A Weather-Proof Deck
(Page 2 of 14)
June/July 1996
By John Vivian
The latest plans and how-to books and videos incorporate rot- and pest-preventing measures learned over a half-century of practical experience. But, fair warning: the deck plans in the old how-to books you find in every library (and those still sold by some plan services) hark from the 40s, when decks were a novelty. Structure may be too weak to hold up or to satisfy building codes, and lumber/fastener specs will surely be out of date. Most importantly, the latest materials and techniques to guarantee long-term structural integrity and minimize water, rot, and insect damage will be missing entirely. If only to stay legal, be sure to have any construction plan preapproved by your local building-permit authority. They will turn up serious structural deficiencies, but won't mention the modern niceties that can add decades to your deck's service life.
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In this article, I will suggest how recent ideas can be applied as you build your own new deck, maintain an older one in good condition, or if necessary, rehabilitate or repair a deck that was built a while back and/or hasn't been properly maintained.
I found out the hard way that my deck had been merely nailed to the house-standard procedure till the mid to late 1980s. And, after 25 summers of alternate waterlogging/drying and as many winters of being hammered by tons of snow that slid off the roof, the big 16-penny nails that held the rear frame of the deck to the house foundation timbers simply pulled out of holes that were beginning to be infiltrated by rot organisms. Fortunately, the deck just pulled out at the rear but didn't collapse, and nobody was on the deck when it failed. If there'd been an adult party going on, or several kids thundering around, the weight of people and vibrations from their activity could have carried deck and occupants to the ground. I have read of high second-story decks where rot infested the entire joint between deck frame and house foundation, rotting out both timbers and leading to just such a sudden and catastrophic failure. Thankfully, there've been no casualties ...so far. Here are measures you can take to assure that it isn't your deck that makes the evening news.
New Construction
We lack space to describe a complete deck-building project; there are dozens of deck books, plans, and how-to videos available. I'll confine myself to pointing out potential problems and suggesting ways to avoid them in building a deck.
The boxes describe pressure-treated wood, rustproof metal fittings, and other materials, plus the major tools you need. Skimping on quality and price of wood or fasteners is false economy—just begging for trouble in the future. And, more backyard building projects lie half-finished under an early snow at season's end due to too-small or too few tools than for any other reason I know. Fighting an underpowered saw or a dull blade causes nothing but frustration that can quickly dampen your amateur-builder's enthusiasm. The overtaxed blade can slip, bind, or backlash and injure you as well. Buy or rent good tools—better oversized and overpowered than under.
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