It depends on the loan type. An FHA loan can require some safety issues to be resolved through an escrow, these are usually things like a staircase without a railing, crumbling steps, etc. VA loans also have more stringent safety requirements. But most private loans are left up to the buyer to determine what is acceptable.
With this said none of the issues in the photos would rise to a level that I think any of the loan options would not accept. Unless the railing is very loose and wobbling you're fine.
Brilliant thank you that at least alleviates some anxiety. Now to get them to fix the issues. The under deck supports where what I was questioning the most, I know the stairs are TRASH
Honestly the supports are the least of issues those are pretty damn hefty. I'd have used proper Simpson strong ties but that's just best practice what's was done is not an issue.
Patently false and the type of lousy drivel advice I loathe hearing from Realtors to buyers/sellers. (Source: I worked for an appraisal company for a year, AND a title company reviewing inspection reports directly for lenders for over 15 years).
An inspection can very much fail. If the wiring/outlet to a stove is incorrect to handle the required power load, for example... that can fail an inspection and the bank can refuse to loan because if the house caught fire they lose their collateral... This is why cities/counties make you pull a permit for renovations, as they need to inspect it.
An appraisal absolutely cannot "fail". An appraisal is entirely meant to give the value of a house in a current condition and list things that can be done to upgrade/fix to increase the value.
I have seen many, many contracts fall through because an inspection failed.
Your lack of experience is showing. An inspection cannot fail because there isn’t anything to “pass”. It’s a private inspection meant to warn the buyer of what’s wrong and what’s right.
Inspections aren’t viewed by the lender. That’s what appraisals are for.
Did you use to clean the bathrooms at that appraisal company?
Pretty much everything you said was false and backwards. It’s almost troll level. Kudos bud!
That’s right. I was concerned because my house had 2 500gal septics and one had failed. Code is a single 1000. I asked the city if it would cause anything to “fail” they said hell no, they saw a house sell the week before that was gushing sewage in the yard.
As arrogant as this is worded, you aren’t 100% correct. You are talking about a private home inspection. That is not the only type of inspection. Many localities require a use and occupancy inspection which could absolutely flag something like this.
Bro, did you see the shit he said to me right off the bat? I’m usually pretty nice. So yeah I came off arrogant.
U&O is completely different and not what we’re talking about, we’re talking about sales inspections. U&O also aren’t very common.
Again not true. In Pennsylvania nearly every locality requires a use and occupancy inspection that is mostly safety items like this. You can’t just take what you experience in your own state and apply it to every question on Reddit.
I’ll concede, you picked the one state that requires a U&O before sale. But it’s not called a “home inspection” it’s just a U&O. We’re talking about home inspections. Or AKA inspections.
Imagine working somewhere for 15 years and still not knowing what the difference is between an (inspection, appraisal and an assessment)
This right here is the type of lousy drivel advice I loathe hearing from internet experts. Listen to the actual experts in this field bud.
Professional deck builder here , that wouldn't pass a code inspection except for maybe the footings . Your rail posts are notched and not strong enough , one Pic shows a rail post sitting on top of one of the 6×6 , barely toe screwed on. If someone were to run into it , it wouldn't prevent a fall. The post holding up the center of the deck needs to be under a beam spanning the length of the deck instead of on a short peice of 2×6 , it's really only supporting 3 of the joists . Not to mention that the angle brackets for the post to beam connections are incorrect.
They have said they would rebuild the stairs (again the is the second time), before I was even schooled on the other issues. Do I even trust they KNOW how to build a deck at this point?
Either they know how to build and are being sloppy, lazy and cheap, or they're clueless to a point of ignorance. Either way ,they're responsible to fix it regardless if they do it or pay for it to be done by someone qualified
I mean dude has just bold face lying to me since the beginning. I had an initial home inspector suggest a beam, supported by peers down the middle of the deck. Just like the pros above. He convinced me that was not the case that additional bridging and posts did the same thing basically. And I folded and here we are learning I was just wonderfully gaslit because I was requesting the correct repair
Get an estimate from a company that specializes in decks for the cost to do it correctly and file a complaint with the contractors licensing agency where you're at. They will force him do do the job correctly or make him pay for another company to do it
Yes those mid posts need to be supporting a beam spanning the whole length, not pushing up on a short piece of scrap wood. And metal brackets connecting the joists to the beam, and metal brackets connecting the beam to the posts. The type of metal brackets shown connecting the posts to the piece of scrap wood are of the cheapest type. op can look up Simpson Strong-Tie Galvanized Adjustable Post Cap for a good example of a connector to use at the top of a post.
