I bring this up because I was called for a deck addition in late 2009 but wanted to make sure the initial construction was safe. I took a look around and right off the bat a red flag went up. The 5/4' deck boards had way too much flex because of their 24' OC joists instead of 16' OC.
The deck was screwed down with non-ACQ rated screws, meaning corrosion and bleeding was obvious and over time they would practically dissolve. There were no bolts used on the beams OR ledger board. The deck was basically held down by improper screws. It was obvious that this was not an experienced builder's work.
The home owners have been living at the house for 2 years and claimed that their realtor suggested an inspector for them to hire. The cost to repair the deck was so steep that they had to hold off on the addition.
Just goes to show you, a second opinion is always a good idea....
