Home Inspector Roseville | Home Inspection 651-666-5602
How safe is your deck? If you’re like most homeowners, you probably think your deck is structurally sound, but you’re not really sure.
It’s an important question because each year thousands of people are injured when decks collapse, railings break and staircases snap. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, there were 33,270 hospital-reported injuries caused by a wood-deck defects and failures between 2003 and 2007. And it doesn’t appear the problem will be getting better in the near future: The National Association of Home Inspectors recently reported that of the 45 million existing decks, only 40% are completely safe.
To keep your deck safe or know you deck is safe when buying a home, we recommend a deck inspection before buying or annually on your current deck.
Our home inspector will come out to your property and look for the most common defects listed below:
- Loose Ledger- Our inspector will look for decay in the ledger and to see if the it is properly fastened to the house.
- Cracked Concrete Piers- They will inspect the condition of the concrete to make sure it isn’t badly cracked or crumbling into dust. They will also check to see if the the supports has shifted out of position, collapsed or sunk into the ground.
- Damages Posts- They will inspect each post to ensure that it’s firmly attached to the concrete pier at the bottom and to the deck frame at the top and check the base of the post for water damage by poking at it with an awl.
- Beam Troubles- They will check the beams for large cracks and water damage and confirm that the beams are securely fastened to the tops of the posts or piers. They will also, peer down the length of each beam to be sure it’s not sagging under the weight of the deck.
- Faulty Floor Joists- They will look to see if the joists are badly cracked or has extensive water or insect damage and pay particular attention to the ends of the joists, which have a tendency to rot and split. Also, they will check for joists that are sagging or badly bowed.
- Defecting Decking- They will inspect each deck board for signs of rot, insect infestation, water damage, splinters, large cracks, and popped fastener heads. Also, they will make note of any boards that are badly twisted, cupped or warped.
- Rickety Rails- They will ensure that each railing post is firmly attached to the deck frame and is free of large cracks, rot or insect damage and the posts aren’t splitting at the notches. They will also look to see each vertical baluster must be secured fastened to the horizontal rails, check they are in sound condition and spaced no more than 4 in. apart and the handrail should be free of rough spots and splinters.
- Unsafe Stairs- They will check each component—treads, stringers, handrails, balusters, support posts—for signs of structural damage, including large cracks, loose connections, and missing fasteners.
After the deck inspection is complete by the home inspector, they will provide you a detailed report with pictures of their findings. They will make the report available to the customer in 24 hours after the inspection.
Home Inspector Roseville | Home Inspection 651-666-5602