Category Archives: NADRA

Deck Safety Month, NADRA

Deck Inspection’s Save Lives! Consumers, Download A Free 10-Point Deck Safety Checklist & Check Your Deck Today!

URGENT! CONSUMERS ADVISED TO HAVE THEIR DECKS INSPECTED    

DECK COLLAPSES INJURE THOUSANDS EVERY YEAR    

Deck inspections are advised for every deck every 3 years. The rate of deck collapses is alarming and more must be done to prevent injuries and deaths.

Watch this short video on deck inspections and why they are so important-the first hand experiences from survivors of deck collapses are chilling. Please download the safety checklist and get an inspection done ASAP if you find anything questionable.

DeckExpert.com, as a member of the National Deck & Railing Association, encourages professional deck inspections. Download NADRA’s consumer checklist, designed to help owners of wood/composite decks to determine if they need a deck contractor or specialized inspection to determine if repairs or replacement of your deck is necessary. Don’t become the next victim and a become a statistic on a ever growing grim listing of deaths and injuries from deck collapses.  Click the link to open and download the  NADRA_Homeowner Checklist

Inspect your deck before that party you are planning, be safe, be sure!
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balcony inspection, Berkeley deck collapse, deck education, deck inspection, Deck Safety Month, NADRA

CA Senator Jerry Hill Introduces SB-721 Contractors: decks and balconies: inspection

2 Comments

DeckExpert.com Supports Requiring Deck Inspections

Bill Duplicates Berkeley Bill Langauge in Who Can Perform Inspections

Should structural pest control operators, general contractors, architects or engineers inspect deck inspections as the state of CA is proposing?

They will be if the consulting and inspection industry doesn’t act quickly and object. Senator Hill has just introduced a bill that uses much the same language Berkeley’s city ordinance does.

“The inspection shall be performed by a licensed general contractor, structural pest control licensee, licensed architect, licensed engineer, or other licensee as approved by the Department of Consumer Affairs. The purpose of the inspection is to verify that all of the balconies and other elevated walking surfaces covered by this section are in generally safe condition, adequate working order, and free from hazardous dry rot, fungus, deterioration, decay, or improper alteration to the extent that the life, limb, health, property, safety, or welfare of the public or the occupants is not endangered.”

My thoughts-

Structural Pest Control Licensee-pest control licensee’s inspect buildings for termites/wood destroying organisms. They do not test roofs (or balconies) for water tightness, nor are they qualified to do so. Roof contractors can do so, but generally exclude themselves from inspecting decks. Pest control licensee’s do not know about waterproof coated decks, how they are installed, what problems to look for when doing an inspection and even if they do see a problem, don’t understand what caused it, what degree of a problems it is or how to repair it. Continue reading CA Senator Jerry Hill Introduces SB-721 Contractors: decks and balconies: inspection →

Berkeley deck collapse, building code, construction defects, deck failures, NADRA

San Francisco Chronicle & Los Angeles Times Utilize Our Expertise in Understanding the Berkeley Deck Failure

Building & waterproofing decks isn't hard, but the devil is in the details and proper design and sequencing the construction is essential to a successful job.
No one wants to see a headline like this, with 6 dead & 7 others seriously injured.
Both the LA Times & San Francisco Chronicle have used us as a source
on their investigative articles. 
DeckExpert.com provides consumers with information, videos articles and more for buyers to make informed decisions on deck systems. We also provide articles to major trade magazines for the HOA, Construction and Architectural industries. 

Now we are pleased to say our expertise is helping reporters understand the problems that caused the recent Berkeley deck tragedy where the a waterproofed balcony, only 7 years old, failed catastrophically and thirteen people plunged to the ground, killing six and seriously injuring the other seven survivors.

Both the the Los Angeles Times and the San Francisco Chronicle have interviewed us for their investigative articles into the how and why this tragedy occurred.

From the Chronicle  article-“This is all a vicious combination,” Leys said. “The penetrations, the drainage and lack of ventilation underneath — they all combined in a catastrophic failure.”
Read the SF Chronicle article by award winning reporter Jaxon Van Derberken here  http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Blueprints-show-Berkeley-balcony-was-designed-for-6336566.php

From the LA Times article- “Balconies just don’t fall off a building like what we saw without having a few years of deterioration,” said Bill Leys, a former deck waterproofing contractor who now inspects decks in San Luis Obispo for his company, DeckExpert.com.

Read the LA Times articles here. http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-berkeley-balcony-collapse-20150623-story.html

News and information courtesy of DeckExpert.com, the voice for Division 7 Waterproof Decking.

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