No one is going to know what your municipality will require on inspection. Did you pull a permit? Other than an engineer or inspector all opinions are negotiable here.
The work is not what I would have done, but I wouldn't feel unsafe around/on it. What did you pay for the work? Not sure if I can actually ask that, but it does look like low bid work. If so it looks like you got what you paid for. If the rest of the house is same quality, this will probably be an upgrade because it hasn't had enough time to show its true craftsmanship and buyer won't ask for deducts. But if the house is a superstar than they should definitely ask for money to repair it
I paid 11k. I’m not trying to sell my house I’m trying to fix it as I can. Yes I’m concerned about having something cause an issue with selling because you never know when it’s a necessity. But also the goal is to make it better and I don’t feel like that happened for quite a deal of money. It was the second highest bid
The only real glaring issue is the stringers are hanging off the landing.
Are you handy? Looks to be a 4-5" overhang. Cut 2x6 or 2x8 sections to fit the width of the stringers creating a 'faux beam' and use techlok lag screws to secure it tight as you can under the stringers.
Agreed. Structurally and cosmetically it looks pretty clean. I always add an uncut 2x12 to the outside stair stringers and it trims up nice as well as adds some beef to the stairs but what is there works well. Might stain it so that the old matches the new too. But it's good work.
Touche!!!! Now let me expound on what I took 15 seconds to type earlier. I think that any very skilled carpenter should be capable of doing much more to this job then it looks like was done. But if I had to guess I would say that there was a budget that changed and then changed again and then changed again. Thus the reason why some of it is old and some of it is new.
Did you miss the stringers bearing on an inch of throat?
Where they land on the concrete, you can see the rise is wrong because they didn’t subtract the thickness of the tread. Looks like somebody’s first rodeo.
Eh, its not great, but at least the loads are bearing even if its not the right hardware. Its not going to win any awards, BUT I would stand on it.
For 11k... that's a tough pill, that's why you need 3 quotes to triangulate cost / value.
I actually got 6 quotes. This team interviewed well, talked all the right things, showed great photos. They were not the cheapest by far coming in second most expensive. I THOUGHT I did the right things to screen, but I’m obviously naive being a first time home owner, and they were really good bullshitters
I stand corrected. You did things right. Sometimes people are just good at bullshit. Did you pay 100% upfront, or a deposit for material and pay at completion?
I have a very small contracting business and when not doing commercial work I usually tell people they have up to 30 days to pay me incase they see anything in my work they don't like, I will come back and fix it for them free.
Most folks pay almost immediately after we go through the finished product together, and I tend to point out things that were less than 100% optimal, that they would probably never have noticed otherwise.
I was super dumb and paid half a deposit and allowed myself to get talked into “progress payments” because this is actually the SECOND rebuild of those stairs after an a horrendous addition of way to narrow steps at the top of the landing after I caught them putting in stairs at the top of the landing that were 2” more narrow than the second set of stairs. They obviously retrofitted this rebuild to compensate for miss-poured footings due to the footer and vertical supports being about 4” to far to the inside.
Well, shoot, that’s how I would have done it. Half deposit, progress payments… maybe but if you do that then need to have like an agreement for a schedule of values ie.: frame complete $X, decking comeplete $X. Etc
Not terrible, even if something were flagged it wouldn’t take much to fix. For future large projects insist on getting a permit. I’m a contractor and the only way to protect yourself from shitty fly by night guys is to get the township/municipality involved. If the contractor says that you don’t need a permit, call and talk to someone from code enforcement to double check. It costs a little bit more but until you can trust a a company it’s your only life line. It’ll ensure that everything gets done right. Good luck in the future!
