22-Year-Old Deck Torn Down and Rebuilt in Composite
A 16x20 deck with a nailed ledger and a rotted rim joist removed to the footings and rebuilt on new piers with a flashed, through-bolted connection.
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The homeowner called about cupping boards. When we pulled the first one we could see daylight behind the ledger, and the rim joist behind it crumbled under a screwdriver. The original deck had been attached to the house with sixteen-penny nails and no flashing at all.
Nothing above the footings was worth keeping. We cut out and replaced eleven feet of rim joist, flashed the new ledger with a continuous membrane plus metal, and through-bolted it on a staggered pattern. Four new footings went in at 42 inches with the existing three re-poured after an inspection failed one of them for depth.
Framing went to 12 inches on center to carry composite decking at the diagonal pattern the homeowner wanted. New guardrail at 36 inches, stairs rebuilt with a uniform seven-inch rise, and a graspable handrail that the old deck never had. Permit, three inspections, signed card at the end.
Our deck was built by the previous owner and I only called about the boards cupping. John showed me the rot behind the ledger before he tore anything off and walked me through why the whole thing had to come down instead of just getting resurfaced. He pulled the permit, the inspector made us redo one footing for depth and he redid it without argument, and I have the signed card in a folder. That paperwork is going to be worth something when we sell.
Marcus Ellison
Waxhaw
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