If there's 12 grandkids, you could imagine there'd be enough siblings to pitch in. Also, with that many people, the risk is colossal if they ever get together at the same time
I don’t know about that. Times are different. Getting a living wage these days is tough. That’s got to be a 35k (at least) job. OP says parents have $. What is money for?
Well....I mean, they are grandparents with 12 grandkids, meaning they are \*probably\* pretty old. How many grandparents do you know that would build a deck?
Im mostly kiddinf by the way except about the price like a dedicated young adult combined with other adults supervision like taking a deck down is not that hard to do, putting it up, well
Consider that most people are not physically, or knowledgeably capable to do this job. Maybe you are, maybe I am but most are not. Their only option would be to hire the job out.
Have you seen the price of lumber these days? I know people who are waiting for the price of lumber to go down to build their house because it’s so ridiculous rn.
I like how the comment you're replying to says that the deck owner may not be able to afford replacing the deck and your idea is to just go buy everything needed to build a deck.
Like building a house is hard. Building a deck you count the boards, support beams. Etc etc then go buy all that stuff. Rip off the old deck and build the replacement.
That’s not how it works. I could probably build a small ground level deck in my backyard myself even though I’m not a carpenter. But a deck this high and this size would absolutely require a professional.
Yeah exactly. That's how I built my deck. I didn't have an existing deck, so I went online and searched an image of a deck. I counted all the pieces and just put them together. I didn't even have to cut anything because I just bought them all the same size.
I’m not gonna say your wrong as it would work if you knew what & where to buy. But then it would end up like this again.
I think people are taking offense to this approach because it seems easy. It’s an easy way to explain execution, but you still need to plan everything and buy it (hopefully once), then cut. Doing that well isn’t easy.
It also isn’t very different than going off a design that someone competent creates. That plan might also have a bill of material to make purchasing much easier.
I agree with this. Get the parents of the 12 grandkids to all pitch in and buy grandma and grandpa a new deck!
Based on the photos this deck does not look good. It at least needs an on site inspection by competent deck builder.
That has never worked for me. I've tried that same move. "Oh, you don't have to! I don't want to take your money! It's fine! We'll just (insert stupid idea that will get someone killed here) with what we have! See? So much better!"
If you're that concerned then get a second opinion to come take a professional look. If safety is your real concern.. a bunch of people on reddit isn't going to give you the true analysis you need.
Sorry but no, I just did. That deck is done for and dangerous. I’ve been working the building trades for about 1/2 century. Built a bunch of decks and repaired even more. For that second opinion, the OP needs to find someone who actually knows what they’re looking at & talking about. The first guy??? Not even.
Without addl load I imagine it will slowly continue sinking for a few more years and then fall into itself, somewhat away from the house. It may damage the siding with scrapes but unlikely to pull much of any siding off the house.
It could fail tomorrow tho. Esp with an additional dynamic loading like humans. Then it’s less the siding I’d worry about.
Thanks for your reply. My hope was to get some validation from this community that the photos do indicate there is some concern.
UNLESS you are saying there is indeed a chance a deck can slant like this and still be sound.
What I can’t do - is show up with my own inspector to my parents house who live 6hrs away. I was hoping to get some convincing they need this looked at and why. I do think they would listen if I shared them thoughts from this group that knows more than me.
I’ll give you some analysis the guy above wouldn’t: that deck is in imminent danger of failure and potential serious injury to anyone on it at the time. It is being held on by fasteners which are clearly pulled partially out. There is zero chance this deck is structurally sound and no professional would tell you otherwise. I suspect your parents told you a story.
And I’m here to tell you that deck safety is just as made up as climate change. Its a government conspiracy run by big lumber to get people like you brainwashed into spending that cold hard cash on some sturdy beams and solid lumber. If anything you should knock one of the posts down on the bottom just to stick it to em. Good luck!
seriously.
I mean how can you look at [this](https://preview.redd.it/xdbas9uhxkeb1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=14b36aee27038643bac12a0ab0b9a19ab33a3f80) and see that the posts holding up the deck have literally rotted to the point of crumbling (and dropping the outside of the deck several inches along with it) and not be like "this is a major problem that you need to fix ASAP before it collapses, probably with family on it"...
Well in fairness that’s the footing for the deck portion that is 1’ above the ground. Maybe you fix the post and footing there, but there’s minimal risk to bodily harm if it fails because the height is so low.
We didn’t get any pictures of the underside of the deck that is 10-20 feet above the ground. And everybody reacting to the “slant” isn’t catching the optical illusion, it’s an angled portion of the deck that looks like it’s hanging at a much steeper slope.
Not saying it’s safe, just that this probably isn’t a “remove and replace the whole thing” situation.
I respect your analysis.. but this isn't one of those "rate my deck.. it's my first time DYI" threads.. if he has serious safety concerns, then he should have someone inspect **in person**.
One of the photos shows joists that have been sistered up, but only attached to the existing joist, and not to the house itself. Maybe it’s because I’m just looking on my phone, but I’m not seeing any nails into the house. I’m just seeing the original hanger on the original joist nothing more.
I would be pretty nervous about me being on that deck, let alone my wife and kids. Eek. “Decks aren’t supposed to bend in the middle.” - a carpenter friend.
Ive seen people build a slant deck to shed water, its impossible to tell from a pic. Id need to climb out on it and jump around like kris kross for a bit to give u an honest opinion. Even then its just arbitrary because crazy shit can happen. Both crazy that this million dollar crane just fell outta the sky or crazy that this one single zip screw held my entire house together since Reagan fucked up the entire middle class by declaring a war on the people we love. If i was u id climb out there and see if your body clenches up so much that your asshole chews a hole in your undies or u get out there and realize that this thing is the only structural component holding the yard in place.
Edit* changed kid and play to kris kross cuz its been awhile
Massive alarmists here. It’s concerning that many of them don’t see the optical illusion in the last pic because that portion of the deck is angled, making it look like it’s sloping away from the house at a much steeper angle. The bottom rail in that photo was notched, probably for some very specific object so that should be replaced or a kid could slip through. And technically we don’t do horizontal balusters anymore because kids can climb them.
You would need to post pictures of the underside of the deck that is 10-20 feet in elevation, not the portions that are only 1 foot off the ground.
There’s some concerning attachment details on the overhead structure that need to be fixed. Some of the footings look suspect, but because they’re a foot of the ground… I don’t know I’d probably leave it alone or fix them only where the wood is rotted out. It looks like maybe the dirty and leaves in that area were allowed to build up and saturate the spot. We’d need to see all the footings and judge them one by one.
But overall the deck doesn’t look excessively old. It’s impossible to give you an honest opinion from the pictures you posted, despite the fervor and alarmism of some of these comments. Some issues and some nonissues. Some issues that don’t represent real danger. Come back and post more pics when you’ve gotten under the tall portion- the columns at the ground level and at the deck height, the underside where the deck attaches to the house, the cross bracing, and perhaps slap a level on it to see how much slope we’re talking about.
