Check Your Deck!

[Don P]

Dr Woeste from the engineering Department at Virginia Tech sent this link out and asked that it be spread around, please do. This is an important issue, deck collapses have been on the rise in recent years and there have been some really bad ones.

http://www.componentadvertiser.com/Portals/0/Downloads/Library/1707/All%20Things%20Wood_Frank%20Woeste%201707.pdf

[red]

Dozens were injured in a second story deck collapse in Montana

[WV Sawmiller]

   My daughter lost a dear high school friend when a deck collapsed as described in Va around 1998 as I remember. I think they had a large number of family and friends on a deck over a lake and it collapsed. Autopsy determined she was killed in the fall, not by drowning.

[Bruno of NH]

I do exterior repairs for condo's in a closed community.
The decks have no flashing or ledger board and the joist hangers are nailed with roofing nails.
The siding is shiplap over 1" foam
I won't touch one unless I bring it up to code and I mean touch.
The management company gets mad at me
Oh well
It's only a matter of time before some thing bad happens
They tell me I'm to picky

[WV Sawmiller]

Bruno,

   Good on you. You will never know how many lives you saved and injuries you prevented but at least you won't be one of those contractors who go through life thinking about the people you hurt or killed by slipshod workmanship and materials.