Not a great thing to wake up to this morning...

[MeredithMan]

...I heard a big noise in the middle of the night during the heavy rains, but assumed it was thunder...I guess not..

[tis]

Yikes! That's weird. I think I see nails but it must not have been attached very well.

[MeredithMan]

I'm guessing that pine needles and other debris from the last 14 years blocked whatever drainage it was supposed to have and the water built up and it gave way.

[tis]

Originally Posted by MeredithMan

I'm guessing that pine needles and other debris from the last 14 years blocked whatever drainage it was supposed to have and the water built up and it gave way.

Inside a porch is more surprising but water is tough. It can get anywhere.

[John Mercier]

I can't tell for sure...
But it looks like they used soffit material and nailed directly to purlins attached to the deck joist.
The deck joist are beginning to show some signs of rot.

They have better systems.

[MeredithMan]

Originally Posted by John Mercier

I can't tell for sure...
But it looks like they used soffit material and nailed directly to purlins attached to the deck joist.
The deck joist are beginning to show some signs of rot.

They have better systems.

Yes, that's exactly how it was done. I am concerned if the joists are showing rot. A few of the deck boards on top have become punky where they get hit with roof water run-off...at a minimum, those need to be replaced. Might be time to bite the bullet and replace the whole darn thing with Azek or other material that will out-live me.

[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by MeredithMan

Yes, that's exactly how it was done. I am concerned if the joists are showing rot. A few of the deck boards on top have become punky where they get hit with roof water run-off...at a minimum, those need to be replaced. Might be time to bite the bullet and replace the whole darn thing with Azek or other material that will out-live me.

Nothing's worse than discovering hidden rot. We went to replace our porch siding at camp only to discover the whole sill had rotted out and quadrupled the work and cost.

Sorry, friend, but good luck!

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[LIforrelaxin]

Originally Posted by MeredithMan

I'm guessing that pine needles and other debris from the last 14 years blocked whatever drainage it was supposed to have and the water built up and it gave way.

Unfortunately the practicality of putting in esthetic features, is often not good. you have to have a way to get that debris out, or the result is as you have experienced..... Hopefully the frame of the deck is still solid.... a few punky boards on top are easy to replace... if you went the "roof" for the deck below, just incorporate a way to pressure wash the debris out occasionally....

[MeredithMan]

Originally Posted by LIforrelaxin

Unfortunately the practicality of putting in esthetic features, is often not good. you have to have a way to get that debris out, or the result is as you have experienced..... Hopefully the frame of the deck is still solid.... a few punky boards on top are easy to replace... if you went the "roof" for the deck below, just incorporate a way to pressure wash the debris out occasionally....

So I made the mistake of telling my brother who knows everything, (just ask him), and got the earful of, "...that's what you get for having a finished look that is nice to look at. My deck that's open underneath will never have that problem...blah, blah, blah... )

[Charlie T]

Originally Posted by MeredithMan

So I made the mistake of telling my brother who knows everything, (just ask him), and got the earful of, "...that's what you get for having a finished look that is nice to look at. My deck that's open underneath will never have that problem...blah, blah, blah... )

As much as you don't want to hear it, your brother is probably correct. Unless you have a waterproof membrane under the deck above, water is going to collect on the ceiling below. Eventually that is going to rot and you can see the results today.

[John Mercier]

''Nail Pop" occurs on both sides of a deck. The expansion/contracting of the wood wicking moisture and then drying out loosens the fastener and allows for a small amount of rot around it.

If the panels are still good... you can check the level of rot... clean it up... add joist tape and reinstall the panels, but with screws that are larger than the current fasteners. Most likely replace the purlins and wrap those with the tape before securing.

The top decking can be fixed by a mixture of either deck grates or just replacing a few boards that take the pounding from drip off the roof.
(obviously joist tape what you can under those also).

Time and Mother Nature will rip down any structure.

[LIforrelaxin]

Originally Posted by MeredithMan

So I made the mistake of telling my brother who knows everything, (just ask him), and got the earful of, "...that's what you get for having a finished look that is nice to look at. My deck that's open underneath will never have that problem...blah, blah, blah... )

Nothing wrong with the finished look, unfortunately most builders, and consumers don't think it all the way through..... It doesn't take much pitch to get the water to run off, unfortunately all the "stuff" following through the cracks of the deck above are a different story... It should be easy enough to create some access points, that would allow you to put a pressure washer nozzle through and remove the "Stuff" with some pressure once every couple of years...

