a natural gas fire pit mounted near one corner on the deck with padded camp stools around it. Our three year old Granddaughter loves to play on the outdoor carpet all summer in her bare feet with all her outdoor toys. I put a lot of thought into this deck. I built it to be strong attractive and I expect it to last a very long time. Five years in and it still looks new.
@@bw538 I prefer to build a deck rather than hang it on flimsy dicey fasteners and hardware from an existing structure.. Footings support posts, posts support beams, beams support joists and joists support decking. I believe any deck should be a self supporting autonomous structure. Anything else is sub-par shortcut carpentry and should be outlawed.
I work in home improvement and usually do an informal inspection on houses even if I'm painting inside rooms. That deck is worse than any I've seen but I like how you suggest improvements can be made. Sometimes people don't have a lot of money but I can make it lot safer by putting in lag bolts that are often missing, adding or replacing posts especially if there is rot (or rust on steel posts), and securing railings. I'm watching some videos to see if I spot things before inspectors point them out. Hope you video helps people and they check their decks and make repairs if needed before people get hurt.
Thank you for doing such a comprehensive job explaining what to look for to ensure a well built and safe deck. Rodger Mann owner EvolvedDecks California
Wow. I would feel ethically obligated to inform the home owner/agent if they were not my client and I observed that ledger board on an inspection.
I am in no way a carpenter, yet I recognize immediately putting wood into the ground is a great way to lose the deck.
annual inspection.. lol no one has the money to do AN annual inspection for a deck.. cmon
Maybe no losers that you hang out with
@@HipsterDoofus100 seriusly never in my life have heard of this lol. Just a money Grab. Like getting your furnace inspected yearly.. How bout some premium air for your cars tires while youre at it
I agree that an annual inspection is over-kill.
You don't have to hire any one to look it over, I check mine every 2 years, and tighten any bolts that are loose and make sure railings and stairs are still solid
When I bought my last house they complained about a lack of joist hangers and lag screws during the inspection. Deck had been up for thirty years and went another 7 years before I moved. I replaced most of the planking but those things were just fine.
After binge watching these types of videos im more aware of my surroundings 😮
This deck also was not properly flashed to prevent rot to the ledger board.
they never are in my neck of the woods
@@cg3771 Howdy, I have some answers for you. Replacing a ledger board on an existing deck involves bracing and supporting the deck. Temporarily turning it into a free standing structure. Cost would depend on the size of the deck and what kind of siding is on your home. Different sidings can effect how difficult it is to remove the ledger and install the flashing properly. I'd ballpark it at around $1500 but I'm in Los Angeles so depending on your region that could vary quite a bit. But ,there could be a number factor I'm unaware of that could increase costs.
The moisture meter isn't a horrible idea but if water is getting by your ledger board and into the structure of your home that meter isn't going to tell you much.
A rotting ledger board is extremely common and will lead to the failure of the deck, the floor and siding of the home it is attached to and even the foundation of the home. The rim joist of the home's floor is never pressure treated and the attaching hardware will introduce water into that critical structure rotting it as well.
Ledger boards are unsafe and will eventually be outlawed by code. 90% of the time they are done wrong and even when done properly they are going to fail and damage the home in a relatively short time. Ledger boards are lazy cheapskate shortcuts that only poor carpenters will employ. .
As a deck builder, I recommend getting it inspected every 3 months. $300 inspection fee! Hit me up
This was funny. 😂
Won’t fix anything, just keep pointing out the same problems every three months.
Won't say what city.but frost line? U in the north us .
They didnt do enough research. They were probably shocked at the price of structural screws so they really skimped on that.
Thanks.
this deck should have never passed in the first place what's with no footings and 2x6 joists?!
That deck scares me.
One dodgy deck, I would guess it was a handyman or home owner build.
what i find when i look for inspectah deck -_-
Oddly, I get that joke.Wu.
wow who would sink posts into the ground for a deck? it ok for a fence post. what a crappy job. how much more is concrete anyway? what a crappy job
That’s the way it was done years ago. Post on a footing below the frost line, back fill with dirt.
