The Anatomy Of A Deck

Nothing beats a night on the deck enjoying good food, and a cool drink, with friends and family around us. Before your family and friends hit the deck for outdoor dining and entertaining, make sure they have a safe and solid space to welcome their summer! We want to make sure you enjoy your deck safely for many years to come.

Footings
Hold your deck off the ground and help spread the load over a greater surface area. In cold climates, the bottom of your footings will need to extend below the frost line to prevent shifting as the ground freezes and thaws.

Support Posts
These posts support the frame of the deck, are typically attached to the tops of footings with metal brackets and sit above ground level.

Beams
Beams or girders support the frame of the deck and are installed alongside the rim joists.

Blocking or Bridging

Bridging are the small blocks of wood installed between the joists. Blocking is essential as it prevents twisting or movement over time.

Joists
These are the most prominent parts of the anatomy of a deck and provide for the overall structural support for your deck floor. The number of joists on your deck will depend on the size and design of your deck.

Hardware

Includes the fasteners, joist hangers, lag bolts, and screws that secure your deck components to one another. Using proper fasteners is essential to your deck’s structural integrity.  Decks should never be secured with nails – only screws specially created for decks

Ledger Board

This is an essential part of your deck that secures the deck to your house. Proper securement of the deck to the house using lag bolts is one of the most frequent issues we see with decks and is a significant safety issue if not sound.

Flashing

This stainless steel or vinyl sheet fits over the ledge to cover the gap between the ledger board and your home. Flashing helps protect the ledger board and bolts and channel moisture away from your home. If the flashing is compromised, you risk having moisture travel from the treated wood of your deck through the bolts to untreated wood in your home’s structure.

Decking

The surface area of your deck comes in a wide variety of widths and materials.

Railing

The railing system includes the top rail, bottom rail, and baluster.

Stairs

The stairs consist of a stringer, risers, and treads. We are alert to missing risers which can cause a safety issue-especially for children and split stringers that impact the structural integrity of the stairs.

If you have concerns about your deck, seek a professional such as a deck builder, or home inspector to get a deck evaluation.

Information provided by Manage My Home.