Moss Code—can you read the signs?

The other day I did a post about a roof that was “toast.”

Today’s “toast” goes to the deck at the same home.

Just like the garage roof the deck structure goes way beyond being “unsafe” and is closer to “compost.”

It is interesting to note that it was never built to be safe even when it was brand new (ledger not bolted, ledger not flashed, undersized joists and beams, no joist hangers, improper surface, and untreated materials).  Some of these things contributed to its early demise.  There was extensive rot in most structural components and the plywood deck surface was badly rotten and covered with moss.  It was pretty obvious that this deck had been unsafe for a long time and yet there were no barriers from the house preventing anyone from walking out onto it.  In fact, I walked on it—but VERY cautiously and only in some areas. Getting to the deck from the ground was made “challenging” by the fact that the stairs had completely rotted away, so perhaps the people most at risk were the people living in the home—the ones likely to have access to the deck.

Anyone walking out on this deck in the dark would certainly have rotten luck.

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Charles Buell, Real Estate Inspections in Seattle

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