The German word “schadenfreude” translates literally as “harm-joy”. It means to take pleasure from other’s misfortune or pain. Now, while schadenfreude is not the best aspect of human nature, it is a dirty little pleasure that most of us give in to on occasion.
There’s a lot of schadenfreude to be had from a deck I visited last summer, although I sincerely hope it doesn’t develop into real physical pain. This particular deck is a disaster waiting to happen. Not only does it exhibit a raft of structural blunders, it’s a three story deck that sits high atop a rocky bluff overlooking a lake. It is no exaggeration to say that the combination of bad details and location make this deck life threatening.
In an effort to salvage some good from the schadenfreude, I’ll be posting photos of some of the more obvious defects on this deck, and explaining what’s wrong and how to build a deck safely.
Going forward, I’ll be looking for photos of other deck building blunders to feature here. If you see any, please email me.
This one is obvious. The concrete footing extends several feet out of the ground and leans downhill. Whether it was built that way or if a creeping slope is taking its toll on a poorly executed detail, the joint between the post and the footing is bending like a knuckle. As the angle increases, the post’s ability to carry its load decreases. It’s probably just a matter of time before failure.
The footing should have been placed so its top was only a few inches above grade, and the post extended down. On a slope this steep, involving an engineer in the design would have been a good idea.
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