Starting Tomorrow...

The covered deck is being completely replaced!

Because our builder (now bankrupt) decided to cut corners 5 years ago and create an outdoor deck with NO water protection to speak of, we are now faced with a massive reconstruction project.  I started to notice the problems about this time last year.  The deck tile was becoming uneven, the floor felt springy, the hand rails seemed loose and cracks had formed in the stucco below the deck.  I thought the builder had just done a half-ass job but what was happening turned out to be much worse.  One year later it has become obvious what was happening.  The deck was sucking up water and rotting!

This is how the deck looked when it was new.

And this is how it looks now!

This tile was pulled up with a screw driver and the wood scooped out BY HAND!  Total mush!  The sub-floor is soaking wet!

So what happened you ask?  The builder used a paint to seal the deck.  Over the years the water has gone through the tile joints and rotted the wood.

This water has soaked into everything below the deck and separated all of the wood components.

The water has then come through THE BACK of the stucco and leaked through, staining everything.

The water has run down the inside of all the columns and stained the concrete also.

This project requires tearing out ALL of the tile, sub-floor and sides.  We then have to inspect and dry out all of the joists and what ever else might have been compromised.  Next comes new sub-flooring, a rubber waterproof sheet and then new ceramic tile with epoxy grout.  We are then going to reinstall the rails with a little secret I'll share with you later.  The final part will be re-stuccoing the entire back of the house.

As usual I will keep you all posted.