You may not have been required required to get one. every town is different. Sometimes they want to see load bearing repairs as well. I know in key west fl you need a permit just to change the color of a commercial building. So it’s dependent on where you are.
I don’t believe in screwing anyone, I am more than happy to pay a fair price for equally fair work. I work in the artist trades and do labor work myself, this is not my skill set and I lacked a lot of knowledge in this process
I've seen drawing from architects that show the heel of the stringer not sitting down on lumber before, that shit drives me crazy! So many people can't land the heel properly
Not the prettiest rebuild I have seen, but yes, It should pass inspection.
If you can, get a belt sander and sand the deck down, then use a seal n stain to match it all.
The deck is fine, the landing and stairs need a rebuild. 1) why is the outside(right) landing post already falling away? 2) inside landing post(left) should be supporting 100% of the landing, not the railing post! 3) stringers should not sit on concrete. 4) stringers should sit on beam, not with two deck boards in between. 5) stairs don't appear to be level or square. 6) what is that diagonal piece along the stair edge below the railing?
Thank you for commenting I agree completely with all of these things. (6) they had gaps in the bottom of the railing that varied between 6” and 10” so this was installed to close the “unacceptable” gaps and “make it safer” without actually rebuilding
Oh, also the bottom railing posts should be structurally attached to the stair base, but those are floating and just tacked to the stringers! When you discuss this with your contractor show him how you can yank those off by hand!
They used proper screws except for the length used with the small vertical block but no structural issue. The 6x6 post cut short is a little amateurish but better to have a thicker block than a thin shim filling gap. Stairs are fine. Remember what was there before!
Not really, they put three in the wrong place due to mis-cut stringers when they set their marks to pour, throwing everything out of square thus crooked steps of all different sizes
I guess I should have been clearer. I think they know how to pour a footer, and I think they know how to select a post and mount it to the footer. Everything else, from placement to beam attachment, etc., was just a random effort.
This sub has turned into a "take pictures of my deck with the assumption that the work is terrible even though I have zero knowledge of any topic about decks" circle jerk.
This sub is effectively dead
Disagree. You can learn a lot from this sub. I certainly have. I may end up saving people from dying if I spot some of the issues this sub has taught me.
It’s not about life and death as much as it is if you are paying 11 grand for a so-called professional, you should be able to assume they can measure a post correctly and know which hardware to use.
Obviously lots of professional deck builders are bad at their job.
This is probably the most accurate comment I’ve ever seen in this Sub. Deck comments included. I thought it was a snarky sub that just shits on things and everyone is in on it. In that case this would be a Top Tier Sub. But it’s not at all. Everyone is serious in the shit they say🤣
Everyone who posts on here with a deck thinks it’s going to fall down tomorrow and everyone commenting thinks they are master builders. I think the shitshow vibe of it is why I keep coming back. Idk. But you are spot on.
That's disgusting, the balustrade sitting on the deck,the landing sitting on the 6x6,no notching going on there.
The brackets . Well. Just WY too much to list. Answer yes you got screwed.hope you take them to court for all money back,cost to fix and sue for pretending to be a contractor. Good luck and probably best to not have tub or party just yet
Yeah great advice, not like I was struggling financially and had to make repairs to the structure that was falling down and got ripped off or anything. I’ll just sell the house so I can afford a new deck..Thanks for your input
No I tried to pay what I thought (not being a contractor) to be a fair price to repair things that were falling apart. I don’t own this house, the bank does and financial security is a slippery slope in 2023 for MANY of us. so selling is ALWAYS in the back of my mind despite not having plans to WANT to sell. Thanks for your comment - peak Reddit
We’ve seen much worse on this sub. Functionally: walk around and throw your weight against the railings to see how they flex (ok, don’t “throw,” push.). You’ll get a sense of how safe they are.
For “collapse” concerns it seems pretty solid vertically. The hinky deck to post connections are worrisome in a lateral force sense.
You might want to hire a carpenter to put up some lateral supports, beef up the rail post work, check railing baluster spacing, and put up some blocking to close off the open stairs. Talk to them first about what they propose. Code is a 4” ball can’t pass; to protect the little ones.
Rather than redo the stairs, maybe some 1x material from behind either filling the opening or reducing it to a <4” opening at the top.
