Archadeck of Chester County

Second Floor deck

I was sitting at my desk this morning enjoying the blizzard outside and tending to some of my paperwork when the phone rang.  Who would be thinking about decks on a day like today and why would they expect to get an answer?  I answered with the usual “Hello, Archadeck, may I help you?”  The man on the other end seemed very surprised to hear my voice.  He said he was indeed surprised and that I was the first one that actually picked up the phone.

The reason for his call, as he pointed out, was not that he wanted a new deck.  He was simply concerned with having 3 feet of snow on his four year old composite deck and he was wondering if he should go out and shovel it off before it collapsed.  I pointed out that if the deck was built properly, according to prevailing building codes, the snow should not be a problem.  Decks, I pointed out, are required by code here in Pennsylvania to be built to take a minimum load of 40 pounds per square foot.  I also pointed out that at Archadeck we always build them to the higher standard of 60 pounds per square foot.  I told him  that I did not know how his deck had been built but if he had any second thoughts about it, he could always go out there and take some of the snow load off of it with his shovel.

The caller thanked me for the information and hung up.  I don’t think he was going to go out there.  I think the call was made to justify not having to do that.  But the incident got me thinking about the fact that this is yet another reason to make sure that, no matter who you choose as your deck builder, make sure that they do follow all the appropriate codes.  There are way too many decks out there that are unsafe, and it doesn’t take a blizzard to have them collapse.  Do your homework.  Know whom you are dealing with.  Be sure your contractor is licensed.  Check them out at your local Better Business Bureau.  Check their references carefully.

For a free informational pamphlet about “How to select a Remodeling Contractor” or to have a safety inspection done on your existing deck contact your local Archadeck office today.