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Do It Yourself shouldn't be allowed for some people
- Thread starter Skipper
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Razorback
Senior Member
I guess she was proud of it because it was so cheap to build.
Razor
Razor
bull0ne
Banned
sounds like a trampoline doing double duty as a deck 
Beehaw
Senior Member
What were you doing down here in Alabama?
southernclay
Senior Member
Some people know just enough to be dangerous!It's probably kind of odd, but decks are always one of the things I check. 2 reasons on that. A lot of them are homeowner built and I had one fall once on a house we had insured. The guy had a July 4th shindig on his back deck and 25 people were more than the 16 penny nails holding it to the house could take. It dumped the whole load of people about 6' to the ground. Have you ever been sued 25 times in a day?
Anyhow, I've seen some strange concoctions on decks over the years. A few years ago, I saw one on a brand new house that was ironically built by the contractor. This deck was on a house that had an L shape to the back of it. The deck was either 12' or 10' by something like 30. The 30' end went along one wall and the 10' end went along the other wall. Whatever goof built this deck put his ledger board on the 10' end and had the joists running parallel to the 30' end. Obviously, they don't make 30' lumber anywhere near a reasonable price so he'd built it in 3 sections and butted them up to one another. Evidently, somewhere along the way, he decided he was going to have to support this mess somehow, so he puts 8x8 posts in the ground under the deck, he also needed a beam for the deck to sit on in order for the 8x8's to support it, so he laid 1 2/8 flat across the top of the 8x8 posts and had the posts sitting in the middle between the deck joists that were on 2' centers to start with. Junk house? Think again, it was in a new "ritzy" neighborhood, $300,000+
Then there was the 2 story deck I found once that was sitting on 4x4's that weren't anchored to the ground. Below the deck was a cement patio, and I guess since he couldn't dig a hole like it probably said to do in the Time Life how to build a deck book and didn't have the foggiest notion what an anchor bolt was, he thought it'd be ok for the posts to just sit on the cement deck. The reason I found out the posts were just sitting there is when I stretched my tape to measure it, the post moved.
Skipper
Anyhow, I've seen some strange concoctions on decks over the years. A few years ago, I saw one on a brand new house that was ironically built by the contractor. This deck was on a house that had an L shape to the back of it. The deck was either 12' or 10' by something like 30. The 30' end went along one wall and the 10' end went along the other wall. Whatever goof built this deck put his ledger board on the 10' end and had the joists running parallel to the 30' end. Obviously, they don't make 30' lumber anywhere near a reasonable price so he'd built it in 3 sections and butted them up to one another. Evidently, somewhere along the way, he decided he was going to have to support this mess somehow, so he puts 8x8 posts in the ground under the deck, he also needed a beam for the deck to sit on in order for the 8x8's to support it, so he laid 1 2/8 flat across the top of the 8x8 posts and had the posts sitting in the middle between the deck joists that were on 2' centers to start with. Junk house? Think again, it was in a new "ritzy" neighborhood, $300,000+
Then there was the 2 story deck I found once that was sitting on 4x4's that weren't anchored to the ground. Below the deck was a cement patio, and I guess since he couldn't dig a hole like it probably said to do in the Time Life how to build a deck book and didn't have the foggiest notion what an anchor bolt was, he thought it'd be ok for the posts to just sit on the cement deck. The reason I found out the posts were just sitting there is when I stretched my tape to measure it, the post moved.
Skipper
Swamprat
Swamprat
At least it wasn't scrounged up pvc pipe and pallets.
In the panhandle of Florida you would be amazed of what people will use for any kind of structure. i swa this guy living out of a 12 x 20 metal shed that had a 10' carport attachment. Window A/C stuck in a sawed out hole and a outhouse. Had a well with water piped in to a sink under the carport.
Dude thought he was king of the shopping cart society. Crazy. Must have found a discarded scratch off that was good for 2000 bucks
Ask my brother "Saddaddy" about the place he saw this weekend and thought it was a hunting camp and I told him it was a guys house and he lived there year round. Consisted of 3 campers that were 15-18' but not joined together. One must have been the bedroom, the other the living room, and the other the kitchen and bath.
Can you say "Meth Cooker"
In the panhandle of Florida you would be amazed of what people will use for any kind of structure. i swa this guy living out of a 12 x 20 metal shed that had a 10' carport attachment. Window A/C stuck in a sawed out hole and a outhouse. Had a well with water piped in to a sink under the carport.
Dude thought he was king of the shopping cart society. Crazy. Must have found a discarded scratch off that was good for 2000 bucks
Ask my brother "Saddaddy" about the place he saw this weekend and thought it was a hunting camp and I told him it was a guys house and he lived there year round. Consisted of 3 campers that were 15-18' but not joined together. One must have been the bedroom, the other the living room, and the other the kitchen and bath.
Can you say "Meth Cooker"
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BOWHUNTER!
Senior Member
Skipper, I'm a residential contractor and man, I have seen some real fine work myself. I think a definite no no is homeowners doing their own drywall. What the heck are these people thinking. Looks like cup cake icing on the tape joints. All these home improvement shows give people a false sense of confidence. Keeps me busy though
I watched those idiots on that house swiching show whatever it's called where they spend a thousand bucks on the neighbor's room build a floor up in a bed room. They split the room in half and built a 2 step up section to sit the bed and some furniture on. For their built up floor, they used 2x4 joists and instead of just placing them on the existing floor to provide support since they were using undersized lumber, they suspened them about 10" or so above the existing floor. I believe they used mdf or something similar for the decking. Lets just hope the people never install a waterbed there or gain too much weight. My wife loves that show and tries to pick out "projects" for me to do from it. I end up picking on their all too often out of code product.
Skipper
Skipper
I had a drywall contractor hose me over on a job in Knoxville once. I had a contract that had to be completed by the first of August and he kept putting me off from mid June through July. Unfortunately, it was delaying the other portions of the job. Finally, the 2nd week in July, it was either do it myself and get on with the job to get finished or pay our the kazoo to the property owner for not being done on time. That was my first time doing drywall, let's say it wasn't pretty and took me three times as long as it would have a professional. I've got respect for anyone in that business that can make them joints look like they are supposed to. I've done it a time or 2 since then and have gotten better at it though.
Skipper
Skipper
Branchminnow
GONetwork Senator Area 51
I will do it all except that! I learned my lesson a long time ago.BOWHUNTER! said:Skipper, I'm a residential contractor and man, I have seen some real fine work myself. I think a definite no no is homeowners doing their own drywall. What the heck are these people thinking. Looks like cup cake icing on the tape joints. All these home improvement shows give people a false sense of confidence. Keeps me busy though
duke13
Senior Member
I work a second job at the "DO It Yourself Warehouse" AKA Home Depot. Amazing the questions ya get working there! I personally don't know squat about carpertry, plumbing or electricity but customers would do whatever I tell them about anything! I hate to think about some of the projects that they never ask for help with!
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