Category Archives: deck maintenance

Slip Resistant Stairs

March 6, 2021 Bill Leys

Concrete stairs can often be slippery when wet. That can create liability issues for owners of apartment buildings.

The stairs on this apartment buildings were dingy, dark and dangerous. Uninviting, they needed some help.

After the old coating was taken off with grinders, they could be redone with an inviting look that provided safety with a slip resistant broom finish.

Simple broom finish with sand added to the texture.

Polymer is used as a primer on the steps, and then a concrete broom ($14.00 at Home Depot) is used to create a texture.

As the above photo shows, the stairs appearance of dramatically different, clean, safe and it looks great.

Don’t let dangerous stairs be a hazard on your property, get them updated and safe for a reasonable cost.

building code, deck inspection, deck maintenance, Uncategorized

American Society of Home Inspectors Publishes Draft Document-Standard of Professional Practice for Deck Inspections-Wants Your Input

October 12, 2016 Bill Leys

ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors, has posted a draft standard for deck inspections on their website and is seeking input from it’s members and non members alike.

From ASHI’s website- ”

The Standards Committee is accepting comments about the proposed ASHI Standard of Professional Practice for Residential Deck Inspections. The committee encourages members to read this proposed standard and provide comments to the committee. Please direct comments and questions to Bruce Barker at Bruce@DreamHomeConsultants.com Bruce@DreamHomeConsultants.com Bruce@DreamHomeConsultants.com Bruce@DreamHomeConsultants.com. The comment period ends on 30 November 2016.

Click the link below to read the draft document.

proposed-deck-inspection-standards

The objective of this proposed standard is to provide the public with a valuable additional service that can improve deck safety. The intent of this standard is that members will provide this service to homeowners who want a thorough inspection of their deck using the most current deck construction guidelines.Date : 10/11/2016

balcony inspection, Berkeley deck collapse, construction defects, deck expert, deck inspection, deck leaks, deck maintenance

Signs Your Deck Needs To Be Inspected

July 16, 2015 Bill Leys

We have had a lot of traffic recently to our site from people who are concerned about their decks. We want to assure you that your waterproofed deck probably isn’t going to collapse, but many wood decks do collapse on a near everyday basis in the US. How can you check your waterproof solid surface deck to see if it has any warning signs of danger?

Do use our photograph’s to check your deck for signs of problems and dangerous conditions. If you find these conditions, you’ll want to have a deck inspector review your deck and give you a report with a basic scope of work to use to obtain bids with. Don’t let a deck waterproofing contractor write his scope of work, they may be complete and truthful or they may be adding extra work and profits on.

Even if your deck is in no danger of collapse, water getting under the surface of a waterproof deck can cause damage to framing and the plywood substrate.

1.) Therefore, cracks on a deck are a warning sign. Look at your deck carefully in the field of the deck. Many times plywood moving will cause a deck to crack.

Urethane deck with seam tape showing through coating.
We recommend a professional inspection and evaluation.

Long cracks in the field of the deck
should be inspected and repaired.

Some decks crack because of moving plywood. This deck’s
coating cracked because of plywood not being level.

Cracks at the edge of a deck may indicate a more serious issue underneath.
Further evaluation is recommended.

2.) Rusted metal flashings on deck edges or at deck to wall areas. Rusted areas in field of deck. Rusted railing bases.

Rusted railing bases have lost their strength and now may present a hazard
as they won’t be able to retrain you from falling. An inspection and fast repairs
need to be done in many cases to maintain safety.

Any type of plant growth around a railing bases indicates moisture
conditions underneath.

Rust on the metal flashing like this is a sign that further inspection
should be done and a scope of work written.

3.) Ponding Water. After a rain storm, your waterproof deck should be dry within 24 hours to at most 48 hours. Water should not ever pond longer than that. An inspection of the problem areas can help you determine what work can and needs to be done to correct a ponding water issue.

Ponds in the middle of a walkway always create problems.

Water sitting at the wall can attack exposed sheet metal causing rust and leaks.

Water sitting on an edge indicates a high edge.

Watch for future articles discussing drains and scuppers.

deck maintenance

We Contributed our Experiences on Exterior Building Maintenance for New England Condominium Magazine

October 6, 2014 Bill Leys

Our latest contribution to maintenance of condo’s appears in the March issue of New England Condominium.

Staying Ahead of Trouble

Building Exteriors Need Regular Checkups, Too

By Lisa Iannucci

Remember the old jingle, ‘it takes a licking and keeps on ticking’? It was the famous tagline from the Timex watch advertisements. The gist of the ad is that no matter what you threw at it, a Timex watch kept working.

If you think about it, a building’s exterior is almost like a Timex watch. Each year, Mother Nature throws its best curveballs – intense sun, high winds, fierce rains, heavy loads of snow and ice, and frigid temperatures – at the outside of your condo buildings. Don’t forget the pollution, dirt from such animals as pigeons and, of course, any items that accidentally hit the exterior. The exterior continues to stand and takes it all in. Well, almost. A building’s exterior can take a lot of abuse, but after time, it does begin to show wear and tear and needs some TLC.

Read the whole article by clicking here.

http://newenglandcondo.com/articles/718/1/Staying-Ahead-of-Trouble/Page1.html

deck maintenance

Picture of the Week-Cracked Magnesite and What Lies Beneath

April 7, 2008 Bill Leys

Today I drove to Monterey to see a client whose decks we’ll be starting in on in a couple of weeks. We needed to meet the contractor, agree on the final scope of worka nd coordinate the trades involved-a sheet metal man who will be doing the flashings and the contractor doing the repairs to the buildings. I had looke dat it before last year and it was pretty rough looking Magnesite then…

I walked up the stairs at this apt building and the Magnesite didn’t look any better after another year of use. I could then see a couple guys working on the walkway from underneath. Walking down the stairs to where they were, I had just walked over this nightmare. Here’s the pictures of the top and what it looks like from down below!

The cracked Magnesite has leaked for years, allowing mold mildew and dry-rot to totally detsroy the framing. This work will cost tens of thousands to repair. Lesson, don’t let Magnesite go unselaed and cracks un-fixed or it’ll cost ya…

deck leaks, deck maintenance

DECK CARE 101-Potted plants

February 29, 2008 Bill Leys

“Plants need to be raised off the surface”
Saw this deck in LA with moss growing vigorously around the base of this clay pot. The owner loved the effect, I loved that the deck repair costs were going to be around $5,000.00.