My neighbor in Phoenix told me his deck collapsed because he skipped the joist hangers

We were talking over the fence last week and he pointed at his old deck pile. He said he built it himself 5 years ago and thought the nails would be enough. One night during a party, the whole thing just dropped about 6 inches with a loud crack. He told me, 'I saved $50 on hardware and almost cost someone a broken leg.' It was a real wake-up call for my own patio cover project. Anyone have a good brand for heavy-duty joist hangers they trust?

3 comments

3 Comments

betty_price141mo ago

Wait, so the deck actually dropped during a party? That's terrifying. Paulschmidt asked if anyone was on it, and I'm stuck on that too. I can't believe your neighbor got that lucky and no one got hurt. It really shows you can't cut corners with structural stuff. What brand did you end up going with for your patio cover?

paulschmidt1mo ago

Almost cost someone a broken leg" - was anyone actually on it?

leo61223d ago

Yeah "no one got hurt" is the thing that gets me too. My buddy had a similar thing happen with a cheap gazebo from a big box store. The whole top just collapsed in a light wind and the frame bent in four different spots. Nobody was under it thank god, but it was right by their fire pit. If that had happened on a busy Saturday night someone would have been sitting right there getting a drink. It's wild how much we trust those things just because they come in a box.