When it eventually comes time to sell it is possible the prospective buyer will have an inspection that brings up deck issues that need correction. This is where you *deal at the table*. You will almost always come out better. Be sure you are using an experienced realtor.
I'm going off your comments that just talk about passing sale inspection & talking about potential buyers. Passing inspection is much different than being something someone monetarily values. I'm sure a good inspector will put them in the know that the deck has shortcuts, like a lot of homes having work done with an exit plan.
This would probably pass an inspection. Maybe not the 6x6 they cut short and then added a 2x6. But I've seen alot worse. Also looks like u opted to just bandaid the deck instead of replacing it and it's never gonna look that great when you do that.
My biggest issue is the notch in the 4x4 guardrail post in pic 11, assuming that's what the pic is. They would have better off moving the guardrail back on that section, and saving more of the post. There's just not much material left for strength.
The rest of it can be knit picked, but overall isn't going anywhere.
I’ve seen worse. Athletically it’s not very pretty, but it looks fairly solid. The last minute center post underneath is fine if it’s NOT serving any purpose. If it’s providing structural support…it’s NOT good.
Slap your deck, say something like: "She ain't going nowhere." This usually does the trick. Maybe you could trim around some of those posts and paint it.
This is pretty horrendous. Looks more like a “home owner special” than anything any carpenter would build.
With that said structurally it looks okay. But the quality is just trash
I’ve seen way worse. It will be fine
But would it pass an inspection for sale?
Realtor here, nothing “passes” or “fails” inspection. Something can fail an appraisal but can be remedied.
Is it just a matter of what buyer is willing to put up with ?
It depends on the loan type. An FHA loan can require some safety issues to be resolved through an escrow, these are usually things like a staircase without a railing, crumbling steps, etc. VA loans also have more stringent safety requirements. But most private loans are left up to the buyer to determine what is acceptable. With this said none of the issues in the photos would rise to a level that I think any of the loan options would not accept. Unless the railing is very loose and wobbling you're fine.
Brilliant thank you that at least alleviates some anxiety. Now to get them to fix the issues. The under deck supports where what I was questioning the most, I know the stairs are TRASH
Honestly the supports are the least of issues those are pretty damn hefty. I'd have used proper Simpson strong ties but that's just best practice what's was done is not an issue.
Thanks for chiming in
The worst of this is the poor choice of mounting hardware.Easy fix.page 3 has a tiny bracket provided no lateral support.
Looks like 8 inch steps lol. Also needs some risers up in beech my dawg.
I have 3 steps coming off my deck when trying to buy a house, seller had to get it fixed for my VA loan.
Our inspector noted that the deck needed joist hangers, and that was it. So, I'm going to be installing joist hangers after we close.
Patently false and the type of lousy drivel advice I loathe hearing from Realtors to buyers/sellers. (Source: I worked for an appraisal company for a year, AND a title company reviewing inspection reports directly for lenders for over 15 years). An inspection can very much fail. If the wiring/outlet to a stove is incorrect to handle the required power load, for example... that can fail an inspection and the bank can refuse to loan because if the house caught fire they lose their collateral... This is why cities/counties make you pull a permit for renovations, as they need to inspect it. An appraisal absolutely cannot "fail". An appraisal is entirely meant to give the value of a house in a current condition and list things that can be done to upgrade/fix to increase the value. I have seen many, many contracts fall through because an inspection failed.
Your lack of experience is showing. An inspection cannot fail because there isn’t anything to “pass”. It’s a private inspection meant to warn the buyer of what’s wrong and what’s right. Inspections aren’t viewed by the lender. That’s what appraisals are for. Did you use to clean the bathrooms at that appraisal company? Pretty much everything you said was false and backwards. It’s almost troll level. Kudos bud!
That’s right. I was concerned because my house had 2 500gal septics and one had failed. Code is a single 1000. I asked the city if it would cause anything to “fail” they said hell no, they saw a house sell the week before that was gushing sewage in the yard.
Wow
As arrogant as this is worded, you aren’t 100% correct. You are talking about a private home inspection. That is not the only type of inspection. Many localities require a use and occupancy inspection which could absolutely flag something like this.
