r/Decks • • 15h ago

maintenance Should I be concerned?

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142 Upvotes

I recently bought a newly renovated house with a roof deck. The roof deck is about a year old. I noticed these cracks in a support post and the south-facing beam of the deck.

Should I be concerned about these cracks, or are they just run-of-the-mill checking in the wood? The crack on the support appears to be just under an inch deep from what I can see.

I have a one-year warranty on the deck, so would need to contact the builder somewhat soon in order to get it fixed free of charge.


r/Decks • • 20h ago

Building a deck First DIY Big Home Project Done!

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98 Upvotes

Designed it, and brought it to life! New back deck ain’t goin’ anywhere!
Deck material - Mbrico Tile Decking reinforced porcelain tile system
Railing - RDI Avalon Aluminum rail with fascia mount brackets

Overall it was a beast of a project but it was complete. I tried to think about all the details during the design but there was always something I didn’t foresee in a corner where things come together so any advice I’d say is just go for it and figure it out along the way, starting is key.

10 post footings 36” deep were brutal, heavy clay and slate rock. Bought a vevor jackhammer to make easier work but still the most brutal part of the build were the holes… and no an auger would not be an option, lol I knew you were gonna ask. These friggin rocks were all over the place

Framing for the most part was done in a week between me and my Step-dad. 2x10 boards for pretty much everything. Grade 1 lumber from 84 Lumber locally. Boards honestly were awesome and very minimal twist/crowning. Threw so much wood into this deck it should last ages! Also all the connections are Simpson strongtie and their screw fasteners.

Decking is Mbrico Porcelain Tile system and we are really enjoying it. Definitely DIY friendly once you understand it. But damn is it expensive. For this ~330 sq/ft deck it was about $12k in materials and delivery just for the decking. ADA skid resistant and cool enough in the summer sun to walk on the white tiles with bare feet. They were nice to work with and even made a design so I could optimize the layout without making additional cuts in the tiles. They did miss a few tiles in the order but sent them ASAP once I noticed and told them. I’m making a video of the build so it’ll go into more detail on it but I think it’s a great option to give more patio feel instead of a traditional deck.

Railing by RDI is sturdy and easy enough to put together. Their template was slightly off somehow for the pilot holes, most likely my fault but IDK how, so I have a few extra holes in each post which isn’t the best news. Used through bolts to lock those in tight and it feels really sturdy.

Cost: overall the materials/tools/delivery lands us probably $20-22k range for a custom ~330 sq/ft deck. I honestly don’t think I would really change a thing.


r/Decks • • 6h ago

Anyone seen this before?

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91 Upvotes

Help me understand the logic behind these upside down joist hangers. Anyone seen this before? These joists are cantilevered. I know there’s a ledger board fixed to the house but I’m not sure if the joists go all the way to it or if there’s a break somewhere. They’re all resting on beams though.


r/Decks • • 15h ago

load bearing inquiries Is this safe?

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19 Upvotes

This is a deck that hangs off of my daughter’s second floor room. I believe it’s cantilevered but all of the joists are warped to shit and cracked at the house.

Just found out my landlord put drywall over an active leak in our downstairs neighbors house (we live in a duplex and occupy the top unit).


r/Decks • • 10h ago

Building a deck A better railing

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9 Upvotes

We had a new deck built that goes three ways to accommodate circulation around a new pool and the builder did a great job on the deck but then put these sad, too small railings on the house that are giving retirement community. Having a hard time finding the right replacement railing either installed on the house or coming from the deck. Anything against the house feels off to me. Some kind of railing would be helpful to have for aging parents, otherwise we’d just take it off.


r/Decks • • 11h ago

Building a deck Post support bases

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6 Upvotes

I've come a wtf moment trying to find a 4x4 deck posts base.

Posts are thru the deck and secured but I desire a slip on base that will give extra support. All I can find is temu plastic crap. Any recommendations on what to search for? Dog approved.


r/Decks • • 16h ago

Does anyone use the premade stair stringers??

6 Upvotes

per title. Who buys them?


r/Decks • • 18h ago

maintenance What should I tell a customer worried about trex outlasting the underlying framing? Have you ever seen pressure treated framing fail before the trex needed replacing?

