I don't know how it is in your part of the world, but here in northern Utah wooden decks are installed on about 50% of the homes that I inspect. Back in 1998, I clearly remember the two decks that I inspected that made me stop and do some rethinking on the topic. I had previously always made the assumption that if a deck was built with a "Building Permit" that there were strict "Building Codes" dictating their design, but I was wrong. Conditions have improved a bit over the years, but we read the regular reports of deck failures.
Wood decks are often built by the General Contractor during the original home's construction, but in most cases, they are erected after the original construction. Here in Utah, many are constructed by Harvey Homeowner himself after watching informative TV programs like Hometime or Bob Vilas. If Harvey didn't do the after-construction deck work, then it was a low budget contractor who had to cut every imaginable corner to make a profit. Either way, deck construction and layout techniques vary greatly. The greatest sacrifice for the consumer is the overall deck safety.
As a Home Inspector I was trained to evaluate deck supports, deck boards and railing systems. However there is a lot more to decks than I originally realized when I started inspecting back in 1995. I have gathered lots of information on deck construction and failure over the years and this website is my attempt to share it with all those who are looking for the information. Some of the information is generated towards homeowners, and other parts are specifically for inspectors.
As an inspector I have awakened in the middle of the night dreaming of a collapsed deck. I have imagined the liabilities of a failure of deck structure after my inspection report gave the deck a good stamp of approval. I have learned that the more I come to know about deck construction, the more that there is to learn about deck construction. So let's revisit the topic of wood decks from a open-minded inspector’s perspective so that we can identify the flaws inherent to their modern day construction process and accurately report the issues that are visible, in an effort to reduce the amount of failures in our local areas.
Preventive inspections are the best way to keep from experiencing major home related issues. Michael Leavitt & Co Inspections, Inc. is the premier inspection firm in northern Utah.
