I can’t tell you how many decks I have seen constructed by Deck Repair st louis building professionals that just don’t make much sense to me. I’ve seen contractors, homeowners and other so-called professionals make the same mistakes year after year and it doesn’t seem like it’s ever going to stop.
The fundamentals of deck building should start with the basics in construction. If you don’t understand basic home construction, termite damage, water damage and how wood actually rots, I would suggest that you read a couple of articles on these topics and start gathering some valuable information to save you money in the future.
Keep the wood away from soil. I’m going to say it again, because most people learn when something is repeated over and over again, until they have it drilled into their head that they need to remember this, because it’s very important. Keep the wood away from the soil, keep the wood away from dirt, debris, leaves, snow and especially water.
In other words, in case you haven’t figured it out by now if you’re wood deck supports or framing members are touching the ground in any way and this ground becomes wet or stays wet for long periods of time, you’re going to find the wood rotting or attracting termites and you soon find yourself making the necessary repairs
Deck repairs could be costly and expensive. It doesn’t make much sense to repair new building materials, because the deck was poorly constructed. If you have any sections or individual supporting structural members of your deck, touching the ground, I would suggest that you pour some concrete footings underneath the supporting posts or walls, to keep the wood supporting posts or walls at least 6 inches from the soil.
If your deck is already built, you might just have to bite the bullet and suffer, especially if these areas are hard to get to. If you do have access and can make the necessary repairs, I would suggest that you do so.