Blog, Home Education, Home Safety

Let’s talk about decks! I come across many decks during my inspections that make me cringe. There are over 40 million decks in the United States and barely half are done correctly and most are unsafe for the family using them!  

As a DIY connoisseur myself I would not have given it a second thought to build my own deck. In theory they are just a a box frame with supports, right??? Now with a better understanding of the importance behind a proper built deck, I would have been so wrong!

Just like houses, decks need to be build to support the weight of people, snow loads, and objects. They need to be able to resist the loads from wind and seismic activity. Their rails need to keep people from falling off of the deck. And they need to be attached to the house in such a way they they will not collapse.

Here are some interesting facts about deck collapses:

• Almost every deck collapsed while occupied (this is terrifying, especially if you and your family spend a lot of time on your deck)
• 90% of deck collapses occurred from the deck ledger separating from the house
• The majority of deck injuries are caused by railing failure
• There is no correlation between deck failure and whether the deck was built by a homeowner or professional contractor

So, how do you know if your deck is built right and is safe for you and your family? Since there are just as many professional contractors building improper decks as there are homeowners, be sure to do your research on the contractor you choose to build or inspect your deck. The American Wood Council has a simple construction guide that breaks down a proper build (https://www.awc.org/codes-standards/publications/dca6). You can also invite your local home inspector out to complete a maintenance inspection on your home.