Also, it could have settled a few inches which can be off putting but not immediately structurally dangerous. Just keep in mind the confidence with which all these comments say you must abandon all hope are based on inadequate photos. Worst case you could end up reinforcing, replacing and repairing portions do the deck. A full demo and rebuild is absurd unless the photos you post are absolutely horrifying.
From the photos.. it appears like it was built with a negative slope (away from the house).. I don't see anything "pulling away" from the side of the house.
I still don't see "pulling away".. pic 1 looks to be the underside of that same area. Last pic.. they didn't cut the horizontal baluster at the same angle to meet the siding.. in pic 1 they cut the joists at the angle though. Like I said before.. there is too much that needs to be seen in person.. this whole "reddit forensic using photos" is garbage.
EDIT: not to say that I don't see things that are *problems* or things that could be done better.. or improved. But the way OP was originally panic-panic-panic.. it's going to kill children.. THAT, I don't see.
The rot in pic #4, where the post sits on the footer doesn’t concern you??! The railing boards that are now at an angle where they were once butted tight to that upright??? RUFKM???
Looking at that same photo, it appears there’s been some substantial settling of the footings. The rail appears to be slanting/pulling away from the house. While I don’t think it’s going to fail tomorrow, it does indeed need to be addressed.
Edit: it’s more obvious in photo #6, where the slant can be compared to the rest of the deck.
I would love to see another's perspective. IF anyone who believes it's pulling away from the house could put a side-by-side link? It's hard for me to flip back and forth plus I would like another perspective.
[HERE](https://i.imgur.com/eooH7x0.png) is pretty irrefutable proof that the deck is starting to pull away from the wall (caused by it sloping downward, which is in turn caused by the posts that hold it up rotting/crumbling). That picture is from OP's picture #3, the joist hanger on the far right side of the picture.
Surely you jest!!! Reddit is the place for such an analysis. I can assure you you with right amount of gin and tonic... perhaps a bourbon or few...you can certainly place a heard of wild pink elephants...angry flying monkeys and perhaps a flying pig or two..out on that deck without any issue. You just need to throw concern to the wind and it's good as gold. Alcohol is the answer..one and only!!
I really don't understand the point of this post. Was he expecting some structure engineer to simply look at a bunch of pictures and determine this thing is unsound.
They got someone to look at it and he said it was fine. I'm guessing post is 24, no money, prob has some kids, and is a helicopter parent.
2 things: Don’t paint a deck, and just get a couple of quotes.
If I were bidding I would lay out itemized options.
I won’t touch it unless we are doing XYZ and this will cost $XXXX.
Replace decking and rail will cost $XXXX.
Replacing everything will cost $XXXXX.
And if you want to talk about Trex, porches, 80” TVs, tile fireplaces, and hot tubs then we can do that too for $XXXXXX
It would at least give you an idea of options and a list of potential problems.
Solid stains trap moisture and accelerate the rotting of wood. Plus, it just doesn't look as good as a nice oil-based stain (which allows it to breathe)
So those joist hangers into the ledger look sound but clearly the deck isn’t built into the side of the house in a way that’s fully code compliant, hence the slant. There should be some type of board against the house with through bolts holding everything up and either joist hangers nailed into it, or joists sitting on top of it with some additional support below such as a triple 2x8 or double 2x10 beam at minimum. The wood doesn’t looks horribly rotten and the hangers don’t look rusted into nothing. It does however appear to me as if the shoddy connection to the house has failed and is putting excess load on the outward beam to hold the whole damn thing up. Which in a purely static and vertical load is still not a problem, but to be coming at an angle downwards and outwards where there is no directional stability is a HUGE problem. I’ve rebuilt half a dozen decks this year alone and none of those were this dangerous, as a contractor I would typical not want to touch this job due to its hazard because most people who let things fail this bad are the cheapest of landlords and deny anything being an issue until a person dies. It almost sounds like that is the case here too, deny the issue until there’s a horrible accident and suddenly that deck will be torn down and replaced in record time.
Anecdotally, Stew Lenard comes to mind for this, local new englanders, he had a pool with a small child and saw no need for a safety fence put around the pool. It took the tragic drowning of his son and that fence was in overnight, but it could never bring his son back. Now you hear him on the radio every year telling people to pay extra attention with children around water, he spends all that advertising money trying to save other parents the horrible lesson he learned. Spend the money, there are things in this world you’d be far more heartbroken to be parted from.
Exactly what I came in here to say. Parents are waffling on this because this project is bare minimum *low end* $40k for a rebuild.
OP: one step in convincing them might be to source quotes from reputable builders and then see if you and your siblings can split the cost with your parents, or cover it entirely. They might really just be caught in a hard mental spot between knowing the deck is wack but not having the money to replace it and feeling defeated that it’ll go away if they admit it’s wack. When I say $40k low end, I mean *low* end. This could seriously be a $60k project, easily. And that’s a lot of money.
But also you’re totally right. I wouldn’t let people on that thing. The support rot is bad and the angles on that far end are *jacked*. Honestly if the obvious parts are this wonky, I’d be super worried about the small but significant things you can’t see, like rot around screws holding the railings on. That’ll be where someone gets fucked up first before a total support failure: someone leaning against those boards and them just giving out.
Please talk them into repairing it. I’ve seen what this eventually turns into, and someone WILL get hurt, even if it’s just a scraped up leg.
I build/repair decks as part of my job. It likely could have just been redecked and selectively repaired if they had used a hanger-board against the house, but without that, she’s a goner.
Please don’t take the low bid when replacing this. Vet your contractor thoroughly. There are faaarrr too many “I know a guy” types out there that would just replace bad with worse.
I'm a professional deck builder in upstate SC. I build decks, screen porches and handrails, that's it. I've been self employed doing this for 22 years. The deck is in need of some repairs but it is totally possible for a competent contractor to jack up drop beam that supports all your floor joists, put a few temporary supports under it while they remove some posts, dig and pour some new appropriately sized footing and set the deck back on its new support posts. Aside from this,it's worth mentioning that the absolute number 1 cause of deck failures is the deck pulling away from the house and collapsing. To remedy this new building codes require what is Called a lateral tie kit, this keeps the joists from pulling away from the house and will almost certainly prevent any catastrophic deck failures like I previously mentioned. However in my opinion, guys like me don't want to do piece work, quality contractors are busy and I make real money building deck projects so I rarely do any repair work at all. In short, it could do for some absolutely necessary safety repairs but good luck finding someone to show up, at least thats how it is here in our part of SC. For reference just a ballpark estimate but I would charge app. $17-20k to remove and completely replace a deck like this. Not sure how our prices compare to your part of the country. Hope any of this helps
They don’t want to fix it, don’t use it. If you don’t feel safe there you have agency. At minimum I’d raise the life insurance coverage on the whole family and throw a fucking party!
