Free Deck Safety Inspection in Fairfax and Loudoun Counties

Why have your deck inspected

In a Fairfax County NewsCenter article on deck safety, county building official Jay Riat recommends that owners evaluate their deck annually and have it inspected regularly by a licensed contractor, and says the older the deck, the more often it should be inspected. Kenney Construction is licensed, insured and bonded in Virginia (DPOR #2705187519). NADRA, the North American Deck and Railing Association, makes the same point every May during Deck Safety Month: if your deck is 20 years or older, it's time to take a serious look.

Who it's for

Homeowners in the communities Deck Defenders serves: Herndon, Reston, Vienna, Great Falls, McLean, Oakton, Chantilly and Centreville in Fairfax County, and Ashburn, Sterling, South Riding and Aldie in Loudoun County.

What we check

The inspection is a visual check of the deck's condition. Each area below is tied to what the county deck details and the Virginia Residential Code say about it, so you know why it matters.

Ledger attachment and flashing

How the deck is fastened to the house, and whether water is kept out from behind it. The 2021 Virginia Residential Code says deck attachment can't rely on toenails or nails subject to withdrawal; Fairfax County's Typical Deck Details call for continuous flashing with the siding removed and prohibit attachment to brick or stone veneer, chimneys, overhangs and bay windows. Loudoun lists ledger attachment, bolts and flashing among its most common inspection failures.

Posts and footings

Whether posts are plumb and sound at the base, and what they sit on. Both Fairfax and Loudoun county deck details require footings at least 24 inches below grade on solid ground. Footing depth usually can't be confirmed without digging, so we look for the signs: leaning posts, tilted or cracked piers, posts on blocks or buried in soil.

Framing

Joists, beams and their connections, especially near the house where water collects. NADRA's checklist suggests that if a tool pushes ¼ to ½ inch into the wood, or it feels soft and spongy, decay may be present.

Boards

Rot, splits, soft spots and raised fasteners on the walking surface; on composite decking, Fairfax County's checklist adds mold and delamination.

Railings and guards

Whether guard posts and rails are solid. Under the Virginia Residential Code and Fairfax's deck details, a guard is required where the deck is more than 30 inches above grade, must be at least 36 inches high, and can't have openings that let a 4-inch sphere through; Fairfax's details also prohibit notched guard posts.

Stairs

Treads, stringers, handrails and lighting. Virginia's limits are an 8¼-inch maximum riser and a 9-inch minimum tread with no more than ⅜ inch of variation, and a handrail is required with four or more risers. Loudoun lists riser variation among its most common failed items.

Fasteners and connectors

Rust and corrosion on screws, nails, joist hangers and post brackets. Fairfax's details call for stainless or G-185 galvanized connectors and fasteners rated for treated lumber, and Loudoun lists non-corrosion-resistant fasteners as a common failure.

What happens next

We tell you what we found. If the deck needs work, we give you a repair or replacement estimate, and explain why we're recommending one over the other. If it doesn't, that's the end of it. There's no obligation either way.

What this inspection is not

• It's not a county building inspection. Permit inspections on new, replaced or altered decks are done by Fairfax County, Loudoun County or Town of Herndon inspectors.
• It's not a licensed home inspection.
• It doesn't certify that your deck complies with the building code.

It's a contractor's visual check of your deck's condition, so you can decide what, if anything, to do next.

A real example of what an inspection can lead to

On a Sterling deck with damaged and worn boards, the structure was worth keeping, so Deck Defenders replaced the bad boards and resurfaced the deck instead of rebuilding it. Finding out which situation you're in is the point of the inspection.