Updated: Feb 7
My childhood home was a 1970’s single story. The average 3 bedroom abode was an unforgettable seafoam green complete with orange, plastic countertops and a shag style carpet throughout every room. Our backyard must have really been the selling point for my parents for it was large enough to occupy large family get-togethers, a tribe of kids could play all day, and a small sunflower field grew just over the fence. Not to mention all our barbeques could very well be had on a classic piece of outdoor architecture...a large slab of concrete with a big ol’ crack running through it. Yes it was the embarrassment of the century for my traditional Hispanic mother.
When I was around 15 years old, however, a miracle came to fruition when my parents decided to build their own wood deck. They opted to do it themselves because hiring a contractor would have been my traditional mothers second embarrassment of the century. “It’s just a deck, why they so expensive?!” she would accost my very practical father. After a weekend, the ground level deck was built and the railing was up. When I say railing I actually mean a brown, plastic lattice patterned sheet. To my parents this deck might as well have been their 5th child, they loved it! And I have to admit, it made me appreciate having an additional living space I could get a tan on during those hot Montana summers.
My parents wooden deck lived its glory days for a couple years but the harsh winters and blazing summers caused the wood to wither and rot. The deck is due for demolition this year because it really just has become too dangerous for our children to play safely on it. A replacement is long overdue and my parents didn’t have time for maintenance like sanding, staining, and waterproofing like many other households. Who has the time in today’s world?
If you live in North Idaho, we are dealing with snow coverage, rain, wind, and intense rays from the sun. A wooden deck, especially for us folks up in the North, is a high maintenance structure that sooner or later will need replacing or repair. Here are 6 signs that your outdoor living space is in need of replacing.
Extensive Surface Damage
Decks are an outdoor structure that the average homeowner does not cover during rain or snow. Unless you have an overhead roof cover built as part of your deck, the sun, rain, and snow will eat up all wooden decks. These elements combined with the fluctuation between expansion and contraction of deck boards, can cause wood rot, mold, cracks, splintering, and soft or crumbling wood. If your boards are looking anything like the picture below, it’s time.
Surface damage like wood rot might not seem like a big deal but contractors say that most people will wait until something dangerous, like a collapse, happens before they give them a call.
Gaps Between The Deck and Your House
Outdoor decks are attached to the framing of your house using a ledger board. Contractors also use "flashing" on the ledger board to re-route water away from your house and foundation. If your deck is pulling away from your house or the ledger board, like the picture below, there is a good chance that water has been collecting and is causing extensive damage as well as a high possibility that your deck could completely collapse. Gaps between the deck and your house is a major safety issue that needs to be addressed immediately.
Legitimate contractors should always be using solid materials for their ledger board, flashing, and other waterproofing tape to protect your home.
Eroded and Rotten Posts
Most decks are weighted into the ground with pressure-treated, wooden posts. Unless your deck is made with stainless steel, (North Idaho Decks is partnered with Fortress Building Products which offers stainless steel framing systems), your posts are susceptible to erosion and rot. This damage typically occurs at the bottom of the structure because that is the part that is covered with snow and rain deposits. Damage to the framing posts can cause your deck to pull away from the house or possibly sink into soft ground.
Unless your deck is framed with stainless steel (check out Fortress Building Products for steel framing), wooden ground posts can erode and rot with intense weather climates
Unstable Railing Systems
In Idaho, a deck above a certain height can only receive a passing permit inspection if the railing passes code and only then is it deemed safe. A safe railing system does not steer inward or outward, is able to be gripped, are surface mounted and can not have spaces greater than 4 inches between each ballister. Many railing systems of the past are mounted to the side of the deck and because this is a weaker point of attachment, over time this causes the railing to become very unstable. If your decks sits on a second story, stability is imperative for safety.
I can already feel the splinters walking down these stairs. Railing that veers inward or outward is an early sign of detachment.
Decks Over 15 Years Old
Unlike composite decks that last anywhere between 30 years and a lifetime, wooden decks last about 15 to 40 years and that's with yearly maintenance. North Idaho Decks rule of thumb is that if your deck is showing signs of aging like sun damage, dryness, or splintering AND is over 15 years old, it's time for a replacement of the boards.
Out with the old and in with the new. Wooden decks are very high maintenance and without the proper care can deteriorate and age in only a matter of years. Ask North Idaho Decks how a fully composite deck could be the right choice for you.
Termites!
Ewww, I've officially got the heebie jeebies thinking about these little wood munchers. Termites can cause so much unseen damage to your deck it should be a crime. Wooden posts and boards are supposed to be dense in order to carry hundreds of pounds of weight that could be on a deck on any point in time. What termites do is eat holes throughout the wood, creating a spongy look that is no longer structurally sound. Termite damage can look soft and crumbly, a lot like wood rot. If you believe you have termite damage, there isn't a way to reverse what's happened to your boards and should be flagged for replacement.
Termites are insects that bore holes into any and all wood. Their appetites make the wood "spongy" looking and weakens the wood strength it would otherwise have if it were very dense.
If Your Deck is Showing Any Signs of Deterioration, Detachment, or Dropping...
Call a contractor as soon as possible to verify if your deck need repair or replacing. It really is better to be safe than sorry. A deck that is falling apart can be a real eye sore as well, invest in the upgrade and you will learn that a beautifully made deck can add up to 30% more value to your home and if your contractor makes the permit process hassle-free, then you will see the maximum value reached.
North Idaho Decks is Insured, Bonded, and Registered with the State of Idaho, Call Us Today To See if Your Outdoor Living Space Needs Replacing