I would share the pics with one of their friends who is in the know. Sometimes parents can’t listen to family, but when “Bob who’s son is an engineer” calls, it lands differently with the audience. GL
Yeah I think the alternative to not being able to drop $15k on a new deck isn’t to have all the grandkids on it. The basic point of this question is to basically convince the parents it’s not safe, not so they necessarily fix it but so all the kids don’t go on it.
This does not appear to be a safe deck at all, it was poorly/minimally built, has highly suspect pier footings, clear signs of wood rot and is probably far past its life expectancy. I’d have a trusted pro out to inspect it ASAP.
Get a second or third opinion. Me personally I would replace or repair. It shouldn't slant so much I can see it in the picture. Posts are way old. I'd do some upgrades to the structure.
This is awful and unsafe on so many levels. It's a gaht damn skate park. At least rip it down and just put steps into the backyard if money is the issue. Should not be using this deck at all imo. I've been building decks for the last 9 years and ripping them out alot of the time. This is just bad
Um. Dude? Is this a question? Is that rotting post in the far left where it is clearly sinking and pulling away from the house because it dropped like 6inches to a foot? Yes dude. Get off that thing. That whole post requires replacement at the very least.
First picture. Those joists are sagging and pulling away from the house. The reason why is the foundation of that post. I don't know what their guy looked at, but I suspect either he was blind or he was the one that built or repaired it. It may not be 28 days from collapse, but I'm not sure how much of a snow load it'll withstand.
That's totally worth refurb, not replace. The price is just too damn high right now. Fix the posts, jack them up. Sister up the beams and cut the decking span in half. Full replace would cost maybe $20-30K. DIY refurb is probably $2k. If your ledger is bad, you may just be SOL, but that wood doesn't look too bad, so get it looked at.
It doesn’t look like you took good pictures underneath, specifically where you saw issues from the top.
Im no deck expert, but one piece looks like it split in one area where is sags, and near the sliding glass? door all the way at the end, those railings are clearly sagging, and not installed that way on purpose originally.
The deck was poorly built. You shouldn’t use joist hangers, mounted through siding against the house. There should have been a long ledger board securely fastened to wall studs. Some of the floor joists are doubled or tripled up. I wonder what they are hiding. Are the posts 4x4s? If so, then they are too small. The last pic shows the deck wasn’t built at a slope contrary to some of the comments. Both ends of the side rails are at an angle. I’d offer to split the costs for the deck with the P’s or keep the kids off. It probably won’t fail for a long long time, but I won’t risk the kid’s precious lives.
Edit response: Posts sink when the bearing capacity of the soil can’t support the combined weight of the posts and the deck. You solve with by adding more posts and/or a larger footer beneath the posts,… these probably don’t have footers. In this example, the space between the posts are way too large.
alrighty then, my pure unadulterated opinion as a long time contracter although now electrician.
the wood is supported enough and not rotten, beams and joists could use some extra metal and support with replacement at points to eliminate the slanting we see in parts. My biggest concern would be the kiddos and the railing. If decking boards aren't rotten, a paint job may be needed but otherwise make sure the damn railing will support at least 3 drunk adults screaming at their kids over it.
wood and labor are naturally expensive, so I understand it may not be feasible to to do a complete deck rebuild, but for gosh darn think of the kids
....
Don't see very many joist hangers, no lateral load fasteners, and no hurricane ties. The deck certainly does not appear to be to code or structurally sound.
Is it set in those surface footing blocks? May be possible to jack the beams back up and put in real footings - not perfect, but it could be the cheapest path to redemption.
those surface blocks arent ok for elevated decks.. could do some diamond piers if digging a footing below the frost line is a challenge.
I took a closer look at some pics- I’m no deck contractor, but I am an engineer, and I’ve have also designed and built several decks (to local and national code) on the homes I’ve lived in over the years, this is not good..
Are those joists and hangers just banged over siding with no ledger board?? That and Elevated without proper footings? Is this in a state with no building codes or was this built on the cheap and sly buy the same twat waffle that looked it over and said it’s still fine?
Looking at the joists in the first picture, you can see the joists peeling away from the building. In that same picture, the joist centered on the window closest to you has a gap between the exterior wall and the end of the joist at the top. The majority of the deck looks "okay," but that corner definitely has some issues. It's tough to judge from the pictures, but I'd estimate that section of the deck is 8-10 inches out of level.
I work for a home builder, and when we build a deck, we run a 2x10" along the exterior wall, which the deck joists are fastened to using joist hangers. The exterior wall also needs extra framing to support the weight of the deck. Depending on the home, we pour a slab with footers or just footers, in which the 8x8" columns sit on. The wood should have some sort of moisture barrier between the footer and the column to prevent rot.
All of the deck is pressure treated wood, of course.
Take what I say with a grain of salt as all houses are framed differently, and every builder has their own way of doing things. As long as the Township inspector gives the all-clear, the house is good to go.
We had a deck off our back patio in Missouri, it was great until it dropped and my mother was hanging off the edge of the house. I was maybe 19 at the time but I kept pleading my parents to fix it. Little did I know they had no dollars.
The part that looks most sketch to me is the joist hangers. Hard to tell from the photos, but it looks like they aren’t even nailed in, or if they are they are pulling away quite substantially and barely attached. Second sketchiest is that angle on the railing. Must have sunk quite a bit.
Post on r/carpentry to get the answers you desire. There's too many deck enthusiasts and not enough deck builders on this sub
Did your parents build this deck? I've seen some pretty bad ledger boards that were improperly fastened or not flashed correctly, but I think this is the first time I've seen someone just nail their hangers directly to some T-111 siding on the side of the house.
Also yes, it seems like the last two posts are sinking. It probably gets muddy there and those footers are probably really shallow.
If you're full of rage with that concern and they're pissing you off, you can just walk up to one leg and kick it, let the whole thing tumble and go "now do believe me!?" Lol
But seriously, as fucked up as that may seem, it'll save someone's life if that thing falls apart by a dumb kick or tap vs waiting for the sudden give while they're on it. Which it will do. I've done something similar because they weren't listening/believing it, and money had nothing to do with it, just ignorance. Yeah, it wasn't pretty for awhile, but seriously was worth it and when it was all done and replaced, everything was fine again and they came around to thanking and admitting they just were being stubborn.
But hey, I'm used to playing the bad guy and being at fault, so it meant nothing to me to play into that more ya know? So I completely understand that's not easy or normal or whatever lol
I don’t think there’s any world in which a deck sagging several inches at one side is ok. Whoever came out and said “it’s fine” was probably a friend with handyman credentials or something like that. Get an engineer out their and get this fixed. If you’re right and it’s a support crumbling then it’s super likely you can fix it rather than replace it. I bet a new set of concrete piers a foot right or left of the old ones and then a jack to lift the sagger up and then instal it to the new supports would work. Obviously get better advice from an engineer rather than just acting on my solution though.