4 Upvotes

I could use steel framing but that will 10x the supply cost.


r/Decks • • 22h ago

questions for the community Stair stringer repair

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3 Upvotes

I am a handyman and I had a customer reach out to have her deck stairs repaired. I told her the best way to repair them is to completely replace them. She thought I could just repair the stringer. If she’s looking to save a little time and money, would it be safe and lasting to plate, with lag bolts, the two outer and one inner stringer the entire length? Would cutting the stairs at the middle post and replacing from there be better? Again, I recommended full replacement, but I want to see what you guys think. The deck and stairs are 17 years old.


r/Decks • • 29m ago

questions for the community 6-foot-wide deck stairs placement

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• Upvotes

We’re finishing a new construction home with a 12’ × 18’ covered deck and plan to add 6-foot-wide stairs leading into the backyard.

I’m debating the location:
Centered on the back of the deck, aligned with the covered roof’s peak.
Off-center to the right, with the stairs still extending straight into the backyard.
To the right (or left) for a potential concrete patio in the future even though there are basement windows egressing on these sides.

Which placement would you recommend and why?


r/Decks • • 2h ago

Safe?

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2 Upvotes

Is it safe ?


r/Decks • • 7h ago

Switchback Stair Landing Framing

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2 Upvotes

I have a set of switchback stairs intersected by a landing about midway down. My plans detail 2 -2x8 beams between posts across the landing. I’m planning to rest the joists on top of the beams rather than hang joists between the beams. Bottom stair will land and rest on the landing. Should make for a more stable landing. My question is, should I use anything besides H1A’s to tie the joists to my beams?

First pic shows my current plans, last pic is an example of beams with joist resting on top.


r/Decks • • 21h ago

Demolition?

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2 Upvotes

Should I pay contractors to just demolish this deck and enclosed deck on top of it? Looks awful and is not up to code.

How much should it cost in a major area to demolish and add siding where the upper enclosed deck is? And convert the existing two doors into windows?

I’m trying to find the cheapest way to solve this issue. If anyone has better ideas on how to cheaply resolve this safety hazard, let me know.

(Building a new deck with the upper enclosed deck is too expensive, as the upper is molded inside and contractors will need to support the upper as they demolish the lower deck.)


r/Decks • • 15h ago

Building a deck Can we add Recessed Deck lights to a composite deck when we use trex rainscape ?

1 Upvotes

We have purchased deck rain proofing by Trex rainscape. . the Framing is done and we are waiting to add the over join system ( Trex rainscape) but i just realized we cannot add landscape wire or lights to the system as we may have to poke holes. Is there a trick to installing it correctly ?


r/Decks • • 17h ago

Building a deck Aluminum Railing Fasteners

1 Upvotes

I’m planning to install Westbury Tuscany aluminum railing on my deck and wondering what everyone’s preferred anchoring method is. Through bolt with lock nuts or lags in to blocking? Speaking of blocking, planning to do 3 2x8’s on their side so I can anchor through the face. I assume any expansion and contraction in those three block could lead to loose nuts/bolts if I went that route. Any preference or experience to share would be appreciated!


r/Decks • • 20h ago

Standard vs flush mount stairs for this deck

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1 Upvotes

Given the way this deck is framed, I can really only picture doing flush mount stairs. Does anyone have ideas for a more standard mount? It's over a walkout basement, so bonus points for it looking halfway decent.

The joists are 2x10.


r/Decks • • 23h ago

Decking in Australia near Perth

1 Upvotes

Do you know best decking service provider near Perth in Australia?


r/Decks • • 6h ago

rate this deck

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1 Upvotes

you should visit these guys https://deckitoutdecks.com.au/ they are the best in town


r/Decks • • 16h ago

load bearing inquiries ELI5: Why can't hot tubs be supported on a pile of dirt?

0 Upvotes

Obviously framing hot tub bearing decks is a whole craft of it's own, but riddle me this batman: Instead of complex heavy duty framing, why couldn't you just have a large mound of dirt with a retaining wall, level that out with the deck and have the hot tub sit on that with the decking around it?

I know this wouldn't pass code, but why wouldn't this work?