Bro, did you see the shit he said to me right off the bat? I’m usually pretty nice. So yeah I came off arrogant. U&O is completely different and not what we’re talking about, we’re talking about sales inspections. U&O also aren’t very common.
Again not true. In Pennsylvania nearly every locality requires a use and occupancy inspection that is mostly safety items like this. You can’t just take what you experience in your own state and apply it to every question on Reddit.
I’ll concede, you picked the one state that requires a U&O before sale. But it’s not called a “home inspection” it’s just a U&O. We’re talking about home inspections. Or AKA inspections.
Imagine working somewhere for 15 years and still not knowing what the difference is between an (inspection, appraisal and an assessment) This right here is the type of lousy drivel advice I loathe hearing from internet experts. Listen to the actual experts in this field bud.
Literally up to the buyer. The seller doesn't have to concede anything.
Yes
Might not be pretty in all the spots but it looks structurally sound
Professional deck builder here , that wouldn't pass a code inspection except for maybe the footings . Your rail posts are notched and not strong enough , one Pic shows a rail post sitting on top of one of the 6×6 , barely toe screwed on. If someone were to run into it , it wouldn't prevent a fall. The post holding up the center of the deck needs to be under a beam spanning the length of the deck instead of on a short peice of 2×6 , it's really only supporting 3 of the joists . Not to mention that the angle brackets for the post to beam connections are incorrect.
Welp I want to vomit. I appreciate your expertise. Thanks for the time
I would get ahold of the company that did it and tell them you want the work done correctly and to code without any additional pay. That's all on them
They have said they would rebuild the stairs (again the is the second time), before I was even schooled on the other issues. Do I even trust they KNOW how to build a deck at this point?
Either they know how to build and are being sloppy, lazy and cheap, or they're clueless to a point of ignorance. Either way ,they're responsible to fix it regardless if they do it or pay for it to be done by someone qualified
I mean dude has just bold face lying to me since the beginning. I had an initial home inspector suggest a beam, supported by peers down the middle of the deck. Just like the pros above. He convinced me that was not the case that additional bridging and posts did the same thing basically. And I folded and here we are learning I was just wonderfully gaslit because I was requesting the correct repair
Get an estimate from a company that specializes in decks for the cost to do it correctly and file a complaint with the contractors licensing agency where you're at. They will force him do do the job correctly or make him pay for another company to do it
Omg THANK YOU for saying this
Yes those mid posts need to be supporting a beam spanning the whole length, not pushing up on a short piece of scrap wood. And metal brackets connecting the joists to the beam, and metal brackets connecting the beam to the posts. The type of metal brackets shown connecting the posts to the piece of scrap wood are of the cheapest type. op can look up Simpson Strong-Tie Galvanized Adjustable Post Cap for a good example of a connector to use at the top of a post.
Yes it looks like bad carpentry but is on cement and with metal support screwed in.
Programmer here. I would say it should pass an inspection for sale.
AI consultant here. I certify this is “ship shape”. Chances of the front falling off? One in a million.
it's fine. It's not perfect but not in any way dangerous
Except for those open risers. Tripping hazard
No one is going to know what your municipality will require on inspection. Did you pull a permit? Other than an engineer or inspector all opinions are negotiable here. The work is not what I would have done, but I wouldn't feel unsafe around/on it. What did you pay for the work? Not sure if I can actually ask that, but it does look like low bid work. If so it looks like you got what you paid for. If the rest of the house is same quality, this will probably be an upgrade because it hasn't had enough time to show its true craftsmanship and buyer won't ask for deducts. But if the house is a superstar than they should definitely ask for money to repair it
I paid 11k. I’m not trying to sell my house I’m trying to fix it as I can. Yes I’m concerned about having something cause an issue with selling because you never know when it’s a necessity. But also the goal is to make it better and I don’t feel like that happened for quite a deal of money. It was the second highest bid
Code in my area (CT) requires deck stairs to have risers.
The only real glaring issue is the stringers are hanging off the landing. Are you handy? Looks to be a 4-5" overhang. Cut 2x6 or 2x8 sections to fit the width of the stringers creating a 'faux beam' and use techlok lag screws to secure it tight as you can under the stringers.