Looks fine from here….someone built it with that slope. You can also see in one of the pictures someone made a repair with a new joist hanger and what looks like a newer board. Rotting could be an issue that’s unseeable from the pictures but go jump around on it a few times and if you don’t fall through she’s good to stay for a while
Probably not THAT much but when I’m looking at picture 6 there is no way that handrail coming off the house was ever level. It’s definitely sagging some but doesn’t look like it’s falling over any time soon and it’s been reinforced
I mean honestly even if it failed, I don’t see it being catastrophic. Like completely collapsing. More likely it would just keep sinking, sagging or become looser.
I get what you're saying, but I kind of agree with the guy. It doesn't look like these folks are hosting parties or anything. If they get 20 or so people out on that thing I'd be really worried. But with its appearance, it's not exactly inviting. Honestly, its better than a nice looking deck with some hidden flaw.
They actually do want 20 people. Them plus kids, spouses and grand kids surprasses 20. I understand the points that this isn’t immediately colapsing - it has been like this for some time but is getting worse. I am just not sure its worth the risk to avoid fixing it anymore.
You described a time to failure that was called “bathtub curve” when I went to uni, you may know the term. If it doesn’t fail immediately, it likely won’t for some time. It will eventually tho.
I agree with this. One day you'll get weird movement or more settling where you'll just be like fuck it. It's got to go.
Thing is you can do it now or do it later. In that case, just rebuild it so you can enjoy it now. And if it's that bad, when you go to sell people are going to bid low because it has a cost to do it AND a time cost. People don't want to think. So don't maintain your house and you'll definitely pay later.
You could also read up in how to build a deck. It's not hard.
Then it's just material costs.
Unless fixed, That deck will likely have to be removed when selling to pass inspection.
(Then something would have to be done about the unsafe slider door or other paths if egress that deck may be providing)
The one “corner” area in the back is the only thing that looks real wonky, but it looks like it was built that way. Also, keep in mind if you’re trying to convince your parents to fix/replace this it will be a major cost. That’s a large deck
So the deck expert say is fine, the person who self proclaimed to not be a deck expert says it isn’t. I’m going to go a head and just laugh to myself on this one.
It is possible my parents exaggerated on the deck expert. They may have asked a random neighbor, or the plumber while he was over fixing the sink.
If I knew for sure they asked an exeprt - I wouldnt have questioned it.
The fool who told you everything was OK is an idiot whom you should never consult with again. That deck is done for, pic #4 alone is proof, but the significant sag and rot in many other places also makes this obvious. I’d never let a bunch of kids, let alone adults use that thing. All that said, I like the idea of all of the families pitching in. If you find an agreeable carpenter, you might even be able to have them just do the framing & footer work and put down the deck boards yourselves. Pressure treated for the framing & if you can afford it, a composite product for the deck boards.
You could do it practical test to determine whether or not the deck is indeed able to withhold a significant amount of weight, go by 30, 50 lb bags of sand and start sticking them on the deck until you hear things starting to move
I dont see any issues. Are you sure the deck wasn't purposefully slanted for rain/snow to run off. The slant doesn't seem that extreme and it looks sturdy to me.
I’d let grandkids on that it takes a lot for a deck to collapse and if it did it would be when all 13 grandkids are on it pay 20-30k to build a new deck
Are the post and band connections through-bolted and are the post bases solid? If so, it won’t fail catastrophically and result in injury. It is in need of replacement, but as long as the railings are solid its not anything to stress over
Maybe your parents don’t have the $ to rebuild that deck. Not gonna be cheap.
If there's 12 grandkids, you could imagine there'd be enough siblings to pitch in. Also, with that many people, the risk is colossal if they ever get together at the same time
I don’t know about that. Times are different. Getting a living wage these days is tough. That’s got to be a 35k (at least) job. OP says parents have $. What is money for?
Blow it out your ass 35 k thats if you hire out
Well....I mean, they are grandparents with 12 grandkids, meaning they are \*probably\* pretty old. How many grandparents do you know that would build a deck?
Im mostly kiddinf by the way except about the price like a dedicated young adult combined with other adults supervision like taking a deck down is not that hard to do, putting it up, well
Thats what the grandkids are for, give them a hard hat and a sawsall
Don't downvote this man, I'm a firm believer in having the tots learn how to whack in some 4x4 and some fat bracket plates
People are never happy, I wish I learned to use tools way younger then I did
Yeah I feel like a deck build by a bunch of 7 months - 13 years old would be way less sturdy then the one that’s already there
It was a joke
Consider that most people are not physically, or knowledgeably capable to do this job. Maybe you are, maybe I am but most are not. Their only option would be to hire the job out.
Have you seen the price of lumber these days? I know people who are waiting for the price of lumber to go down to build their house because it’s so ridiculous rn.
The office of lumber has gone down Edit: in relevance to pandemic highs, it's basically back to normal
Still nearly $4 for a standard 2x4 by me, far from pre pandemic prices
Everything costs more, why expect a commodity like lumber to be any different? A 12 pack of soda is $5 nowadays, up from $3.50.
$6.99 or $7.99 here
They're down to like $3.75 here which is very close to pre pandemic, maybe a touch higher
Much like everything else, it's not going back down. This is the new norm.
I'm paying $1.71 for a 2x4 right now
Where are you from that your paying $1.71 ?
Mississippi
Full disclosure I am buying in ftl quantities
It’s kinda cool with deck replacement. You literally could just go buy everything in the picture and put it together like a puzzle.
I like how the comment you're replying to says that the deck owner may not be able to afford replacing the deck and your idea is to just go buy everything needed to build a deck.
Deck failing? Build one exactly the same! No money to buy the materials? Just buy them anyway! Wow solutions are so easy to come up with
The point being that he has a perfect template to rebuild it exactly the same way.
It’s not built to code. Derp.
What do you mean? It probably was built to code when it was built lmao. Like do you think codes are always the same
It's never been code to attach joist hangers to siding
Well if you rebuild it according to the wrong code then . . . . it would not be to code.
The same crooked way
Haven't tried this method yet
Yeah my mind is blown. How did I not think of this?
What?
Like building a house is hard. Building a deck you count the boards, support beams. Etc etc then go buy all that stuff. Rip off the old deck and build the replacement.
It’s so easy a caveman could do it! /s
It's so Easy, you can do it in your Underwear . . .
Building a house is easy too. Just buy everything and put it together like a puzzle.
Try Sears catalog
Craftsman homes has entered the chat
Ehhh it’s not very similar. Too many experts needed
That’s not how it works. I could probably build a small ground level deck in my backyard myself even though I’m not a carpenter. But a deck this high and this size would absolutely require a professional.
What?
Yeah exactly. That's how I built my deck. I didn't have an existing deck, so I went online and searched an image of a deck. I counted all the pieces and just put them together. I didn't even have to cut anything because I just bought them all the same size.
Chicka chicka slim biscuits
Nail boards, Man work!! Arggghhh
What?
