Deck attached to cantilevered floor

[Sam Morris]

What does everyone feel about the deck attachment ? I can see bolts and hangers but, I have always been told you should NOT attach a deck to a cantilevered floor without running the floor joist over onto a wall or making the deck freestanding. This house was built in 1998, before the cantilevered code standards were changed. Would this need to be something that needs to be addressed immediately ?

[Randy Mayo]

Sam, typically a bad idea unless designed. Can over stress the house floor joist over the foundation.


http://www.inspectionnews.net/home_inspection/attachment.php?attachmentid=35155&stc=1

[Markus Keller]

I would write that up as 'use at your own risk' or don't use at all until attachment is verified.
As I tend to explain to people, you, your wife whatever hanging out on that deck having coffee and talking about the meaning of life, its unlikely there will be a deck or collapse problem.
Now you decide to have a new house warming party, 20 of your friends are dancing around on that deck having a good time, who knows if you end up on the 10 o'clock news.

The soffit panels are easy enough to remove to see what's going on underneath. Adding footers and posts at that end also isn't that difficult or costly.
Mr Homebuyer, do you want to make the deck secure for fairly moderate cost or do you want to take the chance the deck will collapse and your friends will get injured or die?

I realize that sounds really jerky. My delivery could be nicer but why? People's health and lives are at stake with a stupid deck installation like that. There's no reason to be nice about it. It will probably be fine but if it isn't, it'll be really bad.