My 'simple' deck expansion in Denver turned into a structural headache

I planned to add a 10-foot section to my back deck last spring, thinking it was just more of the same framing and decking. Halfway through, I found the original ledger board was only nailed on, not bolted, and it was pulling away from the house. I had to stop everything, get a permit I didn't think I needed, and replace the entire 20-foot ledger with proper lag bolts and flashing. The whole thing took an extra two weeks and about $800 in unplanned materials. Anyone else had a 'small' project blow up because of something the last guy did wrong?

3 comments

3 Comments

kelly612mo ago

Ledger boards are a classic hidden problem. I had to sister new joists under my whole deck when I found rot from bad flashing. Pulling that permit was annoying but it forced me to fix the drainage properly. What did the inspector say about your fix?

emma722mo ago

Ugh, I feel your pain. My inspector made me add a metal flashing that extends over the house wrap and tucks under the siding. He said the old way of just caulking the top of the ledger was a guaranteed leak. It was a hassle but now I know it's done right.

kelly.emma12d ago

I actually read a good article from Fine Homebuilding that talked about this exact thing. They said a lot of old decks were built with just nails on the ledger and no flashing at all. It's scary how many houses have that ticking time bomb hidden behind the siding. The article also mentioned that a lot of homeowners don't realize a permit is needed until they find the rot or the pulling away like you did. Sounds like you dodged a real headache by catching it when you did.