6
Shoutout to my neighbor who caught my deck before it collapsed
I was grilling out back last Saturday in Columbus when I noticed one of the support beams had rotted clean through. My neighbor Bob saw me poking at it and walked over with a level and some scrap lumber. We spent about 2 hours jacking it up and putting in a new post. Has anyone else had a random act of neighbor help save them from a bigger headache?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
wendy1311d ago
Oh man, I used to be the type who figured decks are just built to last forever. But after seeing a post like this and @angela587's comment about poking around with a screwdriver, I went out and checked my own deck posts. Found one that was spongy at the base and had to replace it before it became a real problem. Bob really saved you a nasty fall, that's a good neighbor to have.
8
sage_green1d ago
The "caught my deck before it collapsed" part really got me thinking. It's funny how we always assume those support beams are fine until they're not. My buddy had a similar situation last spring where a fence post was basically termite dust held together by paint. But here's the angle nobody's talking about: we should all be giving our decks and porches a quick once over every spring. Not a full inspection, just a poke and a push. Save yourself a headache and a trip to the ER if that thing goes down while you're standing on it. Bob sounds like a solid dude for jumping in with the scrap lumber, that's the kind of neighborly stuff that keeps the HOA from turning into a nightmare.
3
angela5871d ago
Exactly what I do every spring. Grab a screwdriver and poke around the base of the posts, especially where they meet the ground. Caught a rotted support beam on my back porch that way before it became a real problem.
6