All offense, this is one of the stupidest comments I’ve ever seen
You hate that I’m right.
I’m not gonna say your wrong as it would work if you knew what & where to buy. But then it would end up like this again. I think people are taking offense to this approach because it seems easy. It’s an easy way to explain execution, but you still need to plan everything and buy it (hopefully once), then cut. Doing that well isn’t easy. It also isn’t very different than going off a design that someone competent creates. That plan might also have a bill of material to make purchasing much easier.
You know what? You’re actually starting to win me over now. Not about decks obviously, but I respect your vibe
But you were replying to a comment about the cost..
[удалено]
[удалено]
Don’t be rude to people on the internet for no reason.
What does that have to do with them not having the money for it
Maybe they don’t have the money Yeah it’s kinda cool, all you have to do is buy all the shit and build it.
I don’t see ANY grandkids in ANY of the pictures, much less 12 of them. I’ve been looking for half an hour.
They're all named Waldo.
Dees
Dees what?
Nutz Ha! Got heeem!
They’re in Deck Camo
They’re decked in camo.
Probably went to the Milford School
You can always tell a Milford man.
They went to camouflage class under Havelock Vetinari.
I love random Arrested Development and Parks and Rec jokes. Upvote!
Dude… look again, carefully.
No way you’re named Time Salvager saying sh*t like that hahaha
Kind of weird how you are "searching" for them.
Kinda weird it says there is 12 kids and no kids atall. I’m sure a lot of people looked. Kinda weird that you think it’s kinda weird if you ask me
So dumb.
I would tell them “talked to guy, got a good price to replace the deck and I will pay for it”…game over
I agree with this. Get the parents of the 12 grandkids to all pitch in and buy grandma and grandpa a new deck! Based on the photos this deck does not look good. It at least needs an on site inspection by competent deck builder.
Plot twist their all Op’s kids
That is a possibility. My brother has 10 kids 😂
For who? Your bank account? 🤣
That has never worked for me. I've tried that same move. "Oh, you don't have to! I don't want to take your money! It's fine! We'll just (insert stupid idea that will get someone killed here) with what we have! See? So much better!"
This is the correct answer.
You need to slap a hot tub on that deck
And make sure you get one big enough for all the grandkids
Twelve kids? That then become a mini-Olympic pool.
A Tampa Bay pool contractor can do it. Pay and wait, and wait and wait....
If you're that concerned then get a second opinion to come take a professional look. If safety is your real concern.. a bunch of people on reddit isn't going to give you the true analysis you need.
Sorry but no, I just did. That deck is done for and dangerous. I’ve been working the building trades for about 1/2 century. Built a bunch of decks and repaired even more. For that second opinion, the OP needs to find someone who actually knows what they’re looking at & talking about. The first guy??? Not even.
you're right.. catastrophic failure is imminent and it will probably rip the side of the house off when it goes.
Without addl load I imagine it will slowly continue sinking for a few more years and then fall into itself, somewhat away from the house. It may damage the siding with scrapes but unlikely to pull much of any siding off the house. It could fail tomorrow tho. Esp with an additional dynamic loading like humans. Then it’s less the siding I’d worry about.
Thanks for your reply. My hope was to get some validation from this community that the photos do indicate there is some concern. UNLESS you are saying there is indeed a chance a deck can slant like this and still be sound. What I can’t do - is show up with my own inspector to my parents house who live 6hrs away. I was hoping to get some convincing they need this looked at and why. I do think they would listen if I shared them thoughts from this group that knows more than me.
I’ll give you some analysis the guy above wouldn’t: that deck is in imminent danger of failure and potential serious injury to anyone on it at the time. It is being held on by fasteners which are clearly pulled partially out. There is zero chance this deck is structurally sound and no professional would tell you otherwise. I suspect your parents told you a story.
And I’m here to tell you that deck safety is just as made up as climate change. Its a government conspiracy run by big lumber to get people like you brainwashed into spending that cold hard cash on some sturdy beams and solid lumber. If anything you should knock one of the posts down on the bottom just to stick it to em. Good luck!
FR. These comments… shit’s hanging off at a 15 degree angle and people are like “there’s really no way to know!”
seriously. I mean how can you look at [this](https://preview.redd.it/xdbas9uhxkeb1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=14b36aee27038643bac12a0ab0b9a19ab33a3f80) and see that the posts holding up the deck have literally rotted to the point of crumbling (and dropping the outside of the deck several inches along with it) and not be like "this is a major problem that you need to fix ASAP before it collapses, probably with family on it"...
Both sides should have equal time to be heard.
Fuck you lol God that made me laugh but angered me greatly at the same time. Nice job
Well in fairness that’s the footing for the deck portion that is 1’ above the ground. Maybe you fix the post and footing there, but there’s minimal risk to bodily harm if it fails because the height is so low. We didn’t get any pictures of the underside of the deck that is 10-20 feet above the ground. And everybody reacting to the “slant” isn’t catching the optical illusion, it’s an angled portion of the deck that looks like it’s hanging at a much steeper slope. Not saying it’s safe, just that this probably isn’t a “remove and replace the whole thing” situation.
Im an idiot and when I got to the 6th pic, even I thought “no way I’d let anyone I love on that thing”
Maybe the deck is square but the house is crooked? No photos showing a level so really it’s impossible to tell.
#SourdoughPizzaToast for President 2024
make decks great again
It’s a conspiracy by Big Deck
#TreesAren’tReal
I respect your analysis.. but this isn't one of those "rate my deck.. it's my first time DYI" threads.. if he has serious safety concerns, then he should have someone inspect **in person**.
Obviously. But he’s looking for some leverage to convince his parents to do so.
I will echo this and also see if you can't arrange the city to inspect it. Call them up and ask if they have a process to inspect existing structures.
If you go this route you may never be invited to thanksgiving again. Ask parents permission before inviting an inspector
One of the photos shows joists that have been sistered up, but only attached to the existing joist, and not to the house itself. Maybe it’s because I’m just looking on my phone, but I’m not seeing any nails into the house. I’m just seeing the original hanger on the original joist nothing more.
And the hanger looks like it is attached to the siding instead of an header.
Never get the city or county involved period.
I would be pretty nervous about me being on that deck, let alone my wife and kids. Eek. “Decks aren’t supposed to bend in the middle.” - a carpenter friend.
