| In many situations, a home with a deck is considered a huge plus point. And sadly there are times when a deck can drag a house value down like a boat anchor. A home inspector will be looking for two major areas. They are about safety and second the condition of the deck. All too often, a deck is build and often added to a home, shall we say homebrew style. While the person(s) who originally put the deck up might not be familiar with technical terms such as "static load", it does not mean it will be overlooked during a home inspection. Moreover, the sad reality is even good builders are human and make mistakes. This showed up very recently in Tcat's life, when his old friends decided to add a deck late in the construction of their new custom-built home. The deck itself was structurally fine. It was the railing of this second-floor deck that was at best, sub optimal. Only a home inspection undertaken before final acceptance of the house revealed the safety support from the railing was little more than a visual warning. Of course, even the best built decks do have a finite lifespan. In the Pacific Northwest of the United States, decks made of cedar (including the structural support) are quite common. If the deck did not receive regular maintenance with water seal treatment, wood rot, UV sunlight, temperature changes and safety concerns can quickly convert what was supposed to be a valued asset into a demolition cost. Technology has improved many things, and the deck is no exception. There is now deck material that is a mix of synthetic materials with real wood that last longer, with less maintenance. Gudrun has recent experience with this, and is delighted to share her experience. The best insurance for a long life deck is a underground support and construction. Have a solid drainage for water and rain/snow to prevent rotting from the underside. An annually deep cleaning is mandatory for all wooden structures. Most of the hardwood requires oiling or painting on a regular basis. If you are prepared to spend some additional bucks on the initial setup consider synthetic material which looks like wood. Of course, this needs cleaning to, however it will save you the painting/oiling, and the artificial material is not decaying. From the appearance, the newer material is hard to distinguish from wood. Come on! It's dark, stuffy and hot inside this little box of electronics. Not only that, we cannot hear you when you talk to us. Send us an e-mail to tell us what topics you would like to hear about. Feedback@ButterflyLister.com |
