Tips To Ensure Your Porch And Deck Are Built Well To Be Safe And Pass Inspection
Posted on: 20 August 2020
An outdoor deck or patio installed on your home's entrance and around the exterior is a great way to enjoy and take advantage of the outdoor area of your property. When you add in the right landscaping, vegetation, and trees, your backyard deck or patio can be a great place to hang out and entertain. Here are some tips to help you make sure your deck and porch are installed properly onto your home to help it pass inspection, avoid a violation, and also be a safe and sound structure.
Install the Right Lumber Materials
When you build an outdoor deck or porch, it is important that you use the right types of materials that are going to help your structure last for many years and hold up well in the outside elements. For this reason, you need to only select the right materials that have been prepared and produced to withstand years of sun, wind, rain, and ice. With lumber materials that are natural wood, they need to be treated to resist decay and rot. Dry rot and decay from moisture and insects are common in outside wood materials that are not treated with a preservative to resist rot, insect damage, and moisture damage.
You can find this type of lumber at your local home and garden store or lumber retailer. If you have already installed your deck or porch with some lumber that is not treated with a preservative, you can apply one onto the wood to provide this protection. But be sure you have the lumber inspected for any decay and rot that may have already taken hold of the lumber. You don't want to treat already-failing decking and porch materials.
Use the Right Attachments
In addition to using the right lumber materials, you should look for durable attachments to install and connect your decking and porch materials together. Using the wrong type of fasteners, such as nails that rust or are too short, will increase the chances your porch deck is going to fall apart when used.
Be sure you only select nails or screws that are made of galvanized steel, stainless steel, copper, or silicon bronze and have been hot-dipped in a zinc coating. This treatment to your screws or nails will keep them weather-resistant, and they won't break within your porch deck structure. Keep in mind the anchor straps or joist hangers you use on your porch and deck attachment to your home should be the same make-up to ensure strength.
To get help avoiding a porch code violation, contact professional contractors in your area.
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