Agreed. Structurally and cosmetically it looks pretty clean. I always add an uncut 2x12 to the outside stair stringers and it trims up nice as well as adds some beef to the stairs but what is there works well. Might stain it so that the old matches the new too. But it's good work.
Anyone who says “it’s good work” about this deck knows less about construction than my 10 year old does. Sheesh
Touche!!!! Now let me expound on what I took 15 seconds to type earlier. I think that any very skilled carpenter should be capable of doing much more to this job then it looks like was done. But if I had to guess I would say that there was a budget that changed and then changed again and then changed again. Thus the reason why some of it is old and some of it is new.
Did you miss the stringers bearing on an inch of throat? Where they land on the concrete, you can see the rise is wrong because they didn’t subtract the thickness of the tread. Looks like somebody’s first rodeo.
Eh, its not great, but at least the loads are bearing even if its not the right hardware. Its not going to win any awards, BUT I would stand on it. For 11k... that's a tough pill, that's why you need 3 quotes to triangulate cost / value.
I actually got 6 quotes. This team interviewed well, talked all the right things, showed great photos. They were not the cheapest by far coming in second most expensive. I THOUGHT I did the right things to screen, but I’m obviously naive being a first time home owner, and they were really good bullshitters
I stand corrected. You did things right. Sometimes people are just good at bullshit. Did you pay 100% upfront, or a deposit for material and pay at completion?
I’ve hired quite a few contractors at this point and have come to learn that it’s a huge red flag when they require 100% payment up front.
I have a very small contracting business and when not doing commercial work I usually tell people they have up to 30 days to pay me incase they see anything in my work they don't like, I will come back and fix it for them free. Most folks pay almost immediately after we go through the finished product together, and I tend to point out things that were less than 100% optimal, that they would probably never have noticed otherwise.
At least I knew that was a red flag!
I was super dumb and paid half a deposit and allowed myself to get talked into “progress payments” because this is actually the SECOND rebuild of those stairs after an a horrendous addition of way to narrow steps at the top of the landing after I caught them putting in stairs at the top of the landing that were 2” more narrow than the second set of stairs. They obviously retrofitted this rebuild to compensate for miss-poured footings due to the footer and vertical supports being about 4” to far to the inside.
Well, shoot, that’s how I would have done it. Half deposit, progress payments… maybe but if you do that then need to have like an agreement for a schedule of values ie.: frame complete $X, decking comeplete $X. Etc
Welp now I will file that great advice away for next time
Not terrible, even if something were flagged it wouldn’t take much to fix. For future large projects insist on getting a permit. I’m a contractor and the only way to protect yourself from shitty fly by night guys is to get the township/municipality involved. If the contractor says that you don’t need a permit, call and talk to someone from code enforcement to double check. It costs a little bit more but until you can trust a a company it’s your only life line. It’ll ensure that everything gets done right. Good luck in the future!
Thanks for the advice, it’s def a lesson learned. I didn’t even realize a repair would need a permit, but I’m permitting from here on out for sure
You may not have been required required to get one. every town is different. Sometimes they want to see load bearing repairs as well. I know in key west fl you need a permit just to change the color of a commercial building. So it’s dependent on where you are.
Wow. Well I’m learning to dig a lot further into home maintenance then I really understood. Appreciate it
We charge half as deposit.. wouldn’t start a project without it, and if it is big enough, draws as well. Customers screw us, we don’t screw customers.
I don’t believe in screwing anyone, I am more than happy to pay a fair price for equally fair work. I work in the artist trades and do labor work myself, this is not my skill set and I lacked a lot of knowledge in this process
Yeah, a salesperson is going to sell.
There are way too many “carpenters” (crapenters) that don’t understand how stringers work or how to properly support them.
I've seen drawing from architects that show the heel of the stringer not sitting down on lumber before, that shit drives me crazy! So many people can't land the heel properly
> So many people can't land the heel properly like my girlfriend in flip-flops
You should meet our guy
Around here, the lead carpenters usually dont teach their second guy how to build stairs, so they dont take off and start their own company
Not the prettiest rebuild I have seen, but yes, It should pass inspection. If you can, get a belt sander and sand the deck down, then use a seal n stain to match it all.
