Mar

2

Home Maintenance Tip: Check Your Deck!

Filed Under Contractor's Corner, Home Safety Tips 

One great advantage of living in the Bay Area is our climate, another is that almost anywhere you live, you can find a view – of the hills, the Bay, the Ocean. That makes one of the most popular home additions a beautiful Deck. Those of you with decks more than 10 years old probably have them built from redwood and untreated doug fir. Beautiful to look at, but time consuming to maintain.

The plague of redwood decks is dry rot. Wood that experiences warm summer days and soggy wet winters is put in an ideal condition for dry rot to develop. It is important to learn ways to prevent dry rot from developing because not only will it save your deck, it will also save you time and money.

Dry rot is decay from fungi that causes wood to become brittle and crumble to powder. It develops from a mixture of wetness, heat and air. Dry rot can develop within four to six months and it’s not so easy to detect. Once infected, the wood and deck lose structural integrity. Left undetected it will spread and cause more damage. Detecting and replacing damaged wood is critical as soon as you find it – if you don’t it will eventually eat away at the entire deck, and even attract bugs, like termites, making the problem worse. P2201183

Fast detection is the key. Here is how you can check your own deck for dry rot.

1.  Look for wood discoloration.

2. Insert a screwdriver, awl or icepick and punch into the wood to see if it is still solid.

3. If the wood is soft and spongy, you can also check to feel if there is any dampness.

4. If there is any dampness, you probably have a problem to be fixed.

5. Check for termites. The dry rot begins first in damp parts of the house, and keeps on going once it starts to the other parts of the house.2WijelathDeck+Firewall

Prevent Dry Rot On Your Deck

  • Identify the real source of the problem before replacing anything.
  • Check garden sprinklers, planters, and hoses to ensure they aren’t causing a pervasive drip or wet area on the deck.
  • Check for any areas where the wood is touching the ground. This is a great place for termite infestation to begin.
  • If you suspect dry rot, call HB Building + Design to repair or rebuild your deck! We have years of experience in correcting dry rot problems from the bottom up, saving you time, money and more problems later on!  Decks, decking and deck repair is one of our specialties. Just look at the Before and After of Desmond and Marina!

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