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