Best Rate Repair has been repairing decks for San Diego homeowners for 17 years. 9-year membership with NADRA (North America Deck and Railing Association). Jeff is certified as a Master Deck Builder and 3 estimators have completed full deck inspection training using NADRA’s deck inspection recommendations.
The rails wobbled, the nails popped, and Dad stumbled in with a splinter.
Softwood decking can last a long time depending on how well it’s built, but it’s not uncommon for cedar, pine, or redwood decks to last 10 to 20 years before they start to fall apart in ways that range from unsightly and inconvenient to downright dangerous. “I’ve seen decks built two years ago that we couldn’t do anything with,” says Phil Brown, owner of Archadeck of Central Connecticut in Wallingford, “and decks built 50 years ago where the frame was in perfect condition.”
Patio owners can sometimes only afford repairs, which usually means replacing the decking and railings. The last thing they want to hear is that they have to replace everything. But sometimes there is no choice. Failing siding or windows can look bad or leak, but a failing deck can collapse. Someone injured in the deck collapse – 6,500 people have been injured since 2003. according to a Chicago Tribune story two years ago-can sue the homeowner for damages. Atlanta law firm Kalka & Baer even advertises deck collapse disputes as one of its specialties. And if someone files a lawsuit, it quickly becomes the deck contractor’s liability.
What is clear and what is not?
The publicity surrounding deck collapses has prompted many municipalities to tighten deck construction standards before issuing permits. “Nowadays “they’re big on tying things up,” says Lou Pagnutti, whose company is Cover Unique in Commack, NY, has been building decks on Long Island for decades. Still, Pagnutti estimates that on Long Island, which is full of homes built in the last fifty years, about half of his deck calls are for a request to replace the planks and rails of an existing structure, i.e., a new deck. “We inspect the substructure,” he says, which usually involves removing the decking boards. “If it is a questionable situation, we will replace it.”
The price difference between replacing decking boards and rails and rebuilding from the ground up is often significant. Price is “always a tough question,” says Bryan Miller, president of Outback deck in Woodstock, Georgia. For example, if a homeowner just wants new connectors and decking on a 12-by-15-foot wood deck, that could be “a cost of $3,000 to $4,000.” Tear down the whole thing – demo, container rental, haul away, new wood – “that could easily be $9,000 or $10,000, maybe $12,000 or $15,000 or more if they want a much higher end product like Brazilian hardwood and expensive rails.”
Miller says the Outback Deck “will do a major repair, if it’s a young enough deck and we’re confident,” can be replanked and a new rail system added without compromising the safety and stability of the structure. ‘Young’ means five to eight years old.
Check five criteria
“Most people will ask, how much will it cost and when can it be ready,” Miller says. “What we know is that we have to think about it differently.”
The Atlanta company goes by the book, using a six-page deck inspection form from the North American Deck and Rail Association (RARE). The inspection focuses on five specific areas, three of which, Miller says, involve “points of connection to the support posts or to the house.” That means: post-to-footing, post-to-band and band-to-house. In addition, the inspection examines stair and handrail connections. The idea is to determine whether the deck is “failing” – deteriorated but still in good condition – or is actually at risk of collapse. Once that information is established, it will be supplemented with “photos of defective decks and collapsing decks,” Miller says. “We talk about the importance of understanding the nature of the current structure and why it needs to be replaced.”
Compare deck and frame lifespans
Outback Decks is not against ‘salvaging’ an older deck in principle. But the company has developed systems that keep it out of situations that involve liability for the builder. NADRA executive vice president Mike Beaudry estimates that approximately half of the 50 million US decks are at least 20 years old. Reputable deck builders should have a method for assessing the useful life of a deck, and a policy for determining when it is safe to repair rather than replace it.
Then California contractor Andrew York, owner of Pro deck constructiongets a call about repairing a deck, often enough it is “20 years old and the redwood is worn out. It has seen its life.” The condition of the frame, York says, will determine whether or not the deck can be salvaged. If the frame material has not been pressure treated and if it is unpainted, it is generally a lost cause.
York says that when he goes to a job where “they just want to do the decking instead of the entire frame, I explain that the frame will last five to 10 years, that the new deck will cost X and however long it will last, and that they can replace the frame for X much more often and it will last the life of the deck.” If they want to save money, York says, they’ll just replace the decking, but “I’m making sure everyone understands that we’re only doing the decking part so we’re not responsible if this deck breaks. I make that clear in the scope of work.”
The redevelopment involves “a fairly significant cost difference” because different parts of the area are at high risk of fire. At Pro Deck Construction, a standard deck plan must meet San Diego County fire code, using heavy truss construction based on the theory that “larger framing members are slower to ignite.” For York, such situations are an opportunity to propose steel frames, which he estimates 10 percent of replacement customers choose to use.
Sound frame, crappy decking
About 25 percent of the calls Brown receives are for repairs. “Our rule of thumb is: if the framing is good but the floorboards are worthless, which often happens, we will do everything we can to reuse as much of it as possible.” Brown says “35 to 40 percent” of the re-decks are in pretty good condition. But if the homeowner wants a heavier deck board, such as a composite, which typically weighs double the weight of wood, or a decorative design, the company may need to create additional framing support. “If it’s a simple patio and they want to turn part of it into a porch, we have to add foundations.” But if repairing the frame only saves a few thousand dollars, “it might be better to replace the entire deck.”
Miller says that while Outback Deck started out marketing its willingness to perform deck repairs, that’s harder to do these days. A typical call might be that someone is planning to sell the house and just wants the deck brought into a presentable shape. It is, he says, almost his own business. “If you’re going to do deck repair and advertise, you can expect 75 calls a month and you have to have a process to send someone out and sell that job, do that repair on the spot and move on to the next one,” he says. The current labor market in Atlanta makes that virtually impossible: “Finding men who can perform deck repairs is not easy.”
Article credited to:
Jim Cory – Senior Contributing Editor – Professional Renovator
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