You sound like rain man dude...how many cards...
Only for your profit.
Wow
Inspectah Deck doesn't sound like this
So how thick are the new boards? Do you just screw into the old board or thru the old board and into new board on other side?
The railings on the stairs are not “graspable”, there is no suitable handrail there.
Czarface brought me here
Me too
Czar schoolboy?
looks like the deck was put up illegally ... i bet there was not a permit pulled on it when it was going up
a very real possibility
I wanna know tf is up with that wall
How do you not mention the location of lag bolts into home being at the top 1/3 of band board and not bottom 1/3. All the weight is pushing down with barely 3 in of stock above anchor bolt. Handrail post lags , top one is almost into tread. . Ledger boards SHOULD be sitting on a notch in top of post.carriage bolts should be holding the board in place on notch. Brackets in place of a notch is not acceptable.
How is this deck still standing? Looks like someone did it themselves without doing any research. Lesson of the day: do your research before doing it yourself or hire reputable contractor.
Joist hangers and ledger boards are shortcuts that need to be outlawed. Neither can ever be made safe.Stupid, lazy and cheapskate contractors who use these shortcuts need to be sued out of business.
What do you recommend instead of the ledger and joist hangers?
@@bw538 It's a bit unconventional , but here goes...The deck I built at the back of our home is 100% self supporting on nine concrete footings and posts Those 4X4 posts are notched to hold up three girder sets of doubled 2 X 8s bolted through the posts. The 16 on center 2X6 joists are resting on the girder sets and fastened to them with hurricane ties. On top of the joists rests my decking material which is 5/8 exterior plywood, screwed down and sealed with elastomeric rubber roofing sealant and covered in green indoor/ outdoor carpeting. The deck is 16 feet by 12 feet and the rim joist sits a little over 1/2 inch from my house siding, and 7 inches down from the back door threshold so I can open the storm door even when it has snowed.
Because the deck is less than 200 sq feet and it is not attached to my house in any way, it is just under 30 inches above grade the IRC code allows me to build this deck without pulling a building permit or have building inspections done on my work. The entire deck is canted 3/16ths of an inch per foot away from the house so rain and melt water will drain off and not puddle. Because the deck is built like a roof none of the superstructure under the sealed plywood ever gets wet and it looks the same as the day I built it five years ago.
The railing system consists of 4X4 PT posts through bolted with nuts and washers to the joists and rim joists plus blocking and center pitched redwood 2X4 rails with redwood 11/2 " balusters set every 3 1/2 inches. That is how a deck is actually built instead of being hung on flimsy metal fasteners.
There are three redwood gates in the railing. One goes down three steps to our backyard boardwalk. One two steps down to the lawn on the other side and one with a short redwood bridge to our hot tub that sits on a concrete pad in the backyard about a foot from the deck
We spend a lot of time on our deck even in the winter because I have a natural gas fire pit mounted near one corner on the deck with padded camp stools around it. Our three year old Granddaughter loves to play on the outdoor carpet all summer in her bare feet with all her outdoor toys.
I put a lot of thought into this deck. I built it to be strong attractive and I expect it to last a very long time. Five years in and it still looks new.
Unconventional to be sure, but if it suits you so be it.
@@bw538 I prefer to build a deck rather than hang it on flimsy dicey fasteners and hardware from an existing structure.. Footings support posts, posts support beams, beams support joists and joists support decking. I believe any deck should be a self supporting autonomous structure. Anything else is sub-par shortcut carpentry and should be outlawed.
Good lord that deck looks scary
Annual deck inspection.😂😂😂 Gtfoh
yup same as last year, see you next year
Dude that deck is unsafe. It would have to be torn down and redone for sure.
no it would not. the ledger is the main pressing concern. all of that is fixable
8'high?lol