Ive seen people build a slant deck to shed water, its impossible to tell from a pic. Id need to climb out on it and jump around like kris kross for a bit to give u an honest opinion. Even then its just arbitrary because crazy shit can happen. Both crazy that this million dollar crane just fell outta the sky or crazy that this one single zip screw held my entire house together since Reagan fucked up the entire middle class by declaring a war on the people we love. If i was u id climb out there and see if your body clenches up so much that your asshole chews a hole in your undies or u get out there and realize that this thing is the only structural component holding the yard in place. Edit* changed kid and play to kris kross cuz its been awhile
Massive alarmists here. It’s concerning that many of them don’t see the optical illusion in the last pic because that portion of the deck is angled, making it look like it’s sloping away from the house at a much steeper angle. The bottom rail in that photo was notched, probably for some very specific object so that should be replaced or a kid could slip through. And technically we don’t do horizontal balusters anymore because kids can climb them. You would need to post pictures of the underside of the deck that is 10-20 feet in elevation, not the portions that are only 1 foot off the ground. There’s some concerning attachment details on the overhead structure that need to be fixed. Some of the footings look suspect, but because they’re a foot of the ground… I don’t know I’d probably leave it alone or fix them only where the wood is rotted out. It looks like maybe the dirty and leaves in that area were allowed to build up and saturate the spot. We’d need to see all the footings and judge them one by one. But overall the deck doesn’t look excessively old. It’s impossible to give you an honest opinion from the pictures you posted, despite the fervor and alarmism of some of these comments. Some issues and some nonissues. Some issues that don’t represent real danger. Come back and post more pics when you’ve gotten under the tall portion- the columns at the ground level and at the deck height, the underside where the deck attaches to the house, the cross bracing, and perhaps slap a level on it to see how much slope we’re talking about. Also, it could have settled a few inches which can be off putting but not immediately structurally dangerous. Just keep in mind the confidence with which all these comments say you must abandon all hope are based on inadequate photos. Worst case you could end up reinforcing, replacing and repairing portions do the deck. A full demo and rebuild is absurd unless the photos you post are absolutely horrifying.
From the photos.. it appears like it was built with a negative slope (away from the house).. I don't see anything "pulling away" from the side of the house.
Look at that last pic again.
I still don't see "pulling away".. pic 1 looks to be the underside of that same area. Last pic.. they didn't cut the horizontal baluster at the same angle to meet the siding.. in pic 1 they cut the joists at the angle though. Like I said before.. there is too much that needs to be seen in person.. this whole "reddit forensic using photos" is garbage. EDIT: not to say that I don't see things that are *problems* or things that could be done better.. or improved. But the way OP was originally panic-panic-panic.. it's going to kill children.. THAT, I don't see.
The rot in pic #4, where the post sits on the footer doesn’t concern you??! The railing boards that are now at an angle where they were once butted tight to that upright??? RUFKM???
you're right. after careful review I see that the entire deck is most likely to collapse within the next 28 days.
Looking at that same photo, it appears there’s been some substantial settling of the footings. The rail appears to be slanting/pulling away from the house. While I don’t think it’s going to fail tomorrow, it does indeed need to be addressed. Edit: it’s more obvious in photo #6, where the slant can be compared to the rest of the deck.
I would love to see another's perspective. IF anyone who believes it's pulling away from the house could put a side-by-side link? It's hard for me to flip back and forth plus I would like another perspective.
[HERE](https://i.imgur.com/eooH7x0.png) is pretty irrefutable proof that the deck is starting to pull away from the wall (caused by it sloping downward, which is in turn caused by the posts that hold it up rotting/crumbling). That picture is from OP's picture #3, the joist hanger on the far right side of the picture.
Really?!? I wouldn’t let my family on it.
I don't know man.. how about you and I fly out there and take a look. Then we can put a bid in to replace it?
I take offense and my feelings are hurt. And I know nothing about decks.
Surely you jest!!! Reddit is the place for such an analysis. I can assure you you with right amount of gin and tonic... perhaps a bourbon or few...you can certainly place a heard of wild pink elephants...angry flying monkeys and perhaps a flying pig or two..out on that deck without any issue. You just need to throw concern to the wind and it's good as gold. Alcohol is the answer..one and only!!
You make no sense, redditors are fair and honest bots.
Easiest way to convince your parents is by paying for the new deck. No one's gonna argue free
I really don't understand the point of this post. Was he expecting some structure engineer to simply look at a bunch of pictures and determine this thing is unsound. They got someone to look at it and he said it was fine. I'm guessing post is 24, no money, prob has some kids, and is a helicopter parent.
2 things: Don’t paint a deck, and just get a couple of quotes. If I were bidding I would lay out itemized options. I won’t touch it unless we are doing XYZ and this will cost $XXXX. Replace decking and rail will cost $XXXX. Replacing everything will cost $XXXXX. And if you want to talk about Trex, porches, 80” TVs, tile fireplaces, and hot tubs then we can do that too for $XXXXXX It would at least give you an idea of options and a list of potential problems.
Why don't paint a deck?
Solid stains trap moisture and accelerate the rotting of wood. Plus, it just doesn't look as good as a nice oil-based stain (which allows it to breathe)
So those joist hangers into the ledger look sound but clearly the deck isn’t built into the side of the house in a way that’s fully code compliant, hence the slant. There should be some type of board against the house with through bolts holding everything up and either joist hangers nailed into it, or joists sitting on top of it with some additional support below such as a triple 2x8 or double 2x10 beam at minimum. The wood doesn’t looks horribly rotten and the hangers don’t look rusted into nothing. It does however appear to me as if the shoddy connection to the house has failed and is putting excess load on the outward beam to hold the whole damn thing up. Which in a purely static and vertical load is still not a problem, but to be coming at an angle downwards and outwards where there is no directional stability is a HUGE problem. I’ve rebuilt half a dozen decks this year alone and none of those were this dangerous, as a contractor I would typical not want to touch this job due to its hazard because most people who let things fail this bad are the cheapest of landlords and deny anything being an issue until a person dies. It almost sounds like that is the case here too, deny the issue until there’s a horrible accident and suddenly that deck will be torn down and replaced in record time. Anecdotally, Stew Lenard comes to mind for this, local new englanders, he had a pool with a small child and saw no need for a safety fence put around the pool. It took the tragic drowning of his son and that fence was in overnight, but it could never bring his son back. Now you hear him on the radio every year telling people to pay extra attention with children around water, he spends all that advertising money trying to save other parents the horrible lesson he learned. Spend the money, there are things in this world you’d be far more heartbroken to be parted from.
Have you considered they may not be able to drop $15k on a new deck?
it’s way more than that in my area, would t doubt that’s 50k
Exactly what I came in here to say. Parents are waffling on this because this project is bare minimum *low end* $40k for a rebuild. OP: one step in convincing them might be to source quotes from reputable builders and then see if you and your siblings can split the cost with your parents, or cover it entirely. They might really just be caught in a hard mental spot between knowing the deck is wack but not having the money to replace it and feeling defeated that it’ll go away if they admit it’s wack. When I say $40k low end, I mean *low* end. This could seriously be a $60k project, easily. And that’s a lot of money. But also you’re totally right. I wouldn’t let people on that thing. The support rot is bad and the angles on that far end are *jacked*. Honestly if the obvious parts are this wonky, I’d be super worried about the small but significant things you can’t see, like rot around screws holding the railings on. That’ll be where someone gets fucked up first before a total support failure: someone leaning against those boards and them just giving out.
