Yeah, decks can be sneaky like that. Mine looked solid until my brother-in-law pointed out some sketchy joists underneath. Turns out moisture had been quietly doing its thing for years. Now I make it a habit to peek under there every spring—especially after heavy rains or snow. It's not exactly fun crawling around down there, but hey, beats having your BBQ suddenly drop a foot mid-burger flip...
"Turns out moisture had been quietly doing its thing for years."
That's exactly what happened to us. Thought our deck was in great shape until I noticed a slightly bouncy spot near the steps. Decided to investigate further, and sure enough, a couple of joists were quietly rotting away underneath—out of sight, out of mind, right? Now I schedule checks twice a year, spring and fall. It's tedious, but better safe than sorry... especially when family gatherings are involved. Did you end up replacing the joists yourself or hire someone?
I usually do a thorough check once a year, typically in spring when I'm already cleaning up the yard. But now you're making me second guess that schedule, haha. Did you find the rot was mostly near the steps or spread further under the main deck area? I've tackled joist replacements myself before—it's doable but definitely not my favorite weekend project. Curious if you found any good tricks to keep moisture out after fixing it...
Once a year sounds pretty solid to me—I usually aim for spring too, but sometimes life happens and it's more like every other year, haha. Rot near steps is super common, had that issue myself. After replacing joists, I found sealing the cut ends with a good wood preservative helps a ton.
Yeah, sealing the cut ends is a lifesaver—wish I'd known that trick earlier. Ever stepped right through a rotten board? Not my proudest moment, and definitely not something I planned on explaining to my neighbors, haha. I try to eyeball mine every spring, but realistically... probably more like every two years. Anyone had luck with composite decking? It seems pricey but might save me some embarrassment down the line.