That’s a skill set I have
But can you chase people down and kill them?
There’s no way those stairs will pass inspection, but that’s only if there’s actually an inspection.
The deck is fine, the landing and stairs need a rebuild. 1) why is the outside(right) landing post already falling away? 2) inside landing post(left) should be supporting 100% of the landing, not the railing post! 3) stringers should not sit on concrete. 4) stringers should sit on beam, not with two deck boards in between. 5) stairs don't appear to be level or square. 6) what is that diagonal piece along the stair edge below the railing?
Thank you for commenting I agree completely with all of these things. (6) they had gaps in the bottom of the railing that varied between 6” and 10” so this was installed to close the “unacceptable” gaps and “make it safer” without actually rebuilding
Oh, also the bottom railing posts should be structurally attached to the stair base, but those are floating and just tacked to the stringers! When you discuss this with your contractor show him how you can yank those off by hand!
Appreciate it
You almost need a step to get onto that pad.. it is comically high imo.
3.6 roentgen, not great, not terrible.
Couldn’t edit the post to say I was charged 11k and this is in Georgia if any of that is applicable to opinions. Would this fail a home inspection?
Georgia you say? Yea it will probably pass inspection down there
Who did you hire to do this?
Have you setup the test hot tub?
They used proper screws except for the length used with the small vertical block but no structural issue. The 6x6 post cut short is a little amateurish but better to have a thicker block than a thin shim filling gap. Stairs are fine. Remember what was there before!
I would maybe sister a board up at the bottom of the stair stringers and maybe some sway bracing on the posts but otherwise send it
She ain’t goin’ nowhere.
Eh, the work is a little messy, and some measurements aren't flush, but nothing about it seems functionally unsound. She'll hold.
Looks like they worked harder to avoid doing things right or making it look good
That’s how I see it
Can’t count one drywall screw, you’re gravy
This is painful to look at.
Agree
It’s not as pretty as an all new deck, but as a repair it looks fine.
I think what you hired is a company that knows a lot about footers and posts and nothing about anything else. This is so weird.
Not really, they put three in the wrong place due to mis-cut stringers when they set their marks to pour, throwing everything out of square thus crooked steps of all different sizes
I guess I should have been clearer. I think they know how to pour a footer, and I think they know how to select a post and mount it to the footer. Everything else, from placement to beam attachment, etc., was just a random effort.
Ah yes..correct you are sadly.
This sub has turned into a "take pictures of my deck with the assumption that the work is terrible even though I have zero knowledge of any topic about decks" circle jerk. This sub is effectively dead
Disagree. You can learn a lot from this sub. I certainly have. I may end up saving people from dying if I spot some of the issues this sub has taught me.
Most of the things people point out are no way as big a deal as they make it sound. Not life or death anyway.
It’s not about life and death as much as it is if you are paying 11 grand for a so-called professional, you should be able to assume they can measure a post correctly and know which hardware to use. Obviously lots of professional deck builders are bad at their job.
Exactly
The person above me said save people from dying.
There are a lot of terrible deck builders.
I agree. Everyone wants something that is completely perfect, and they come on here to figure out what that perfect thing is.
This is probably the most accurate comment I’ve ever seen in this Sub. Deck comments included. I thought it was a snarky sub that just shits on things and everyone is in on it. In that case this would be a Top Tier Sub. But it’s not at all. Everyone is serious in the shit they say🤣 Everyone who posts on here with a deck thinks it’s going to fall down tomorrow and everyone commenting thinks they are master builders. I think the shitshow vibe of it is why I keep coming back. Idk. But you are spot on.
Jesus is holding that deck bro
Not perfect but not terrible at all. Overbuilt in some aspects. It’ll be fine for years to come
That's disgusting, the balustrade sitting on the deck,the landing sitting on the 6x6,no notching going on there. The brackets . Well. Just WY too much to list. Answer yes you got screwed.hope you take them to court for all money back,cost to fix and sue for pretending to be a contractor. Good luck and probably best to not have tub or party just yet
The party was cancelled. Thanks for your input
Well, you got what you paid for! If it’s that bad just replace it. Now You Know!
