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One of the inspection notes from when I bought my home was the dirt making contact with the posts on the deck:
https://ibb.co/album/ju0n3v

I dug out the dirt and it looks like this: https://ibb.co/album/nBumDv

As you can see in the first two pics, there is some rot at the the base of one of the posts. The other posts did not look as bad. There is one tricky portion in a few pics where you can see the wood running along the dirt. Now that i've dug out the posts and its raining, some posts just have water pooling by them. For now, putting the dirt back is better than standing water correct?

  1. How bad does the rot look in that first post?

  2. For the wood thats just running along the dirt, is the best way just to clear some space below it and remove any dirt that's touching the wood?

  3. Should I fill in the cavities that I just created with gravel? If so, what type? I'm concerned I now have area for water to pool and damage even further. Is there anything else I could do to the posts or fill in the surrounding area to help temporarily alleviate the issue?

  4. Any other thoughts or recommendations?

Thanks

Guest89
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1 Answers1

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That first post is looking pretty bad. Most deck lumber is not meant to have contact with ground/dirt. The concrete filled holes should have been higher than the existing grade and sloped away from the posts. Filling in the area you dug out will not solve the problem as water will still accumulate. Your best bet would be to get some concrete deck supports and place them over the concrete after cutting off a portion the posts. The remainder part of the posts would go into the concrete supports.

enter image description here

As far as the wood running along the ground, clean it off, reseal it and dig out the area so there's no further contact. As always, it never hurts to check with local authorities on what to do.

JACK
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    Depending on seizmic zone glav metal strapping that could be wrapped around the bottom of this support and tied into the post. Possibly drilling and epoxy rebarring this support into the existing concrete that is in the earth. – Fresh Codemonger Mar 24 '20 at 21:00
  • Thanks Jack for the info. The whole thing seems odd because unless the homeowners decided to add a lot of dirt after the deck was buit, it looks like the concrete was built low all around. Theres lots of dirt that is above the level of all of the concrete. Being that its still somewhat rainy season here, is there anything I could do to minimize damage for the next few months and then re-attack the problem come summer? Any ballpark ideas about how much it would cost to get the post replaced by a pro? Or the whole situation addressed. I'm a little skeptical to try myself. Thanks – Guest89 Mar 24 '20 at 21:20
  • @FreshCodemonger Thanks. Would you mind linking to the product you are talking about? I searched the glav metal strapping but having trouble visualizing how it would connect. – Guest89 Mar 24 '20 at 21:26
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    @Guest89 You can get a can or two of roof sealer, like WET PATCH, and smear it all over the posts and in the cracks between the wood and concrete. That will do a great job of sealing the wood. The stuff sticks better if the wood is fairly dry. I have no idea on what that would cost to have a pro do it. You can always get a few estimates and then re evaluate whether to try it yourself. – JACK Mar 24 '20 at 21:27
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    Thanks @JACK, I will do that. I'm guessing my next step would also be to start removing the surrounding dirt even further away from the posts so that there is no opportunity for water to pool against the post? – Guest89 Mar 24 '20 at 21:32
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    @Guest89 Good starting point. – JACK Mar 24 '20 at 21:40
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    Adding to Jacks answer, it looks to me that your posts are pressure treated and still rotted, that tells a lot. This type of PT is not rated for direct contact with soil. I think that your posts will be ok until this summer, and even if not, there is not a lot of risk should one fail. The posts were installed incorrectly. For the new posts, keep them above grade using one of the methods already suggested. Replace with PT wood, even though they wont' be in contact with soil – Ack Mar 24 '20 at 21:40
  • Thanks @Ack, I'm going to put some sort of treatment on the wood once I get a dry day and then starting clearing out dirt. I read somewhere else about digging deeper around the concrete and filling that with some gravel so at least any standing water should drop down next to the concrete vs up against the post itself. Thoughts? – Guest89 Mar 24 '20 at 22:32
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    As a temporary thing, personally I wouldn't worry about it. If you have concerns (I'm not there to see the same and full picture that you can), the best mitigation for a few months is to support the deck on shoring. If it is close enough to failure that it can't last until summer then stopping decay won't help, it's already too far gone and needs to be addressed now. Decay is pretty slow and wood is pretty resilient. Your deck is only about 1 foot off the ground and only a part of the post will fail, the risk is low. So yeah, if anything, a few blocks of wood to shore until the summer fix – Ack Mar 24 '20 at 22:45
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    You're very welcome and to JACK too, please mark his answer as accepted, we like that sweet karma :) Cheers – Ack Mar 24 '20 at 22:48
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    I was just thinking of strapping like this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Master-Flow-Perforated-Metal-Hanger-Straps-3-4HS/100396917 I'd get the lowest gauge (largest thickness). – Fresh Codemonger Mar 24 '20 at 23:29