Now is the season people are thinking about buying or building a deck. Here are the three biggest issues I see when inspecting decks…

#1 No Permits

If an unpermitted deck collapses, you could be liable.

Decks REQUIRE permits. If your builder doesn’t want to pull permits, get another builder. If the builder is caught mid-construction working on an unpermitted deck they WILL lose their license and YOU may be required to tear it down and start over. If you are building your own deck and are caught mid-construction, you may be required to tear it down. What’s more, if someone is hurt on a deck that you knowingly built or had built without permits, your insurance may not cover it.

#2 No Flashing at the house

Vinyl siding is NOT flashing. Flashing protects the junction of the ledger board to the house, the bolts and more. A deck ledger without VISIBLE flashing is considered UNSAFE by many home inspectors.

Note that the flashing goes BEHIND the siding and OVER the ledger board.

#3 Poorly-constructed Railings

Bottom line, the railing posts need to be FASTENED to more than just the rim board. The rim board is not structural enough by itself. The best description can be found at the co-author of the NEW CODE requirements at deck-lok’s website. If the railing can be moved more than ½” TOTAL MOVEMENT it is considered UNSAFE by many home inspectors.

Balusters should be fastened with screws, not nails. Nails will pull out if a heavy force (think falling adult) is applied to the baluster.

One of the best “prescriptive” deck plans provided by a local jurisdiction can be found at: the Fairfax (VA) County website (PDF file). This is used by a “Reference” by many other jurisdictions and inspectors as “best practice”

Now you know! Have a safe summer!