[John Mercier]

I don't think a hose or pressure washer would work.
The attachment to the purlins limits the gap created for the run-off of water and debris.

If you look at a system, like the Trex RainEscape, it creates a large gutter that has an opening deep enough so that all the debris flows freely to the catch basins, and the catch basins are big so less chance of clogging.

Just rather expensive.

[ApS]

Originally Posted by MeredithMan

...I heard a big noise in the middle of the night during the heavy rains, but assumed it was thunder...I guess not..

It didn't fall during lunchtime...

[MeredithMan]

Originally Posted by ApS

It didn't fall during lunchtime...

You couldn't be more spot on! When my son is here every few weeks, he and his dog like to sit on that patio furniture below the deck and just look out at the lake. If it had happened when he and the dog were there, we'd have much bigger problems than cleaning up broken vinyl soffit and pine needle sludge.

[1helpfulhandyman]

Had they used vented soffit instead of solid you probably wouldn't have had this problem !

[John Mercier]

It would leak onto the patio below... which was what they were most likely trying to avoid.

Prior to decking, you can use Trex RainEscape... after decking you can use Timbertech Dryspace.

Other than that... you have to realize wherever the ceiling is attached to the purlin... that is the gap you have for water and debris.
Overtime, the purlins will rot, and the nails/screws will release.

[MeredithMan]

OK, so the mess is all cleaned up and now it's time for the repairs. A contractor who was referred to me by a friend came by the other day. I asked for two estimates: one to do the "short-term fix" to get things back to where they were and one that is a long-term solution to replace all of the wood deck boards and rails with Azek or something similar. I also asked him to think about what could be done with the "short term fix" that could prevent this from happening again, (thinking of John's suggestion of the under-deck drainage/gutter system). That was clearly something he had no experience with.

He was a friendly guy, but I just had the gut feeling that this might be beyond his skill-set. So, appreciate any recommendations on high quality, (and yes, that may mean high cost), deck guys. I don't want any hacks and I don't want anyone who does it part-time when they're not working at the fire station.

Thanks.

[John Mercier]

It depends on what you choose.

Are you going to resurface the deck, and is Azek the product of choice?

In a perfect world, the contractor would have undergone certification by the manufacturer, know how to use their design tools, and be able to give you what the finished product and price would be before you sign a contract.

[WinnisquamZ]

Originally Posted by MeredithMan

OK, so the mess is all cleaned up and now it's time for the repairs. A contractor who was referred to me by a friend came by the other day. I asked for two estimates: one to do the "short-term fix" to get things back to where they were and one that is a long-term solution to replace all of the wood deck boards and rails with Azek or something similar. I also asked him to think about what could be done with the "short term fix" that could prevent this from happening again, (thinking of John's suggestion of the under-deck drainage/gutter system). That was clearly something he had no experience with.

He was a friendly guy, but I just had the gut feeling that this might be beyond his skill-set. So, appreciate any recommendations on high quality, (and yes, that may mean high cost), deck guys. I don't want any hacks and I don't want anyone who does it part-time when they're not working at the fire station.

Thanks.

Listen to your gut. If it’s saying no then it’s a easy decision


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[RTTOOL]

Originally Posted by MeredithMan

...I heard a big noise in the middle of the night during the heavy rains, but assumed it was thunder...I guess not..

you need to clean it out every few years...

[TheProfessor]

Originally Posted by MeredithMan

Yes, that's exactly how it was done. I am concerned if the joists are showing rot. A few of the deck boards on top have become punky where they get hit with roof water run-off...at a minimum, those need to be replaced. Might be time to bite the bullet and replace the whole darn thing with Azek or other material that will out-live me.

The whole thing needs to be replaced.
Hopefully, none of the rot has encroached into the sill of the main house.
Any carpenter can build a deck. Not all carpenters can build a deck correctly.

Trex has an interesting design website. LINK

Paul Haskel of Gilford. Name of an excellent carpenter.

[John Mercier]

Trex has a better one in the deck planner.

But if he wants Azek, he should use the Timbertech one to deal with any nuances of the product line.

It will be easier when they go to order as the item codes will match up with the product.