[thedude1234]

Hi-

The post and beam supports of my deck appear to have settled in ground creating a gap where some of the floor joists are not being
supported. As this looks to be a structural hazard if we had a lot of people on the deck I was looking for suggestions to remedy. I was thinking of cutting a piece of wood to fill the gap but wanted to see if this would do the trick. I'd rather not have dig it up to raise it to be flush. You can see in the pics attached there's about a 1/4 - 1/2 an inch gap. Appreciate the suggestions.

Thanks,
Drew

 

[de-nagorg]

Post a few more times, then try to post your picture again.

The site won't allow a newbie 1 poster to put up pictures.

ED

 

[thedude1234]

Thanks ED http://postimg.org/image/sad95f515/

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,..... 'n dependin' on where you are,.....

It could just be a frost heave, in which case, wait til April or May, before ya do anything,.....

 

[de-nagorg]

As Bondo says, wait for the temperature to rise to where it was when the deck was built, then look at it again.

In northern regions the ground will rise and fall by a few inches depending on the temperature, as well as other places it fluctuates with the amount of rainfall.

So do wait before you add anything in that gap, because the added might cause the structure to tear itself apart if the ground rises to meet where it was when this was built.


ED

 

[thedude1234]

Will do. I'm actually in the mid-atlantic so that would make sense. I actually took these pics in November when it was still in the 50s-60s, so not sure if that makes a difference. Assuming when I check in April/May there's still a gap, what suggestions do you have? Appreciate the help.

 

[Daniel Holzman]

Your posts appear to be directly embedded in the ground, or maybe that is an optical illusion. Posts need to be supported on a galvanized steel stand off bracket which is embedded in a concrete footer, typically installed using a sonotube. If the sonotubes are installed below frost line, which they should be, there will not be any movement of the bracket or the posts.

I could not tell how the joists are attached to the beam, it looks like they are not connected. Normally the joists are attached to the beam using Simpson connectors (or some other manufacturer), so there is a positive connection between the beams and the joists. From the pictures, it looks like the joists are simply floating above the beam, which as you observed means the beam is doing no work at all. Waiting till spring is not going to solve that problem.

 

[Gary in WA]

Your "beam" and posts are questionable... the footings are not deep/wide enough as the beam appears to be sagging- if the footings were below frost line- per code- they may not be moving. Correct beam, post, footings. depth, spacing, fasteners, etc., here; http://www.awc.org/Publications/DCA/DCA6/DCA6-09.pdf Sag close to house- is there a basement- footings require same depth.

and frost depth; http://www.soundfootings.com/pdf/US_Map_Frost_DepthAVG.pdf

Gary

 

[Bondo]

Will do. I'm actually in the mid-atlantic so that would make sense. I actually took these pics in November when it was still in the 50s-60s, so not sure if that makes a difference. Assuming when I check in April/May there's still a gap, what suggestions do you have?

Ayuh,.... Up on the deck, is the floor flat, 'n pitched proper,..??
Stinglines or a long level might help figure it out,...

Ya gotta figure out whether the deck is Up, or the posts are Down,.....

If the deck is where it's Supposed to be, simply shimmin' 'tween the beam, 'n joists oughta work,....

If the deck is raised, that's gonna take a different approach,....

 

[woodworkbykirk]

one or two joists not touching could be for a couple minor reasons.. joists that arent uniform dimension that are kept flush to the top of the rim joist and ledger ,, the joists which are smaller could be being held up off the beam .. just shim under them and toenal them down to the beam once shimmed

 

[carpdad]

Is the deck bouncing? If not, shim the gap and live with it. I think the posts sank and took the middle beam with them. The joists are staying put against the foundation and outer beam. Could be posts rotted or inadequate footing/piers sank or footing on disturbed/organic soil. You need to dig and see what is under the posts. If you have a pier, you can wait it out to settle. Must be over really well draining ground or on the sunny side. All the lumbers look good and I don't see any spider webs, etc.

 

[thedude1234]

thanks for the suggestions all. Doesn't seem to bounce at all and took a level out and is fine. I went out and measured and it looks like at it's widest point the gap is about 2 1/2 inches. If you look in the bottom left of the pic i originally posted you can see where the nails have pulled out in 2 places. Do you still think a shim will do the trick?

 

[carpdad]

I can't tell from the photos, but did the beam bend? 2 and half! Now I am thinking it wasn't level from the beginning and compounded mistakes are adding up to that gap. If the deck isn't bouncing, the beam in the photo may not be necessary, which suggests the deck was not pro built.
If you can, dig around the posts and find out what kind of footing it has. Maybe you have none or maybe whatever was used cracked, etc.
Generally, for a deck (esp low deck), you can live with/correct footing mistakes and hope the footing will settle. But 2 and half may be too much.
I would also go over the whole structure, esp attachment to the house and flashing, and make sure the deck is sound.