Need your opinion on rim joist rot from deck
Theengineguy
| Posted in General Discussion on
Hello. A quick background. I build racing engines for the last 30 years, I live in a world of one ten thousandths of an increment, so I see things differently.
I ripped off this deck from the home we bought 3 years ago. They simply nailed ledger board to the siding in some places. I other places they removed the cedar. I have one are here on the left that is a bit soft. 95 percent of it is solid. Do I really need to replace this? Both 45 angles are solid. Any insight would be great. I was quoted 27,000 for a new deck that we wanted, but if I can keep a 5 inch hole straight top to bottom within .0002 over 6 inches, I can build a deck.
Thank you
Replies
I don't believe the current Code allows a deck ledger to be attached to a rim joint that is attached to the ends of cantilevered floor joists.
Given that grade is not very far below your proposed deck, I'd seriously consider adding piers close to the house and construct a freestanding deck. Clean up the exterior of the house walls first - remove any deteriorated siding; make sure the sheathing is intact; supplement any existing house wrap; then replace & paint the new siding. Once that is complete, construct the deck ensuring that there is a gap of an inch or more between the deck lumber and the siding.
Thank you very much. Now that you say that, not a single contractor said anything about the ledger on a cantilever. I did just read about that about 20 mins ago. Let me add, the proposed deck is going to be quite large, does the size of the deck alter your opinion of freestanding?
I don't know if you're in snow country or not. Regardless, if it were me and if the deck wasn't a full story above grade, I'd opt for free-standing. This minimizes any possible deleterious effect it could have on the house walls. There is an advantage to having good air circulation between the house wall and the deck.
I am in snow country, Illinois.
Echo above statement from CT. first thing I noticed in pic was canteliver. Carefully remove a course of siding or 2 and install a good peel and stick WRB prior to new siding or better yet use 1x8 PVC trim with drip cap on top. A decent gap between deck and home will be easier to keep clean because no matter what leaves and crap build up in there and create a moisture trap.
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Best of luck on your deck! Study up and make it close to perfect.