[bcemail]

I am putting new deck boards and railings on my deck and trying to bring things up to code or at least safety. The joists are 16" OC except for the end joist. In order to make the deck line up with the corner of the house there is a space of 5.25" between the last regular joist and the end joist.
I'm using Simpson strong tie DTT connectors for the post as per code. For the end joist I was planning on using blocking to the next joist and a DTT on each side of the blocking. With such a small gap the DTT won't fit. Will it work to use a 14" hex bolt through the next joist and block there?
Also is it ok to recess the hex bolts into the post a half inch or so? I know the code doesn't allow notching but didn't see anything about this.
Thanks!

 

[jlhaslip]

Countersinking the heads and washers would be acceptable in the jurisdiction I work under as long as the depth is minimal. Best to check locally since these small points may matter to your inspector. Lag bolts would be frowned upon. Use a regular bolt complete with washers so they can be snugged up as the wood drys/shrinks.