Don’t let this happen to you.
This customer called us to replace their old deck. From the yard it looked tired but solid. Then we tore off the old boards and found the real problem: the main support beam, the piece that carries the weight of the whole deck, was cracked, rotten and sagging. Set a level across it and you can see the dip for yourself.
A beam like this doesn’t fail all at once. It bends a little more every season as the wood breaks down, until one day it gives. It was only a matter of time before this deck came down. The scary part is who would have been on it when it did: family at a cookout, kids playing, friends gathered around the grill.
The hard part is that problems like this hide under the boards, where water sits and wood rots out of sight. A few signs are worth checking on your own deck: a surface that dips, sags or bounces when you walk across it; posts or beams that feel soft or crumble when you press a screwdriver into them; cracks running along the beam; posts that lean; and rusted or loose hardware. If you notice any of these, have the deck looked at before your next get-together.
When we build a new deck, the structure underneath gets as much attention as the boards on top. We size the footings and framing correctly, build to current code, and finish with low-maintenance composite or PVC decking, so your deck stays safe and solid for years. If you’re worried about the deck you have now, call us at (816) 656-1874 or request a free quote, and we’ll take a look.
