A deck in this part of the country has to take a real winter. Water gets into every joint, freezes, expands and works things loose. A deck built for a mild climate does not hold up here, and the weak points are almost never the boards you walk on.
It starts underground. Footings have to reach below the frost line so that ground heaving in a hard freeze cannot lift and rack the structure. Get that wrong and the deck moves with the seasons, opening gaps at the ledger and cracking the rail posts. In most of northern New Jersey that means going down further than people expect, and it is not a place to save money.
The ledger — where the deck meets the house — is the other thing that has to be right, because it is where water most wants to get into the framing. It needs proper flashing over the top, structural bolts rather than nails, and a gap that lets the joint dry out. Most collapsed decks come apart at the ledger, not in the middle.
Planning a new deck or replacing a tired one? Call Empire AH Home Improvement at (551) 219-7785 and we'll walk it with you.
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