Most deck failures are structural, not cosmetic. Here is what separates a deck that holds up for decades from one that quietly rots at the wall.
A deck is a structure that holds people, sometimes a lot of them at once, several feet off the ground. It deserves to be built like one. Here is what we pay attention to.
Footings below frost depth
In Southern Indiana the ground freezes deep enough to move anything sitting above the frost line. Footings poured too shallow will heave in winter and settle in spring, and within a few seasons your deck will be visibly out of level.
Footings need to be sized for the load they carry and poured below frost depth. This is invisible work that nobody ever compliments, and it is the difference between a deck that stays put and one that does not.
The ledger board — the number one failure point
The ledger is the board bolted to your house that carries one whole side of the deck. It is the single most common point of catastrophic deck failure, and the reason is almost always the same: it was fastened with nails or screws instead of through-bolts, and it was never flashed.
Without flashing, water runs down the siding, hits the top of the ledger, and sits there. Behind it, your rim joist — part of the house's structure, not the deck's — slowly rots. By the time it is visible, the repair is significant.
A ledger should be through-bolted or lag-screwed to the rim joist on a proper pattern, and it must be flashed so water is directed out and over the deck rather than in behind it.
Joist spans and hangers
Joist size and spacing follow span tables, not guesswork. Under-sized or over-spaced joists give you a bouncy deck now and a sagging one later.
Every joist-to-beam and joist-to-ledger connection should use the correct hanger, fully nailed with the fasteners the hanger is rated for. Hangers half-filled with the wrong nails are extremely common on DIY decks and they are not carrying what you think they are.
Stairs and rails
Stairs need consistent rise and run — variation between treads is a genuine trip hazard, and it is one of the first things an inspector measures.
Guard rails have required heights and maximum baluster spacing, and they must resist a lateral load at the top rail. A rail that looks fine but is only screwed into the deck board face will not hold someone who falls against it.
If you have an older deck
Get underneath it with a flashlight. Look at the ledger connection, look for rust and rot at hangers, and press a screwdriver into the posts near ground level. Soft wood means the post is done.
We repair and rebuild as often as we build new, and the structure always comes before the surface. A beautiful new deck board on a failing frame is a delay, not a repair. Call (812) 259-0159 for a free deck inspection or estimate.