DIY guideDeck and fence

Look over the deck, its stairs and landings

Walk the boards, shake the rails, and look underneath at where the deck meets the house and at its posts, for rot and loose parts.

8 steps

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Step on each board and look for soft, split or rotted spots, and nails or screws sticking up.
Push a screwdriver into any dark or soft spot. If it sinks in easily, the wood is rotting.
Push and pull each rail and post firmly. Nothing should move, and no gap should be wide enough for a child to slip through.
Step on each tread and hold the handrail all the way down. Treads firm, nothing cracked, the rail solid.
From below, look at the board fastened to the house: rot, rust, water stains, or a gap opening up.
Check each post sits square on its footing, stands straight, and isn't soft or rotted at the ground.
Drive popped nails back down, or swap them for deck screws, and tighten any loose bolts you can see.
Soft wood, a rail or stair that moves, or rot where it meets the house: keep off and ask Handyman for a deck builder.

Handyman says: Soft or loose? I'll find a deck builder.

Free for every home. Handyman asks a few questions, then books a pro it trusts.