The Kennesaw Deck That Looked Fine and Wasn't Attached Correctly

The deck was 16 years old, the surface was cupped and gray, and the family wanted to host again.

They expected a resurface: new boards on the existing frame, which is what two other companies had quoted.

We pulled a board at the house wall. The ledger was fastened with 16d nails and no structural screws or bolts — the single most common cause of deck collapse.

There was no flashing above the ledger. Water had been running behind it into the rim joist, which was soft enough to take a screwdriver by hand.

Two footings were shallower than frost depth and one post had no positive connection to its beam. Resurfacing would have put new boards on a frame that was already failing.

• ✦Complete demolition and rebuild. We showed the homeowners the ledger and the soft rim joist in person before quoting anything.
• ✦New footings to depth, through-bolted ledger with proper flashing, and hardware at every post-to-beam and beam-to-joist connection.
• ✦Cedar surface over pressure-treated framing, plus the pergola and lighting they wanted — added at the framing stage so posts could be sized for it instead of bolted on later.

1. Days 1–3 — Demo, layout, footings

   Old structure removed, footings dug to depth and inspected before concrete.

2. Days 4–9 — Framing

   Rim joist section replaced, ledger through-bolted and flashed, beams and joists set with rated hardware, pergola posts integrated.

3. Days 10–14 — Decking and railing

   Cedar deck boards with hidden fasteners, railing built to code height and infill spacing.

4. Days 15–18 — Pergola, lighting, finish

   Pergola rafters, low-voltage lighting in posts and stair risers, sealer, final inspection.

• ✦Every structural connection is now rated hardware, flashed and inspected — documented with photos for the homeowners' records.
• ✦480 square feet of deck plus a pergola and lighting for $42,500, delivered in 18 days against a 3-week estimate.
• ✦The two resurface bids were roughly $12,000. They would have left a nailed ledger holding a family gathering.