Deck Ledger Bolting Schedule Could Become Code

[hausdok]

According to an article in this months Journal of Light Construction, if Frank Woeste, professor emeritus of wood engineering at Virginia Tech and a passionate advocate of safely built decks, gets his way, we'll be seeing a deck ledger bolting schedule in the 2009 International Residential Code.

The bolting schedule was developed by Woeste and colleagues at Virginia Tech and Washington State University. For more details click here.

[Brian G]

That does seem like a lot of fasteners when you start getting into the longer ledgers; every 15 inches on a 10-12 footer? But hey, better too many than not enough, and I'd be happy to see any inspectable specifics for these dang gee-haw contractors to have to follow. I also saw where they spec that the fasteners have to be staggered down the length of the board, not all running at the top or bottom respectively. That was a major factor in the big nightclub deck collapse in Montana.

Brian G.

Go Frank! [:-angel]

[paul burrell]

Originally posted by Brian G.

That was a major factor in the big nightclub deck collapse in Montana.

Brian G.

Go Frank! [:-angel]

I did not hear about the Montana deck collapse. How bad was it.

Paul B.

[Brian G]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/Central/07/3 ... index.html

There was an article later, by JLC I think, where they showed how all of the lags holding the ledger were in a straight line down the center of the board, but the hangers were wrong or installed wrong in such a way as to put all of the weight on the half of the board below the lags. The ledger ripped in two down the middle and the whole thing collapsed.

Brian G.

Don't Bring Me Down [:-headpho

[kurt]

We call that "zipping" here in Chitown. Gotta stagger the bolts.

[housewhisperer]

If you want a top-notch guide to the inspection of residential decks, go to www.nadra.org

This is the website for the North American Deck and Railing Association. Their well-written and illustrated "Manual for the Inspection of Residential Wood Decks and Balconies" is an essential guide for professional home inspectors. Go to their website and click on “Articles, News and Infoâ€