Evey DIYer is different with results varying greatly. Here was a bad build that happened when a handyman's patio collapsed with people on it. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/halifax-deck-collapse-victims-suing-brussels-street-homeowners-city-1.3206469
LOL! Yup.. Seen lots of those! No piles, but attached to structure = differential settlement = crooked structure. Frost-heave and subsequent thaw-settlement = up/down/up/down/up/down (as the seasons cycle), sinking slightly further with each thaw cycle (you can already see the lean towards the rear). Not to mention that a raised platform like that has to be on a foundation (posts have to be on piles) to resist all movement. And the freeze/thaw heave/settle cycles create a moment at the ledger plate, which creates static tension and can eventually damage the wall structure... what else... oh, the lack of piles also created /\settlement between the piles, causing the mid pile to sink faster than the corner piles (usually the other way around though). Awful! And I just watched the first minute so far! Anyway, good job.
The first deck I build twenty years ago, it still standing and was built off of with an extension. It was trapezoid shaped with a pergola screen because houses these days are all built with the neighbors right in your face.
Yeah, I don't think people appreciate how slippery a smooth wood surface gets when wet. It's like wet ice. There's nothing there to give you friction when a layer of water is sitting on top of it.
My brother fell through his deck railing and fractured 4 vertebre. The railing was old and just deteriorated. He is recovering. He could have been killed.
Definitely a COMPLETE tear down & rebuild !! SO MANY construction violations !! That is why you NED to visit your local building office BEFORE you build !! Do it right the FIRST TIME !!
actually the 2x4 that is nailed ontop of the 2x8 is likly there to keep the 2x8s from rotting out from the inside out we have been doing that for years on farms on wagon beams so they last 20 plus years because if we don't do that they rot and snap in under 5 years because they sit outside year round the moisture if we don't do that gets taped between the boards rotting them from the inside out but ya I don't blame you for condemning the porch that just looks scetchy
There is a house where I live in Akron that for some reason it's front facade was built that way. The entire roof over the porch is collapsing. Yet people are still living there and the city doesn't seem to care.
At the end of the day its just a deck. Likely over a decade old. Served its purpose and its time to come down. Savings in DIY projects are still well worth it regardless of the shortcuts, as long as its not a critical part of your house. Something like a deck can be "professionally" done by a first timer if they take a few hours to watch some intructional videos, a step that this one skipped.
I charge extra to fix what customers messed up. That looks like whoever built it didn’t have a truck to haul long boards and was thrown together with alcohol involved.
This looks like a deck that started out bad.. and the homeowner kept making more and more tweaks to it over the years - as needed. This doesn't look like it was built this way from the start.. but evolved into a giant hazard over the years. Build it properly from the start and it would last for many many years.
As someone with 30 years in the plumbing and hvac trade, usually the home inspector will pick out a drip leg from a water heater terminating more than 6” from the floor or a toilet not being caulked around the base( which btw is a terrible idea) and never sees the crack in the heat exchangers of heating equipment or clogged chimneys or vent pipes. They’re kind of a joke to professionals in the trades.
I tend to agree. They nitpick BS stuff and miss glaring deficiencies like a rotted out roof. In this particular case, the construction does seem a little sketchy.
I don’t like to speculate but you might be the guy who has no experience and would rely on the word of someone with a title like “inspector” who in many cases has no experience in the field as well. “
Hey, I know it's been a year since you asked this, but you can sort out who will take responsibility for this deck during your negotiations on a contract. Let's say the Seller wants $100,000 for this property. We know the deck is bad and must be replaced. Maybe that'll cost $4,000. I can offer (for example) $96,000 and I'll get the deck replaced, or I can offer the full $100,000 *BUT* the Seller must get the deck replaced.
@@heroknaderi It's generally how you would do the same thing if you were buying a used car. But keep in mind, sometimes the condition of the car/house/property has already been taken into account and the asking price has already been reduced. If I'm selling a used car for $1,500, don't tell me that you'll only buy it for my asking price once I put new tires on it and get it painted. The price already reflects the condition of the car (or house or property).
its sad yet funny how someone can walk on that thing and not realize in how much danger they really are in each time. get 3-4 people on that thing and you have a potential death on your hands.
Yes it's a problem, But what credentials, or authority, do you have, that give you the authority to condem a deck? As a "Home Inspector" You record observations and make recomendations!
And his recommendation here to his clients, ie. the potential buyers, is that the deck is unsalvageable and must be pulled-down entirely. Not sure what you're upset about here.
picky, picky, picky. I am sure the slope of each half a deck towards the middle is done for better drainage . The gap between the deck joist and the house is for better air circulation, preventing moisture build-up. 6 tiny bolts is more than enough to support the deck, especially when there are plenty of people dancing on top. It's simply a money saver. I am sure it works well. Looks professional to me. Let's pretend we didn't see other minor issues.
I think he was being super critical of the construction as well. A bit of repair work for a contractor to do in a day but as for being condemned, give me a break.
I had rusty joist hangers that I’ve since replace with Simpson strong-tie zmax and secured with their SD screws #9-2.5”. However, I notice some gap between the joist and ledger board and beam. Do I need to be concerned with that gap and the double-shear screws not penetrating enough of the ledgerboard and beams? What can I do about that? Fill the gap with some sort of shim? Also, the deck still feels wobbly overall. Should I install some SB16 sway bars diagonally between the joists corner to corner?
And the "builder" smiled smugly, knowing that he saved eleven dollars on nails, wasted nothing on lumber and no one was the wiser. Just knowing you're a genius is it's own reward. 😂 😂
This is basically the ricer of homeownership. Looks good, performs poorly xD Anyways, some of the stuff you mentioned was a bit nitpicky. Antislip material for stairs is something i've never encountered in my life.
deck joists definitely don't have to be 2x10's are you f*cking new, house joists aren't even 2x10's, are you f*cking new? I mean it's a terrible deck build but you have no idea what you're doing either.
easy to tear down anyway. just knock that center post out and watch it fold like a house of cards. probably take the front of the house off too but it looks like a shithole anyway.
@@michaelccozens I guess if you're a first time buyer maybe. Any seasoned home buyer would look at EVERYTHING, like foundation, windows, door frames, concrete, basement walls, attic. Home ownership is a lot of work and should require some sort of informative class
I think you've used the wrong terminology unless I misunderstand your role. You say you've "condemned" this deck. What is your authority to do such a thing?
and real estate agents. He was very critical of the deck that just needed some repair work; not to be condemned. I'm sure he got his act together quickly from being a deal killer.
Don't be ridiculous. It's a "potential hazard", which means it would fail over a period of time. It's not likely to collapse right away. (He also walked on top of it, which is much more dangerous). But that's what an inspector does; he's not going to be able to do his job by inspecting it from 10 feet away....
