A series of recent deck collapses that resulted in more than 50 injuries underscores the importance of thorough inspections of existing decks, says Virginia Tech professor emeritus Frank Woeste. He's been following deck collapses since 2002, after his team at Virginia Tech began to investigate and test critical structural elements of residential and multifamily decks. Their research into deck ledger connections (some of it published in JLC, such as 'Load-tested Deck Ledger Connections') led to the ledger bolting schedules that were eventually adopted into the IRC. According to a recent article by Woeste, the primary cause of most deck collapses is the connection of the deck ledger to the house made with nails only. "In fact, I believe 90% of all deck collapses result from the failure of the deck ledger-to-house connection, and of the 90% most are caused by nailed-only ledgers," writes Woeste, who goes on to explain how homeowners and construction professionals alike can spot this dangerous construction defect.
