Your outdoor deck can prove to be a lifesaver, especially if you tend to spend most of your time outdoors. You can easily lounge around, spend time sipping beverages without leaving the home or even enjoy an outdoor cookout session with your loved ones. But, how do you know that your outdoor deck is safe for usage, especially when it’s multiple years old? Moreover, how can you ensure that you maintain its condition over an extended period?
Well, the answers to all of your above-mentioned questions will be listed in this comprehensive blog post. Thus, we are sharing some much-needed outdoor deck safety & precaution tips for you to follow.
Proper Safety & Precaution Tips To Follow For Your Exterior Deck
- Start With The Foundation
As per a popular home inspector in Cambridge, your deck is as safe & reliable as its foundation. The foundation of a deck is composed of support posts. If you want to ensure that your deck is truly durable and will provide you with proper support, you have to learn whether the deck’s foundation is strong.
Apart from knowing the strength of the deck’s foundation, you also have to learn whether there are any signs of rot in the foundation. Rot can take place in the foundation because the wood lays in close contact with the earth’s soil. If you find any signs of rot or even pest infestation, then you have to take precautions for the same.
- Railing Inspection
One of the main safety features that you’ll find on your outdoor deck is the railings. So, if you have kids and pets at home, then you have to ensure that the railings are in good condition so that they don’t break and provide proper safety measures to the deck.
As a rule of the thumb, the railings of your deck should be strong & durable enough to support at least 200 lbs of weight on either side. So, the best way to check the same would be to give the railings a good push from either side.
Besides, the railings should have at least three feet or 36 inches of height from the deck’s floor. Moreover, the diameter should be limited to just 2.25 inches. So, you have to check all the aforementioned salient features of the deck.
- Stair Inspection
Once you’re done inspecting the above-mentioned two aspects of your outdoor deck, it’s time to check the stairs. Ensure that the guardrails of the stairs follow the same guidelines as the deck’s railing. Additionally, the stairs should have proper integrity and shouldn’t wobble on high loads.
Moreover, the stairs shouldn’t creak and they should be perfectly attached to the deck’s overall structure.
All of these above-mentioned checks will help you keep your deck in a good condition for a long time.
