What Caused This Wood Deck Failure?

[2manyrocks]

It would be helpful to see a picture of the patio area like post #41 after everything that's been cleared off.

Stairs would be less intrusive if the door could be relocated to the area where there's a window next to the chimney chase.

If you could scale down the size of patio furniture, that might help, too.

 

[Runner]

Before committing to concrete, I would seriously think about building out of wood again. From everything I've seen in your pictures, you know how to build a quality deck. You just made one mistake, and that was the airflow issue. If you had left the sides open, your deck would not of rotted like it did.

I personally believe that tape over the joists accomplishes nothing, and eventually it will be where the mold starts to grow. Painting Tar on the tops of the joists might do something, but if the deck has proper airflow, then the tops of the joists are not going to remain wet, and you are not going to have any issues. It's a solution that doesn't really work, to deal with a mistake in construction that should of never happened.

I appreciate the kind words. I did detail that deck within an inch of its life. Spent about $1million on Simpson fasteners (even used the approved screws, etc.), did the flashing and attachment of the ledger just like you read about and everything. Really tried to do it right.

However, at this point, I just don't have the energy or drive to do it all over again. Plus, the foundation is gone. Right now, I just want "easy" and to not have to think about it anymore.

Maybe someday in the future I'll get my second wind and try it again. At least I'll know what not to do.

 

[Runner]

It would be helpful to see a picture of the patio area like post #41 after everything that's been cleared off.

Stairs would be less intrusive if the door could be relocated to the area where there's a window next to the chimney chase.

If you could scale down the size of patio furniture, that might help, too.

Very true, having the door/stair near one side of the slab instead of the middle would have been much better. I would just add that to the list of about 6 million other things I would change about this house if I could....

I still maintain that the root of all evil is trying to jam houses (or any other building) onto a lot where they just don't belong. This kind of crap happens all the time with "raised ranch houses" sitting on sloped lots.

 

[2manyrocks]

I went to Lowes trying to match my vinyl siding which of course wasn't a stock item, but the guy in the store immediately knew what it was and ordered a box of it for me because it was used so much in my area.

Depending on what's on the inside, moving a door to a window space and vice versa isn't as much work as building a deck. But you'd need to find siding to match.

 

[Runner]

I went to Lowes trying to match my vinyl siding which of course wasn't a stock item, but the guy in the store immediately knew what it was and ordered a box of it for me because it was used so much in my area.

Depending on what's on the inside, moving a door to a window space and vice versa isn't as much work as building a deck. But you'd need to find siding to match.

2, are you saying Lowe's was able to order siding to match yours, even though it was not a brand they carry? Or, just that they were able to match the color with a brand that they do carry?

Looking at their web site, it looks like they carry 5 brands, plus something called "unbranded". But they don't list "Alside" which is my brand. Perhaps I'm making too big a deal out of this, maybe siding is siding... I know even less about siding than I do about treated wood.

I do know this, if I can't get pretty close to an exact match, it's going to bug me. A lot.

 

[bdhsfz6]

My treated wood deck rotted off 10 years after I built it. I replaced it with extruded aluminum planking:

LockDry® Aluminum Waterproof Decking from Nexan

LockDry® aluminum waterproof decking is a maintenance free deck product that creates a waterproof area under the deck. LockDry® is ideally used for roof decks, 2nd story decks and replacements to underdeck ceilings and composite decking.

www.nexaninc.com

It's waterproof and creates a dry space underneath.

After 18 years, it looks almost the same as it did when installed.

At 3x the cost of treated wood, it's pricey but it will never have to be resurfaced, repainted or replaced.

 

[ruffdog]

My deck is 5 feet off the ground (wash stones) and is totally open. No rotting noticed yet and is 29 years old.

 

[2manyrocks]

2, are you saying Lowe's was able to order siding to match yours, even though it was not a brand they carry? Or, just that they were able to match the color with a brand that they do carry?

Looking at their web site, it looks like they carry 5 brands, plus something called "unbranded". But they don't list "Alside" which is my brand. Perhaps I'm making too big a deal out of this, maybe siding is siding... I know even less about siding than I do about treated wood.

I do know this, if I can't get pretty close to an exact match, it's going to bug me. A lot.

It's been 20 years and I'm not sure that I even asked if it was a brand they carried. The guy looked at a piece I brought into the store, immediately knew what it was and said he could order it for me.

You won't know for sure until you ask. At least you know the brand and item you're looking for. The builder had to get that siding from somewhere.

Depending on the degree of fading due to sun exposure, the new may look some different than the old.

 

[4570Man]

Pressure treated lumber is garbage now and it’s never going to last 30 years like it used to but the skirt definitely traps moisture and accelerates rot.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Good thought. My intention is to cut and remove the ledger everywhere but where needed for the new stairway, then fix the siding. I have some spare pieces of siding, but haven't looked at the stash yet to see if there is enough to do the job.

Just in case, I have been investigating and found that the original siding was made by a company called Alside, which is apparently still in buisness and still sells the same pattern and color. Problem is, I can't find a distributor. The siding is identified in their literature as "Odyssey Plus Premium Vinyl Siding - Double 5" Dutch Lap in Platinum Gray".

I only need to install 4 pieces to do the fix, but have to be able to buy it first. Would hate to have to hire a siding company just to do this.

Z Flashing is usually used to protect the ledger board