As fall approaches, sitting on your back porch in the cooler weather becomes much more appealing. But what if you don’t have a porch? Have you thought about building one? There are millions of decks built or replaced each year, but many of them are not built in a safe way. When building a deck, there are many things to consider. Even if the deck feels sturdy and stable when you are standing on it alone, you want to factor in all the added weight that comes from normal use. When you have a large crowd congregating on the deck, you want to make sure that it will hold up, especially since they might all be gathered in one area of the deck. The railing is especially important, since people tend to lean against it. Could your railing hold up to 5 people leaning against it at once? What about 10? 15? Without proper support, that might not be the case.

Another common item on a deck is a hot tub. The deck might be able to support it when it is empty, but what about when you fill it with water and people? If there is not extra support underneath it, your deck might not be able to carry the weight.