Deck-Safety

When it comes to handyman advice about deck-safety you have several considerations. I'm pretty passionate about safety and from my research not enough is said on the subject. A few years ago, I remember a deck collapse that happened in my town that injured 28 people. Rusty nails and joist hangers, combined with the weight of wedding reception guests, caused the deck to collapse. In light of these kinds of preventable accidents I'd like to bring some awareness to deck-safety.

Folks with children or grandchildren, who live in condos, townhouses, or two story homes with decks on the second or as high as the fourth story, must consider that safety, or should I say the lack of it, has serious consequences. Follow the DIY advice on Deck-safety to ensure many happy days upon your deck.

Many times the problem with a deck is that it's not attached properly to the building or a deterioration of the components has occurred. If your deck is dangerously high off the ground, consider hiring a professional to inspect the underside attachment points.

Some cities may have summer programs where building inspectors come for free to inspect your deck. The deck collapse mentioned above, and others like it, prompted city officials all over the state of Virginia to bring greater awareness to deck-safety. May was Deck Safety Awareness month in the Hampton Roads area. During the month they conducted numerous inspections for free and no serious problems were found. The problem is that not enough people know about the program, think their deck is fine, or are simply oblivious to a potential problem... the old "it can't happen to me" syndrome.

Checking Your Own Deck...

Start your inspection with the attachment points, the railings and how the deck is supported. What is the condition of the wood? Is the wood sound? When checking the soundness of the wood you need to get underneath the deck and check the joists and end boards. If you see rot on a surface deck board... good chance the joist underneath has been effected as well. Check the condition of the fasteners... are the nail heads popping up or the railing support anchor bolts rusted causing a potential hazard?

Check to see how the deck is supported. Is the deck nailed or bolted to the building, make sure there is no rust. Does the deck seem to be pulling away from the structure, it could be in danger of collapse. If you see any extensive rust or what looks like early deterioration in the metal joist hangers, have a professional look at it. Replace the compromised items to ensure safety.

Check the soil around any ground supports to make sure it isn't loose or collapsing. Check out where the support beams meet the deck, is it secure, look for obvious signs of failure.

There are some great composite materials used these days on decks that will not rot but the bottom line here is that the main part of a deck, it's frame, is made of wood and it will only last so long. The more maintenance you put into it, the longer it will last. Maintain the deck and support beams with products made to preserve them. Check out the deck-repair, deck-cleaning pages for more information on those subjects.