Steven,

A very brief blog on decks. This is a subject that really has a great deal of depth.

Regarding bolting decks, this should be done on basically any height deck in order to secure it to the home and properly support the structure. In fact the recommended method of attachment now is to bolt the deck through the the box plate to floor or ceiling joists. Even low height decks that suddenly fail can result in personal injury.

I always spend a good deal of time inspecting a deck. They often have numerous design and safety defects. What is not readily apparent to most people is the actually complexity of properly and safely constructing a deck. Many times these structures are built by homeowners as a "weekend project". The result is often an unsafe structure.

I don't mean to steal your blog, but this is a personal peeve of mine. (as you might of guessed!)

James,

No problem. Good points. I have just found, in my blogging, that non-inspectors seem to be more likely to read and better understand some of my shorter blogs that focus in on specific points. My statistics here at AR indicate that the "to the point" blogs have more clicks. Hence, I have been working on making them succinct without covering too much ground.

We should clarify here that there are free-standing decks. These are the rule at manufactured homes and decks at those structures should not be attached to the home. That weighs down the structure and violates mobile and manufactured home building codes. In my area, a small deck under 30", normally does not require a permit so we inspectors usually find them with no flashing, no lags, no guard rails, no handrails, uneven steps and wood to earth contact. The inspector then has to wade though the issues and prioritize those concerns.

Steven,

You bring up all those points I was alluding to in my first comment. As you are aware a deck may look simple, but there are complexities that are not apparent to the untrained person.

As you also said there are always exceptions to every rule. Your point about decks on manufactured homes is excellent.

Thanks James,

Always good to hear from you and you always provide well thought out information.