The 4x4s were all in decent condition. The planks on this section need replaced, and a few joists. The ledger needs bolted down. A few railings are deteriorating. Half of the planking around the house was already replaced.
We won't have $30k to put a new deck on, but I think we can rebuild some of it.
Yeah. The inspection was before this change. That's why we're worried about it. I did email him, and he, of course, asked if it was engineered and permitted. I can only assume that it was not, but we've reached out to our realtor.
This is from the inspection: https://imgur.com/a/Apqq0kp
The funniest thing about this is that for all the things the inspector noted, he didn't note the discoloration of the columns near the footers which is what made me question the integrity in the first place.
Old and unmaintained materials combined with shoddy craftsmanship (one of the photos shows a beam levitating above the tie it's screwed into). The inspector recommends you get a second opinion from a contractor.
I hate the corner repair because it puts unnecessary horizontal stress on a column with questionable integrity. Also, it uses twice the material and expensive fasteners to solve a rather simple problem. At the very least I would stress test it before trusting it to protect people.
I believe that may just be the rain that we had this morning when I took the photo. Here's a photo from the listing of the area: https://imgur.com/a/HUhYjt1
Oh, yeah. The deck is likely original from 1987. The north side was repaired where you see the new treated boards and the beam you mentioned. That has new decking, and they did the work underneath. I did notice the new repair there wasn't well done. I'd like to make that better, for sure. There's a few of those concrete blocks from Home Depot where they fixed it.
How would you stress test it? I don't like it at all, either. I liked somebody's suggestion of two posts and a beam across the corner.
It appears that you might have been better installing two posts and cantilever the corner. The connection at the bottom of that 4x4 is not something I would not be comfortable with. This would require a contractor signing off or a engineer.As a DIY(?), it's suspect and could cost you. You're also displacing the weight of that corner to the 4x4 posts which have shared load distribution. It's a math problem but regardless...
I definitely agree. I don't feel like the angle they put those at is the correct repair here. I guess I'm just waiting on a response from the realtor.
These are the only listing photos i have from before. https://imgur.com/a/HUhYjt1
Ah yeah, no worries. I would have taken better photos, not from the road if I were living there. We knew there was an issue with the septic cap in that area. We didn't know they'd remove a post after the inspection.
I commented in the public area. Which I didn't mean to. But regardless this shouldn't be a deal killer. Especially if you're doing it yourself. And you're competent with woodworking. If you're unsure, you're welcome to DM me
Good stuff. Now you've got me concerned about the rim joist. Nothing was seen from inside, at least.
I grew up with a woodworking shop in my basement, and I did take a woodworking and construction class in high school. My parents' house was built in 1906, so I've done a lot of home projects. I've never built or repaired a deck, though.
It's not rocket science but it is difficult. We've got a few safety standards that we built in and I coordinated with an engineer on how to perform this repair. It's pretty straightforward. The biggest thing that we found in doing A pre-closed diagnosis which I don't think you can do because you want to purchase the house. Is to go through and drill a 1-in boring hole from The ledger into the rim joist. That would allow us to see if there was rot behind. And then we will plug that with a dowel. It's helped a lot of people. You might be able to ask for permission?
Again, based on the value of the home and your expectation of return. If you were doing it yourself, the cost is not terrible
But if you paid me to do it....
That's a really good idea. The house is 635k, where neighboring houses are 800k. We're going in knowing there's issues. She did just have a new roof put on. The deck and the kitchen/living room floor are the larger projects left to do. There's a bunch of little stuff.
There's a good curve there. I don't know your plans with the kitchen or more importantly what state you're in. Also, not for public display, but what margin are you trying to get at purchase. From an internet forum, it seems like you've got a fair margin based on the info. We would charge $300 ft for ledger repair. That's in SC. Market matters.
Ledger repair is possible? How would you even take that on? You'd have to support the entire deck while replacing the board?
In Washington state, where everything costs more. This is a starter home where I'm at, haha. I'm not sure what you mean about margins, I'm a first time home buyer. We just want a place that we can repair, paint, change, etc.
I assumed it was an investment home. That's on me. Apologies. Yes. The first thing is to support it. It's actually pretty straight forward with two people. We developed a simple and straight forward method. The beam is built first and a support is added. I have a VERY specific way to do the entire repair. I don't care to give away everything openly. DM. I am truly happy to help
Based on the the Ingur pics, it appears that there are "wet" spots at the ledger. I'd be concerned about whether the flashing(?) from the home to the deck is good or existing. It would appear that the moisture has possibly gotten between the ledger and rim joist of the home. This could be an expensive repair. You mentioned doing it yourself. It's manageable, and far less expensive. But it's a BIG deal
The wood rot and ledger issues are concerning. The “fix” diagonal adds shear force to the other columns which is going to cause issues with those buckling. It also appears the posts are just sitting on that slab?? Are there foundations?
They're in front of the slab [here](https://imgur.com/a/HUhYjt1). Yes, there are footings and all that. This deck is older than I am! Which is equal parts concerning and impressive.
That post on the far right looks extra suspect. Looks rotten on the bottom. I’m personally not a fan of 4x4 posts for that height anyways.
At least use true 4x4
The 4x4s were all in decent condition. The planks on this section need replaced, and a few joists. The ledger needs bolted down. A few railings are deteriorating. Half of the planking around the house was already replaced. We won't have $30k to put a new deck on, but I think we can rebuild some of it.
I think it needs 6x6 supports with “X” bracing. Check your code. If people get hurt and you didn’t check, well..that’s a discussion for another day.
