Inspecting Exterior Structures

| Tuesday, August 30, 2011
By Nathan Pile


Decks, porches, balconies, verandas and patios are outdoor architectural elements that are often confused with one another. An explanation of their intended use, history and design allow for useful distinctions, although a certain degree of exception and overlap is unavoidable.

The cantilevered deck form of deck construction creates a much more attractive appearance and more skilled finish. The deck building beam for a cantilevered deck is easy to build and does give more strength by spreading out the load it supports - onto beam lumber placed either side of the footing posts.

Aluminium can be twisted and turned to great effect for many different more modern styles of deck railing designs, when painted black they are really set off nicely against the beautiful color of the wooden railing posts and surrounding each individual deck railing baluster. The outcome is a very pleasing mix of traditional decking and decking posts together with chic metal trimmings.

A verandah (or veranda) is a long, roofed, open gallery built around a central structure, and supported by pillars. Verandahs are often long enough to extend around the front and sides of a structure. Their origins are uncertain, but they are known to be a hybrid of East Indian and European styles. The purpose of the verandah is social, although in a more relaxed, everyday sense than is the case of a deck or patio.

Because decks appear to be simple to build, many people do not realize that decks are, in fact, structures that need to be designed to adequately resist certain stresses. Like any other house or building, a deck must be designed to support the weight of people, snow loads, and objects. A deck must be able to resist lateral and uplift loads that can act on the deck as a result of wind or seismic activity. Deck stairs must be safe and handrails graspable. And, finally, deck rails should be safe for children by having proper infill spacing.

Depending on how the deck was built, vital connections may have degraded over time due to various factors. Issues such as wobbly railings, loose stairs, and ledgers that appear to be pulling away from the adjacent structure are all causes for concern. The tightness of fasteners should be checked. If it is not possible to reach both sides of a bolt, it may be struck with a hammer. The ring will sound hollow with vibration if the fastener is loose. The ring will sound solid if the connection is tight. The hammer test is subjective, so the inspector should hammer-test bolts that can be confirmed as tight or loose, and compare the sounds of the rings to develop a control.

The Barrie Home Inspector is a professional home inspector who has the education, knowledge and experience to inspect your exterior structures and give a professional report as to its condition and whether it meets minimum building code requirements.




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