"Honestly, I don't do this as often as I probably should—maybe once or twice a year—but after heavy rains or snow melts, it's definitely worth a quick check."
Same here, though living in an older historic home has made me a bit more paranoid. I've found that even boards that sound solid can hide surprises underneath—especially if they're painted. Learned that the hard way when my foot went through a "perfectly fine" step last summer...lesson learned, haha. Now I try to give it a quick look-over every few months, especially after storms.
Good call checking after storms—I've had similar experiences. My deck looked totally fine until I stepped on a soft spot and nearly twisted my ankle. Now I do quick checks more often, but honestly, it's easy to forget until something happens. Older homes definitely keep you on your toes...and your wallet open, haha. Glad your mishap wasn't worse!
Yeah, older decks can be sneaky like that...sometimes the boards look perfectly fine on top, but underneath they're rotting away. I've seen decks that seemed rock-solid until we pulled a board up and found a whole ecosystem thriving under there, haha. Storms definitely speed things up, but even without them, moisture can quietly do its damage. Ever checked the underside of your deck? It's not fun crawling under there, but it can save you a nasty surprise later.
Honestly, crawling under the deck sounds like a pain, and I wonder if it's really necessary to do it regularly. Maybe just giving it a good inspection from above and checking for soft spots or discoloration could be enough? I mean, sure, moisture can sneak in, but wouldn't proper sealing or staining every few years prevent most of that hidden damage anyway? Seems like preventive maintenance might save more headaches (and money) than frequent deep inspections...
I get your point about preventive maintenance, but honestly, just eyeballing from above might not catch everything. I've had decks that looked perfectly fine on top but underneath had rot starting around the joists—stuff you wouldn't notice until it's a bigger (and pricier) issue. Not saying crawl under there every month, but maybe once a year or so isn't overkill. Better to spot trouble early than deal with structural repairs later...