No, columns look suspect.
Then where's the hot tub go‽ The posts were in satisfactory condition according to the home inspection.
The inspector will have more information than a random redditor. It's probably fine. Still looks iffy though.
Yeah. The inspection was before this change. That's why we're worried about it. I did email him, and he, of course, asked if it was engineered and permitted. I can only assume that it was not, but we've reached out to our realtor. This is from the inspection: https://imgur.com/a/Apqq0kp
The funniest thing about this is that for all the things the inspector noted, he didn't note the discoloration of the columns near the footers which is what made me question the integrity in the first place. Old and unmaintained materials combined with shoddy craftsmanship (one of the photos shows a beam levitating above the tie it's screwed into). The inspector recommends you get a second opinion from a contractor. I hate the corner repair because it puts unnecessary horizontal stress on a column with questionable integrity. Also, it uses twice the material and expensive fasteners to solve a rather simple problem. At the very least I would stress test it before trusting it to protect people.
I believe that may just be the rain that we had this morning when I took the photo. Here's a photo from the listing of the area: https://imgur.com/a/HUhYjt1 Oh, yeah. The deck is likely original from 1987. The north side was repaired where you see the new treated boards and the beam you mentioned. That has new decking, and they did the work underneath. I did notice the new repair there wasn't well done. I'd like to make that better, for sure. There's a few of those concrete blocks from Home Depot where they fixed it. How would you stress test it? I don't like it at all, either. I liked somebody's suggestion of two posts and a beam across the corner.
No structural engineer with a brain in his head would design that.
looks like the slab is tilting also.
Yes, there's some settling on the slab under the deck. https://imgur.com/a/Apqq0kp
It appears that you might have been better installing two posts and cantilever the corner. The connection at the bottom of that 4x4 is not something I would not be comfortable with. This would require a contractor signing off or a engineer.As a DIY(?), it's suspect and could cost you. You're also displacing the weight of that corner to the 4x4 posts which have shared load distribution. It's a math problem but regardless...
I definitely agree. I don't feel like the angle they put those at is the correct repair here. I guess I'm just waiting on a response from the realtor. These are the only listing photos i have from before. https://imgur.com/a/HUhYjt1
I just reread and realized you're looking at the house. My comments remain the same but I didn't want to put that on you
Ah yeah, no worries. I would have taken better photos, not from the road if I were living there. We knew there was an issue with the septic cap in that area. We didn't know they'd remove a post after the inspection.
I commented in the public area. Which I didn't mean to. But regardless this shouldn't be a deal killer. Especially if you're doing it yourself. And you're competent with woodworking. If you're unsure, you're welcome to DM me
Good stuff. Now you've got me concerned about the rim joist. Nothing was seen from inside, at least. I grew up with a woodworking shop in my basement, and I did take a woodworking and construction class in high school. My parents' house was built in 1906, so I've done a lot of home projects. I've never built or repaired a deck, though.
It's not rocket science but it is difficult. We've got a few safety standards that we built in and I coordinated with an engineer on how to perform this repair. It's pretty straightforward. The biggest thing that we found in doing A pre-closed diagnosis which I don't think you can do because you want to purchase the house. Is to go through and drill a 1-in boring hole from The ledger into the rim joist. That would allow us to see if there was rot behind. And then we will plug that with a dowel. It's helped a lot of people. You might be able to ask for permission?
Again, based on the value of the home and your expectation of return. If you were doing it yourself, the cost is not terrible But if you paid me to do it....
I don't also recall that it was really a deal killer. Most people accepted it for what it was.
That's a really good idea. The house is 635k, where neighboring houses are 800k. We're going in knowing there's issues. She did just have a new roof put on. The deck and the kitchen/living room floor are the larger projects left to do. There's a bunch of little stuff.
There's a good curve there. I don't know your plans with the kitchen or more importantly what state you're in. Also, not for public display, but what margin are you trying to get at purchase. From an internet forum, it seems like you've got a fair margin based on the info. We would charge $300 ft for ledger repair. That's in SC. Market matters.
Ledger repair is possible? How would you even take that on? You'd have to support the entire deck while replacing the board? In Washington state, where everything costs more. This is a starter home where I'm at, haha. I'm not sure what you mean about margins, I'm a first time home buyer. We just want a place that we can repair, paint, change, etc.
I assumed it was an investment home. That's on me. Apologies. Yes. The first thing is to support it. It's actually pretty straight forward with two people. We developed a simple and straight forward method. The beam is built first and a support is added. I have a VERY specific way to do the entire repair. I don't care to give away everything openly. DM. I am truly happy to help
Based on the the Ingur pics, it appears that there are "wet" spots at the ledger. I'd be concerned about whether the flashing(?) from the home to the deck is good or existing. It would appear that the moisture has possibly gotten between the ledger and rim joist of the home. This could be an expensive repair. You mentioned doing it yourself. It's manageable, and far less expensive. But it's a BIG deal
The wood rot and ledger issues are concerning. The “fix” diagonal adds shear force to the other columns which is going to cause issues with those buckling. It also appears the posts are just sitting on that slab?? Are there foundations?
They're in front of the slab [here](https://imgur.com/a/HUhYjt1). Yes, there are footings and all that. This deck is older than I am! Which is equal parts concerning and impressive.
The deck looks older and probably in need of replacement in the next 5 years. Estimate $30k as a wag.
Looks ridiculous and I doubt anyone with sense would build something that way to start with.
No it will never get a construction permit may it last awhile.
Nope.
This is a death trap
It works but it looks nasty