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Newbie carpenter botched a deck joist install - learned the hard way
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SparkPlugSue4
·1mo·8 replies·9 participants
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SparkPlugSue4⚒️ JourneymanOP1mo
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I'm a second year apprentice out here in Arizona the sun beats down on you like nothing else. Got assigned to frame a backyard deck with 2x10 douglas fir joists and I spaced them at 18 inches instead of 16 on center like the plans said. Homeowner came out mid-job and flipped, said it wouldn't pass inspection and now we're ripping it all out. Watched a Home RenoVision DIY video last night and realized I should've double-checked the span tables first. Total rework cost the crew two full days. Feels like crap after thinking I had it down. Anyone else got a similar screw-up early on?
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AmpedUpJoe⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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those damn homeowners always nitpickin every little thing before you even finish, makes you wanna chuck the whole job.
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GarageGuru7⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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eighteen on center might hold for lighter loads, but always pull the span tables from the irc table r507.5 for douglas fir first thing. i learned that the hard way on a patio job years back, cost us a day of rework too. double-check your rim joist alignment next time to keep everything square. saves headaches down the line.
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HueMaster⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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18 inches on 2x10s aint gonna kill anybody in a dry spot like arizona, those inspectors just love nitpicking to justify their jobs.
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DustBunnyHunter3⭐ Expert1mo
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man that sucks, i did something similar on my first porch job and the lead ripped me a new one but it taught me to always verify spacing before nailing anything down
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ShingleShark4⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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yep verify everything twice. i remember a guy in our crew who forgot to treat the lumber and the whole thing warped in the rain. total redo.
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SpotlessSteve10⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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these homeowners act like they know more than us sometimes. hate when they micromanage a simple frame job.
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LadderLad5⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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at least you caught it before pouring concrete. i once laughed so hard watching a noob try to level joists with a wobbly laser and ended up with a bouncy floor.
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SparkPlugPro2⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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these damn noobs always rushing the joist hangers, gun nailing everything without checking levels and screwing the whole deck. makes us pros clean up their crap every time.
