In a safety, review of decks used by homeowners within and close to Charlottesville Virginia an alarming trend was observed. Seven of the 10 decks were afflicted with at least one safety concern as well as four decks were deemed to have serious safety issues which required immediate actions. The majority of homeowners hire an expert to construct the deck or have the deck built on the property when the house was bought more info include in this page https://decksforlife.ca/. Some of the most important problems found included:
- There are not enough ways to attach the home
- Improper joist fastening
- Insufficient bracing lateral
- Incorrect or missing post attachment
- Framing members with a smaller size
- Use of unsafe fasteners
The Most Important Issue, The Lack Of Connection To The House Was Observed On More Than 50% Or 4 Out Of 10 Decks Examined.
When a ledgerboard, or bandboard (the framing component of the deck connected to the frame of the house, and to which the deck’s joists are fixed) is secured to the structure of the house incorrectly it is at serious risk of falling. Ledger boards must be secured to the structure of the house with either lag bolts that attach solidly to the top rim joists or the framing of the house as well as carriage bolts, which go through the framing of the house and are secured by nuts and washers on the opposite side.
The issues we observed comprised of no more than 16 pennies nails as well as lag bolts which missed the framing members of the house, and were only fastened onto the external sheeting (plywood) and, on one occasion conventional screws for wood. Unsafe fastening techniques and materials is the primary reason for deck collapses, which can cause injury or even death. If a deck is used to entertain guests, the change in weight when people move on the deck can also alter the strains on the deck’s structure. The larger the number of people, the greater the weight and more forces that are involved. One deck that we examined was so badly designed that one person’s weight could cause the deck to move little. Place 20 people on the deck and everyone are at risk.
Sixteen-Penny Nail Are Not Strong Enough To Handle Massive Loads
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They also have weak strength to withstand the forces of lateral force to prevent them from pulling out. Anyone can pull a nail using the hammer claw with about the force that is equivalent to 30 pounds. If you put 20 people, which is more than 2000 pounds of force placed on a deck secured with nails and you’ll be able to see the issue. Nailing, bolting or screwing lag screws onto the exterior sheathing of your home is not a good idea. The majority of exterior sheathing materials are not more than half an inch thick. They are intended to give the lateral (sideways) resistance to the structure, and not to withstand pulling-out forces. The best way to attach them is to use carriage bolts that pass through the deck’s bandboard, through the band board of the house or any other framing component, and then secured by an nut and washer on the opposite side. If this is not feasible the lag bolts are employed and connected to the framing member in the home.
The second major issue was with the attachment of the deck joists onto the bandboard of deck. In nearly half of the decks that were inspected the joists had been toe-nailed onto the band board or toe-nailed on two-inch ledger blocks beneath the joist. The same problems of inadequate pull-out resistance and capacity for carrying loads apply to this. The most efficient method to fix deck joists to the ground is to use a metal hanger for the joist. They are built to carry the load and to withstand the lateral force when properly used. Check under your deck. If you cannot see hangars for the joists, then nail them at 90 degrees in the band deck board in the same direction as the joist your deck isn’t safe!