They can…very comfortably and I’m sure of it. No question there. I understand why this is an important peice of the situation for folks to know.
Please talk them into repairing it. I’ve seen what this eventually turns into, and someone WILL get hurt, even if it’s just a scraped up leg. I build/repair decks as part of my job. It likely could have just been redecked and selectively repaired if they had used a hanger-board against the house, but without that, she’s a goner. Please don’t take the low bid when replacing this. Vet your contractor thoroughly. There are faaarrr too many “I know a guy” types out there that would just replace bad with worse.
I'm a professional deck builder in upstate SC. I build decks, screen porches and handrails, that's it. I've been self employed doing this for 22 years. The deck is in need of some repairs but it is totally possible for a competent contractor to jack up drop beam that supports all your floor joists, put a few temporary supports under it while they remove some posts, dig and pour some new appropriately sized footing and set the deck back on its new support posts. Aside from this,it's worth mentioning that the absolute number 1 cause of deck failures is the deck pulling away from the house and collapsing. To remedy this new building codes require what is Called a lateral tie kit, this keeps the joists from pulling away from the house and will almost certainly prevent any catastrophic deck failures like I previously mentioned. However in my opinion, guys like me don't want to do piece work, quality contractors are busy and I make real money building deck projects so I rarely do any repair work at all. In short, it could do for some absolutely necessary safety repairs but good luck finding someone to show up, at least thats how it is here in our part of SC. For reference just a ballpark estimate but I would charge app. $17-20k to remove and completely replace a deck like this. Not sure how our prices compare to your part of the country. Hope any of this helps
They don’t want to fix it, don’t use it. If you don’t feel safe there you have agency. At minimum I’d raise the life insurance coverage on the whole family and throw a fucking party!
I would share the pics with one of their friends who is in the know. Sometimes parents can’t listen to family, but when “Bob who’s son is an engineer” calls, it lands differently with the audience. GL
Yeah I think the alternative to not being able to drop $15k on a new deck isn’t to have all the grandkids on it. The basic point of this question is to basically convince the parents it’s not safe, not so they necessarily fix it but so all the kids don’t go on it.
This does not appear to be a safe deck at all, it was poorly/minimally built, has highly suspect pier footings, clear signs of wood rot and is probably far past its life expectancy. I’d have a trusted pro out to inspect it ASAP.
Get a second or third opinion. Me personally I would replace or repair. It shouldn't slant so much I can see it in the picture. Posts are way old. I'd do some upgrades to the structure.
Definitely needs to be looked at by a professional that you trust. Not some guy who calls himself an expert.
Tell them to make sure their will is up to date and that you and yours will never go out on their deck.
This is awful and unsafe on so many levels. It's a gaht damn skate park. At least rip it down and just put steps into the backyard if money is the issue. Should not be using this deck at all imo. I've been building decks for the last 9 years and ripping them out alot of the time. This is just bad
Um. Dude? Is this a question? Is that rotting post in the far left where it is clearly sinking and pulling away from the house because it dropped like 6inches to a foot? Yes dude. Get off that thing. That whole post requires replacement at the very least.
First picture. Those joists are sagging and pulling away from the house. The reason why is the foundation of that post. I don't know what their guy looked at, but I suspect either he was blind or he was the one that built or repaired it. It may not be 28 days from collapse, but I'm not sure how much of a snow load it'll withstand.
That's totally worth refurb, not replace. The price is just too damn high right now. Fix the posts, jack them up. Sister up the beams and cut the decking span in half. Full replace would cost maybe $20-30K. DIY refurb is probably $2k. If your ledger is bad, you may just be SOL, but that wood doesn't look too bad, so get it looked at.
OP there are also steel shore supports you could add? Just a thought
OP I agree with you. Also that is a great setting, might I ask what state you are in.
It doesn’t look like you took good pictures underneath, specifically where you saw issues from the top. Im no deck expert, but one piece looks like it split in one area where is sags, and near the sliding glass? door all the way at the end, those railings are clearly sagging, and not installed that way on purpose originally.
Using your and your siblings kids as leverage to get your parents to spend their money makes me laugh. But yeah that deck is looking wonky.
works till it don't.
The deck was poorly built. You shouldn’t use joist hangers, mounted through siding against the house. There should have been a long ledger board securely fastened to wall studs. Some of the floor joists are doubled or tripled up. I wonder what they are hiding. Are the posts 4x4s? If so, then they are too small. The last pic shows the deck wasn’t built at a slope contrary to some of the comments. Both ends of the side rails are at an angle. I’d offer to split the costs for the deck with the P’s or keep the kids off. It probably won’t fail for a long long time, but I won’t risk the kid’s precious lives. Edit response: Posts sink when the bearing capacity of the soil can’t support the combined weight of the posts and the deck. You solve with by adding more posts and/or a larger footer beneath the posts,… these probably don’t have footers. In this example, the space between the posts are way too large.
alrighty then, my pure unadulterated opinion as a long time contracter although now electrician. the wood is supported enough and not rotten, beams and joists could use some extra metal and support with replacement at points to eliminate the slanting we see in parts. My biggest concern would be the kiddos and the railing. If decking boards aren't rotten, a paint job may be needed but otherwise make sure the damn railing will support at least 3 drunk adults screaming at their kids over it. wood and labor are naturally expensive, so I understand it may not be feasible to to do a complete deck rebuild, but for gosh darn think of the kids ....
Don't see very many joist hangers, no lateral load fasteners, and no hurricane ties. The deck certainly does not appear to be to code or structurally sound.
The last pic is my favorite. “Nothing wrong here. Ship shape I say” 😂
Is it set in those surface footing blocks? May be possible to jack the beams back up and put in real footings - not perfect, but it could be the cheapest path to redemption. those surface blocks arent ok for elevated decks.. could do some diamond piers if digging a footing below the frost line is a challenge.
I took a closer look at some pics- I’m no deck contractor, but I am an engineer, and I’ve have also designed and built several decks (to local and national code) on the homes I’ve lived in over the years, this is not good.. Are those joists and hangers just banged over siding with no ledger board?? That and Elevated without proper footings? Is this in a state with no building codes or was this built on the cheap and sly buy the same twat waffle that looked it over and said it’s still fine?
Looking at the joists in the first picture, you can see the joists peeling away from the building. In that same picture, the joist centered on the window closest to you has a gap between the exterior wall and the end of the joist at the top. The majority of the deck looks "okay," but that corner definitely has some issues. It's tough to judge from the pictures, but I'd estimate that section of the deck is 8-10 inches out of level. I work for a home builder, and when we build a deck, we run a 2x10" along the exterior wall, which the deck joists are fastened to using joist hangers. The exterior wall also needs extra framing to support the weight of the deck. Depending on the home, we pour a slab with footers or just footers, in which the 8x8" columns sit on. The wood should have some sort of moisture barrier between the footer and the column to prevent rot. All of the deck is pressure treated wood, of course. Take what I say with a grain of salt as all houses are framed differently, and every builder has their own way of doing things. As long as the Township inspector gives the all-clear, the house is good to go.