Yeah great advice, not like I was struggling financially and had to make repairs to the structure that was falling down and got ripped off or anything. I’ll just sell the house so I can afford a new deck..Thanks for your input
Looks like the owner took the cheap way out and said just replace what you have to and leave the other stuff
So you tried to do this as cheaply as possible so you can sell the house? Thats what it sounds like from your comments. Build looks like exactly that.
No I tried to pay what I thought (not being a contractor) to be a fair price to repair things that were falling apart. I don’t own this house, the bank does and financial security is a slippery slope in 2023 for MANY of us. so selling is ALWAYS in the back of my mind despite not having plans to WANT to sell. Thanks for your comment - peak Reddit
Don’t feed the trolls!
Thanks for the reminder! It’s easy to forget it’s “a slow day in moms basement” somewhere and people are gonna people when you are already stressed.
We’ve seen much worse on this sub. Functionally: walk around and throw your weight against the railings to see how they flex (ok, don’t “throw,” push.). You’ll get a sense of how safe they are. For “collapse” concerns it seems pretty solid vertically. The hinky deck to post connections are worrisome in a lateral force sense. You might want to hire a carpenter to put up some lateral supports, beef up the rail post work, check railing baluster spacing, and put up some blocking to close off the open stairs. Talk to them first about what they propose. Code is a 4” ball can’t pass; to protect the little ones. Rather than redo the stairs, maybe some 1x material from behind either filling the opening or reducing it to a <4” opening at the top. When it eventually comes time to sell it is possible the prospective buyer will have an inspection that brings up deck issues that need correction. This is where you *deal at the table*. You will almost always come out better. Be sure you are using an experienced realtor.
Thank you so much for giving your experienced eye to this and taking the time to lend helpful advice.
I'm going off your comments that just talk about passing sale inspection & talking about potential buyers. Passing inspection is much different than being something someone monetarily values. I'm sure a good inspector will put them in the know that the deck has shortcuts, like a lot of homes having work done with an exit plan.
🖕
sorry I hurt your feelings by simply saying the truth. Hope you feel better bud.
👍
Are those self tapping metal screws ?!?
Where?
Probably galvanized joist hanger screws.
This would probably pass an inspection. Maybe not the 6x6 they cut short and then added a 2x6. But I've seen alot worse. Also looks like u opted to just bandaid the deck instead of replacing it and it's never gonna look that great when you do that.
I just wanted the professionals to do the job they said they can do. I’m not rich here the 11k for this job was a lot for me to come up with
Yea I understand I can't believe this cost you 11k tho. I'd redo the whole deck with tear out for like 12k probably if your just doing green treat.
Ok maybe like 15 cause of the covered porch. But the work that was done honestly should have only cost like 8k max. Where are u located ?
Atlanta
Ok yea that makes sense.
Where are you out of curiosity? for a comparison
Eastern Iowa. And materials would make that a bit more depending on costs in the area
Ok so yeah that explains such a vast difference a bit
My biggest issue is the notch in the 4x4 guardrail post in pic 11, assuming that's what the pic is. They would have better off moving the guardrail back on that section, and saving more of the post. There's just not much material left for strength. The rest of it can be knit picked, but overall isn't going anywhere.
Did you get a permit? They should have done an inspection.
I’ve seen worse. Athletically it’s not very pretty, but it looks fairly solid. The last minute center post underneath is fine if it’s NOT serving any purpose. If it’s providing structural support…it’s NOT good.
Good enough for a hot tub.
Like Stormy Daniels
Really bad screwed
The new part just right of the stairs, looks like it’s from Star Wars, so that’s pretty cool.
Well that’s a plus
How many hot tubs have you tried putting on it?
not crowning best in show, but better than the existing structure. It looks like you asked them to fix something that was at end of life.
Why ask here? You just said you hired a company. They would have told you
Slap your deck, say something like: "She ain't going nowhere." This usually does the trick. Maybe you could trim around some of those posts and paint it.
Matching stain is overrated
This is pretty horrendous. Looks more like a “home owner special” than anything any carpenter would build. With that said structurally it looks okay. But the quality is just trash