11/20/2016
Hello FB. We got a call for help about a 25 year old deck collapsing. The best fix was to have a new deck built but $500 as opposed to $20K, reminds me of my good friend in NC who wisely often said; first thing to do is "use what you have to get what you want." Almost impossible here.
We see this a couple times a year. NOTE: If your deck is not carried by a beam under all of its joists, do yourself a favor and have it looked at before this happens to you. If this deck was off the ground at a second story or even just four or five feet something real bad could have happened, besides the damage to the house when it rips away.
This mystery unraveled after pulling about 3 ft of decking. The main support system was the front 2x10 attached to periodic 4x4 posts. The posts had good footings but had sank different amounts over the years. The addition of the planter at the front of the deck added "insult to injury", until half the joists pulled away. Obviously, the wood and fasteners are aged well too...
Our fix was #1 make a hoist (no pic, too embarrassing) #2 jack the deck up #3 place some block footings #4 install brackets with bolts in three locations in hope to pull the front back straight(er) #5 place continuous treated beam under entire deck #6 reinstall decking.
The good news is, we were able to place a third of the beam on a concrete pad found under the deck. The bad news, that is exactly what it looks like in that planter...no B.S. In the end the owners were elated and DWL has another deck replacement in the future...