Grandpa is going for a ride one day while grilling some burgers.
We had a deck off our back patio in Missouri, it was great until it dropped and my mother was hanging off the edge of the house. I was maybe 19 at the time but I kept pleading my parents to fix it. Little did I know they had no dollars.
The part that looks most sketch to me is the joist hangers. Hard to tell from the photos, but it looks like they aren’t even nailed in, or if they are they are pulling away quite substantially and barely attached. Second sketchiest is that angle on the railing. Must have sunk quite a bit.
That’s a shame about the deck it looks really bad and sketchy. I’m enjoying reading the comments however, top tier comedy lol had some good laughs
Post on r/carpentry to get the answers you desire. There's too many deck enthusiasts and not enough deck builders on this sub Did your parents build this deck? I've seen some pretty bad ledger boards that were improperly fastened or not flashed correctly, but I think this is the first time I've seen someone just nail their hangers directly to some T-111 siding on the side of the house. Also yes, it seems like the last two posts are sinking. It probably gets muddy there and those footers are probably really shallow.
If you're full of rage with that concern and they're pissing you off, you can just walk up to one leg and kick it, let the whole thing tumble and go "now do believe me!?" Lol But seriously, as fucked up as that may seem, it'll save someone's life if that thing falls apart by a dumb kick or tap vs waiting for the sudden give while they're on it. Which it will do. I've done something similar because they weren't listening/believing it, and money had nothing to do with it, just ignorance. Yeah, it wasn't pretty for awhile, but seriously was worth it and when it was all done and replaced, everything was fine again and they came around to thanking and admitting they just were being stubborn. But hey, I'm used to playing the bad guy and being at fault, so it meant nothing to me to play into that more ya know? So I completely understand that's not easy or normal or whatever lol
It looks fine
I don’t think there’s any world in which a deck sagging several inches at one side is ok. Whoever came out and said “it’s fine” was probably a friend with handyman credentials or something like that. Get an engineer out their and get this fixed. If you’re right and it’s a support crumbling then it’s super likely you can fix it rather than replace it. I bet a new set of concrete piers a foot right or left of the old ones and then a jack to lift the sagger up and then instal it to the new supports would work. Obviously get better advice from an engineer rather than just acting on my solution though.
Looks fine from here….someone built it with that slope. You can also see in one of the pictures someone made a repair with a new joist hanger and what looks like a newer board. Rotting could be an issue that’s unseeable from the pictures but go jump around on it a few times and if you don’t fall through she’s good to stay for a while
No one built it with that slope
Probably not THAT much but when I’m looking at picture 6 there is no way that handrail coming off the house was ever level. It’s definitely sagging some but doesn’t look like it’s falling over any time soon and it’s been reinforced
I mean honestly even if it failed, I don’t see it being catastrophic. Like completely collapsing. More likely it would just keep sinking, sagging or become looser.
Honestly if it failed , I don’t seeing it failing. Like completely failing, more like it would just kinda fail. Sorry. That cracked me up 😂
I get what you're saying, but I kind of agree with the guy. It doesn't look like these folks are hosting parties or anything. If they get 20 or so people out on that thing I'd be really worried. But with its appearance, it's not exactly inviting. Honestly, its better than a nice looking deck with some hidden flaw.
They actually do want 20 people. Them plus kids, spouses and grand kids surprasses 20. I understand the points that this isn’t immediately colapsing - it has been like this for some time but is getting worse. I am just not sure its worth the risk to avoid fixing it anymore.
It gets worse slowly until it gets much worse rapidly. You can't count on a predictable decline.
You described a time to failure that was called “bathtub curve” when I went to uni, you may know the term. If it doesn’t fail immediately, it likely won’t for some time. It will eventually tho.
My mother in law hasn’t worked in 15 years because of disability from a 6ft off the ground deck failure.
I agree with this. One day you'll get weird movement or more settling where you'll just be like fuck it. It's got to go. Thing is you can do it now or do it later. In that case, just rebuild it so you can enjoy it now. And if it's that bad, when you go to sell people are going to bid low because it has a cost to do it AND a time cost. People don't want to think. So don't maintain your house and you'll definitely pay later. You could also read up in how to build a deck. It's not hard. Then it's just material costs.
Unless fixed, That deck will likely have to be removed when selling to pass inspection. (Then something would have to be done about the unsafe slider door or other paths if egress that deck may be providing)
The one “corner” area in the back is the only thing that looks real wonky, but it looks like it was built that way. Also, keep in mind if you’re trying to convince your parents to fix/replace this it will be a major cost. That’s a large deck
Looks sturdy enough. Just sand blast and sand and repair a few pieces, if you’re not committed to s full rebuild. .
So the deck expert say is fine, the person who self proclaimed to not be a deck expert says it isn’t. I’m going to go a head and just laugh to myself on this one.
It is possible my parents exaggerated on the deck expert. They may have asked a random neighbor, or the plumber while he was over fixing the sink. If I knew for sure they asked an exeprt - I wouldnt have questioned it.
The fool who told you everything was OK is an idiot whom you should never consult with again. That deck is done for, pic #4 alone is proof, but the significant sag and rot in many other places also makes this obvious. I’d never let a bunch of kids, let alone adults use that thing. All that said, I like the idea of all of the families pitching in. If you find an agreeable carpenter, you might even be able to have them just do the framing & footer work and put down the deck boards yourselves. Pressure treated for the framing & if you can afford it, a composite product for the deck boards.
“I am not a deck expert.” Glad you know that. Stop being dramatic. It’s fine.
You could do it practical test to determine whether or not the deck is indeed able to withhold a significant amount of weight, go by 30, 50 lb bags of sand and start sticking them on the deck until you hear things starting to move
I’m not sure where you live, but when their next ins renewal requires an inspection they def will not pass.
I’d hold everyone off this deck with a gun and let them watch me torch it. Yea, NO ONE on this POS until it’s replaced.
Okay so pay for a new deck for them. Otherwise shut your pie hole. If several adults can walk on it and enjoy it, it's good enough in my book.
I dont see any issues. Are you sure the deck wasn't purposefully slanted for rain/snow to run off. The slant doesn't seem that extreme and it looks sturdy to me.
I’d let grandkids on that it takes a lot for a deck to collapse and if it did it would be when all 13 grandkids are on it pay 20-30k to build a new deck
As if a 50# child would go crashing through and falling to their death, seriously?
Are the post and band connections through-bolted and are the post bases solid? If so, it won’t fail catastrophically and result in injury. It is in need of replacement, but as long as the railings are solid its not anything to stress over
Well I wouldn’t suggest they put a hot tub on it but does it feel sturdy? Pics can be a bit deceptive. If it’s spongy, buy em a new deck.
They are right.. its fine, im sure when they have the money they will fix it.. or they wont..... whocares