The last deck I built required a change from a ledger attached to what I thought was a concrete foundation stemwall to free-standing design.

The inspector required I send three more posts down to the footing. Once on the footing, I was afraid of the potential for frost heaves so I then drilled in angle brackets for belt and suspenders connection. Knowing there might’ve been a hardware solution would’ve saved me time. And money. If you’re up against a brick veneer and can’t or don’t want to drop posts to support a free-standers, check out the Simpson solution. Even though these hunks of ZMax aint cheap—130-150 bucks for four—it may be an answer when you need one.

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