When you see it...

"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher) 04/08/2020 at 16:59 • Filed to: construction

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Whoever built this deck has a proficiency in using tools and connecting pieces of wood together securely. Geometry, design, and big picture thinking? Not so much.

UserNotFound > shop-teacher 04/08/2020 at 17:06

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That sloping top step is going to be great when it’s covered in ice. Also, yeah, my basement stairs do that. Somehow the railing and the stairs are at different pitches ...

Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! > shop-teacher 04/08/2020 at 17:07

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LMAO!!!

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > shop-teacher 04/08/2020 at 17:14

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facw > shop-teacher 04/08/2020 at 17:14

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I think the double top on the railings looks nice, though looking at the rest of the construction, I wouldn’t be shocked to learn that they built the lower top and were then told that it was too low for code and so then added the second top piece to correct that.

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > shop-teacher 04/08/2020 at 17:15

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That’s an “acute” statement.

AestheticsInMotion > shop-teacher 04/08/2020 at 17:15

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Must be the same people who did my building's walkways

Cash Rewards > shop-teacher 04/08/2020 at 17:21

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Hey man, I had the wood lying around, I needed to out it somewhere. So what if it’s the world’s mo st complicated railing

shop-teacher > facw 04/08/2020 at 17:21

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This would not shock me either.

shop-teacher > AestheticsInMotion 04/08/2020 at 17:22

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Yep.

shop-teacher > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI 04/08/2020 at 17:22

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I see what you did there :)

ClassicDatsunDebate > shop-teacher 04/08/2020 at 17:27

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The post block. Instead of getting a paver or two to provide a solid base.

Also, I’ll bet a beer that the railing height extension wasn’t for aesthetics. I’ll bet the inspector found the railings weren’t to code height/grip- able.

shop-teacher > Cash Rewards 04/08/2020 at 17:27

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Ok, but why does the railing get shorter at the top of the stairs? ;)

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > shop-teacher 04/08/2020 at 17:29

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Man... that looks terrible.... especially the “railing on top of a railing” thing going on... and how the lower board by the stairs doesn’t like up with the deck section.

Add more pictures from different angles so we can have more laughs.

And this is why I hired someone to rebuild my front deck for me.

My experience as an IT person and the Zero decks I’ve built over the years would likely have resulted in a deck that looked something like this if I did it myself.

shop-teacher > ClassicDatsunDebate 04/08/2020 at 17:30

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I’m surprised they were allowed to use post blocks at all, because we have a freeze/thaw cycle here. I'm sure you're right about the height extension ... But there is something else.

shop-teacher > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 04/08/2020 at 17:35

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Honestly, the deck overall isn’t terrible. I've seen a lot worse . I’m sure the double railing this is because the inspector made them raise the railing. There is something specifically bad about something best seen at this angle though.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > shop-teacher 04/08/2020 at 17:35

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Parallel lines are hard. And apparently his tape measure didn’t go up to 42”.

Tekamul > shop-teacher 04/08/2020 at 17:38

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It almost looks like the ground under the deck was changed, and they tried to salvage what they had, but it all went to hell. Double hand rail might be to conform to new code.

In my last house, I wanted to add a hand rail to replace my basement stairs, but the town said if I did anything structural w ith the stairs (even a hand rail) I’d have to bring the slope up to new code, which meant cutting a bigger hole in my kitchen floor.

ranwhenparked > shop-teacher 04/08/2020 at 17:42

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The railing somehow reminds me of this:

shop-teacher > Tekamul 04/08/2020 at 17:42

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That's crazy that they wouldn't let you add a hand rail. How dare you make it safer!

shop-teacher > You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much 04/08/2020 at 17:42

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Yep and yep!

Tekamul > shop-teacher 04/08/2020 at 17:44

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“You can make it safer, TO MY SATISFACTION"

Chariotoflove > shop-teacher 04/08/2020 at 17:46

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I’ m trying to figure our how it happened. Best I can figure is he cut all his posts, realized, and then said, “screw it, I put my saw away already”. But even that doesn’t fully explain it.

shop-teacher > Tekamul 04/08/2020 at 17:51

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Building inspectors can be such assholes.

shop-teacher > Chariotoflove 04/08/2020 at 17:54

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They didn’t understand that the top railing of the deck needs to extend out  so that the top railing of the stairs can hold a constant angle.

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > Chariotoflove 04/08/2020 at 18:07

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I can see what they’ve done...the first step at the top is missing. Instead they've extended the deck into the stair. From that point on they made a rod for their back...

OPPOsaurus WRX > shop-teacher 04/08/2020 at 18:09

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Dafuq? What a total shit pile

Have you ever heard of diamond piers? Kinda cool but I am not fully believing it works a well as they say with freeze thaw

shop-teacher > OPPOsaurus WRX 04/08/2020 at 18:10

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I have not. I shall look that up.

Cash Rewards > shop-teacher 04/08/2020 at 18:11

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You're assuming they're in the same plane, and it's not much worse than you think

shop-teacher > OPPOsaurus WRX 04/08/2020 at 18:19

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Now that I have looked them up, those are neato. I'd try them for a deck.

shop-teacher > Cash Rewards 04/08/2020 at 18:20

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Well, I took the picture, so I am sure :)

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > shop-teacher 04/08/2020 at 18:49

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And what’s that?

Is it that the location of the top post the railing goes up to is in the wrong spot and should be at located at the top step instead of being further back?

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > shop-teacher 04/08/2020 at 19:31

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And the Pilar from the top  of the stairs looks like it’s hanging 2 above the concrete block

shop-teacher > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 04/08/2020 at 19:38

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That would be one way to fix the problem. There are other solutions as well. The way they did it, is such a head slapper though.

John Norris (AngryDrifter) > shop-teacher 04/08/2020 at 20:46

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I see that now. Typically the top step isn’t part of the stairs, it’s actually the edge  of the deck. Since they bought the prefab stairs with one more step then they needed , the top step is actually part of the stairs. Thus they needed to bring the deck rail out to that point.

shop-teacher > John Norris (AngryDrifter) 04/08/2020 at 22:05

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Bingo

oldmxer > shop-teacher 04/09/2020 at 04:59

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dang, you’d think they would have done some recon noitering in the planning stage by plagiarizing one in existe nce

shop-teacher > oldmxer 04/09/2020 at 08:01

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One would think so.