This is the first of what we hope will be many posts to the new Blog here at Nolan Engineering. Periodically we hope to bring you interesting articles about building, design, architecture, code issues, and maybe even a bit of fear-mongering (did I just say that?).
And speaking of fear-mongering, our first series of articles will be about deck safety and some ideas on how to check your existing deck and determine if it needs attention or an inspection. We will also discuss what the code says we need, and how we can achieve these requirements.
Now for the Fear-mongering! First up is an oft-quoted study that looked at statistics involving deck related injuries from 2003-2007. While this study is sometimes criticized as being vague and misleading, its findings were an eyeopener for me. During that 5-year period there were 224,740 injuries from a deck or wooden porch. 33,270 of those were the result of structural failure of collapse.
If that doesn’t do it, according to NADRA (the National Deck and Railing Association), there are over 40 million decks in the US that are over 20 years old. Codes were different when these decks were built, so any deck that old needs to be inspected. Here is a link to download a copy of the NADRA Deck evaluation Checklist which will give you an overview. However, if you’re not sure and want a professional opinion, Nolan Engineering offers certified and licensed inspection services, as well as engineering services to help you with your design if you decide to rebuild or repair.
A few more facts??
According to the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI):
- More than two million decks are built and replaced each year in North America.
- InterNACHI estimates that of the 45 million existing decks, only 40% are completely safe.
- Rail failure occurs much more frequently than total deck collapses; however, because rail failures are less dramatic than total collapses and normally don’t result in death, injuries from rail failures are rarely reported.
- Almost every deck collapse occurred while the decks were occupied or under a heavy snow load.
- About 90% of deck collapses occurred as a result of the separation of the house and the deck ledger board, allowing the deck to swing away from the house. It is very rare for deck floor joists to break mid-span.
- Many more injuries are the result of rail failure, rather than complete deck collapse.
In the next few articles, we will cover some of the Code requirements, how best to meet those requirements, and some recommendations that may go beyond the code but make sense. Upcoming topics include:
- Railing, design loads and railing attachments
- How the ledger attaches to the house
- Foundations and the posts connection to both the deck and the foundation.
We hope these articles will inform and help you, whether you own a deck or perhaps are planning to build one yourself. Remember, if you’re not sure about something and think a professional inspection is needed, or are interested in design and/or engineering services for your deck, we here at Nolan Engineering are ready to help.
Isn't the Fort Hood massacre ripe for the most intense kind of media thumb-sucking analysis? You had a perp who was a PSYCHIATRIST, of all things, and what setting is more secure than a military base? Yes, I expect many more moee-s-of-theewivk to be made about… whatshisname…..
It is distracting watching a movie that claims it is taking place in New York or Chicago when any intelligent viewer can completely see that the filming is done in Canada. Why insult us?
That’s the smart thikinng we could all benefit from.
Well-written critique Ron.I’d just point out that both Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0 have precise, clear definitions that can be easily looked up. They do mean something.But most assuredly most people (and businesses) are not yet living a 2.0 life, though the trend seems assuredly towards that eventual outcome. We have another 2 years, perhaps more, before real mainstreaming happens.
that Adam was the first man(I Cor. 15:45), and sin came into the world by Adam. If evolution is true, then neither of those things could be proven to be true. I have to stop now, have other things to do.
This is fantastic — the kids will love it! (And their parents and teachers, too!)Have a great weekend — hope you and Morran get a chance to rest a bit — will be thinking of you guys on Monday.
Friday, February 15, 2013 at 2:30 am oh yeay!! So glad the evening was a success. I see you even gave a speech! you guys are multi-talented….I LOVE it! Happy V-day sweet friends. xx
Nice to find a good list of things to do on valentine’s day which won’t cost a fortune. Of all the holiday celebrations this is surely the one which is most commercialised – these days it seems to all be about buying naff cards and chocolates rather than the joy of loving and giving
Merci pour la présentation de cette box!L’interface web et l’application mobile laissent rêveur comparés à la Zibase qui n’est pas sortie des années 90… Dommage cependant que la box ne gère pas les scripts & requêtes HTTP, qui restent quand même un bon moyen d’intéropérer avec des tas de choses.A quand le rêveil de Zodianet avant qu’il ne soit trop tard?
Lilah, Stacey, Paula & Thad,So many memories growing up next door. Vern will be forever part of my life experience. Some of my impressionable years were spent witnessing a man who loved to live and do. I have no early memories of Vern sitting around doing nothing. Once Sophie told me of Vern’s passing, good memories rushed through my mind of a man and a wonderful family.Love, Scott
Yes, Tom, and I miss my hubby! By the time he gets home, we won’t have seen each other for 18 days. Yes, there have been times when we’ve been apart for months, but not in recent years. Jake and I are getting bored.
I am going for a job interview for a social media marketing post in the UK and would like to know what forms does it take? I have done marketing before but this form of marketing is new.
Still on the fence about this one. The first 4 songs are great but the rest is pop without the power. I lean towards the fun. and Bryan Scary side of power pop so this one is good, but not great.
Investissez dans une petite bibliothèque pour qu’il puisse y mettre ses livres et histoires.Pour les jouets, achetez un coffre pour éviter qu’ils n’en traînent partout.
Jak kdy. NapÅ™. Rakousko se zmÄ›nilo na konfederaci.Nikdo nepochybuje, že pravomoci federálnà moci v USA jsou dnes mnohem vÄ›tÅ¡Ã než byly v r. 1791 a Ústava je pÅ™itom pořád stejná.Ano, ale to je výsledek obÄanské války. ZruÅ¡enà centrálnà banky a nullifikaÄnà theorie pÅ™ed tÃm naopak americkou federaci oslabovaly.V tomto smÄ›ru nemá EU co nabÃdnout;)Ano, v dneÅ¡nà dobÄ› informaÄnÃho pÅ™ehlcenà je těžké zaujmout. Musel by se toho ujmout vÄ›rohodný politik se silnou politickou stranou. na to nestaÄÃ. 🙂
Os looks são lindissimos, ótimas opções. Mas aqui no Rio Grande do Sul é meio difÃcil de usá-los nessa época. heheehBeijoooooos[]Camila Coelho Respondeu:June 9th, 2011 em 11:38 pm, Frio demais ne flor? =/ Se jogue nas botas e meias finas, da pra compor looks chiquerrimos =)BJinhos amore []
Good Morning!I actually didn’t write anything besides journal entries since Wednesday so I’m all pumped up about today!Got 778 words already in my journal, my goal for today will be 5.000 words again. Breakfast & research now, then more writing.Have a great day everyone!