DIY - Deck Collapse - HOW TO STOP A DECK FROM SWAYING (EASY FIX) Add deck cross bracing

[@ricecrash5225]

Nice video, great to see your partner come out to help. I wish my wife took an interest but as she says, I have skills in other areas. I am yet to work out what areas but after 20 years I’ll just take her word for it.

[@DIYBuilt]

LOL, just take her word for it, that is a wise decision. Cheers my friend!

[@sailingwiththegods538]

Sandwiches are very important.

[@JoshuaRoode]

Excellent work, cross bracing adds a whole lot of strength. Great vid.

[@DIYBuilt]

Joshua Roode Thanks, yes it helped a lot, that deck is on its last legs and it’s amazing how some simple bracing structurally stables it. Easy fix for piece of mind.

[@dc3672]

Sure looks a lot better - nice job on the explanation. Cheers

[@DIYBuilt]

Adding the support braces really helped the sturdiness of the deck however it should have been built proper to begin with.

[@PartisimonPartogi]

Thank you for the information. My house is made of wood and is in the form of a stilt, after 5 years it feels wobbly and not sturdy. thanks for the knowledge... Regards

[@DIYBuilt]

No problem, I hope it helps.

[@jstpsgthru]

Thanks for the video. Don't know if you are still getting notifications, but I am about to brace my deck. Could you, please share the size lag screw that you used? Thank you for your time and assistance.

[@DIYBuilt]

Hi there, I used 4” x 1/2” lag bolts on mine

[@jstpsgthru]

@@DIYBuilt Thanks for the reply. I kept searching and found Fasten Master has a whole line of structural screws.

[@dc3672]

Nice job - great to see your helper back. Cheers

[@DIYBuilt]

Thanks my helper makes my projects go super fast plus she’s not hard the eyes.

[@davidbarnes4723]

Would there have been added support and strength had the cross braces been longer than 5 ft?

[@redwood1957]

I had to do that yrs ago. Dont think i laged it. What size lags did you use? Nice video Thank you

[@DIYBuilt]

6” if I remember correctly

[@claudehayn]

Hello. How long are those cross braces? 4' - 5"?

[@spiderswebs11]

If my deck moved like yours - it would be coming down, let alone wait another year.

[@promesconstructionl.l.c.8889]

Installing Braces underneath the joists is stronger. and eliminates all those braces you installed

[@chadzohn2713]

Does adding the braces help with load weight?

[@promesconstructionl.l.c.8889]

@@chadzohn2713 illiminates any sway

[@DrewWilson192]

Nice video but should have left the 2x4 braces in the other direction.

[@DIYBuilt]

I thought about leaving them but they really weren’t adding anything to the structure of it and aesthetically made it look terrible.

[@jeremiahwilson5]

@@DIYBuilt they help hold the deck to the house but if the joists are toenailed good to the ledger probably dont do anything and aren’t nesssary

[@J.T.19134]

@@jeremiahwilson5 or Lagged would be even better

[@Duetmaster2]

@@jeremiahwilson5 Only they didn't hold the deck to the house as they only went between posts. Even then, they were improperly installed. The joist-to-ledger connection is joist hangars, as it should be.

[@wasifsyed1085]

4x4 bracing would have been better and I am glad you did not use clamp to hold the wood together as everyone else does on these deck videos

[@DIYBuilt]

I agree 4x4s would have been a better choice, but I had the 2x6s left over from another project. Cheers!

[@caml17]

What’s wrong with clamping?

[@daveh9672]

What is the length and size of the lag bolts used to secure the brace?

[@DIYBuilt]

They are 5” long lags and 1/2” in size

[@markavery6124]

This may be a dumb question but those cross braces aren’t weight bearing are they? I have a rotten 6x6 cross brace on the end of my deck. I’m wondering if I should brace it in anyway beforehand.

[@DIYBuilt]

No, cross braces on our deck are not load bearing, all the load is carried on the 4x4 posts

[@porterhaus3851]

Great tips. Thanks!

[@DIYBuilt]

Thanks for checking it out, all the best!

[@singularity844]

They put the original X bracing on the wrong axis 😂. Nice updates!

[@DIYBuilt]

Yes they did, thanks for watching

[@carlmax46]

if you had started with 10ft long boards there would be much less waste. those boards you removed could have been used for cross-bracing (relocated).

[@ericles]

What are you using to attach the braces? Thanks for the video!

[@DIYBuilt]

I used 4" x 5/16" Lag bolts. Thanks for watching

[@chasityfelix5054]

@@DIYBuilt wouldn't using big bolts like that damage the woods faster being that it's larger than a screw/nail? I have a house that's 8ft off the ground so I need to stabilize it too. Ppl built the house and didn't stabilize or brace it well enough. A few storms already had shaken it but thank goodness it didn't Crack or break (yet). I'll use your video as reference!

[@DIYBuilt]

@@chasityfelix5054 thanks for your comment, we used 5/16” lag bolts but in your case I would be more inclined to pre drill holes and use through bolts with flat washer, lock washers and nuts. you should consult a structural engineer to be certain with your situation.

[@jaydekaytv]

Her: Should we take the nest down? Him: Probably. Her: No! 😆

[@DIYBuilt]

Women, I’ll never understand

[@warrenlowe676]

Add staggered deck blocking

[@allencharlei8351]

Well one you should use 646 post notch at top for the beans and probably bolted with 1/2 galvanized hex head bolts making sure the post are firmly down at least 18 inches below the surface of the ground in concrete

[@majahanson311]

Embedding posts in the ground with concrete is just asking for them to rot (unless you live in a desert or something). Posts need to be up out of the ground supported by galvanized connectors to concrete piers that extend below the frost line

[@allencharlei8351]

@@majahanson311 nope that's what's required by the building inspection frost line is 2 ft and no they do not rot

[@allencharlei8351]

@@majahanson311 absolutely not technically only required to have 8 inches concrete below post I like bringing the concrete up to about 2 in below the grade so it's around the post with an anchor connecting it to the concrete

[@allencharlei8351]

@@majahanson311 sorry you haven't figured out the concept called pressure-treated lumber yet

[@majahanson311]

I've seen plenty of PT, including supposedly ground contact rated, rot if left in contact with the soil. Deliberately doing that (2" below the grade, as you say) sounds a lot like planned obsolescence to me. I realize this is how things used to be done, but we have better ways of doing things now

[@strokerace4765]

If you we’re going to remove the original braces why buy new wood?

[@DIYBuilt]

We did not buy the new braces, they came from a project we demo’d previously

[@brianatwell8969]

Wife: should we take down the bird nest? Husband: probably. Wife: NO!! (In a tone that says you are cruel for even thinking it) Me: then why did you suggest it? Haha interactions with our spouses are often so interesting Thanks for the video

[@DIYBuilt]

So true, thanks for taking the time my friend.😇

[@strokerace4765]

I would have added footings and 6x6 posts

[@Duetmaster2]

@@strokerace4765 There's no point if they are, in fact, replacing the deck in a year.

[@jameshartis5995]

Use carriage bolts

[@DIYBuilt]

Thank you

[@Sunnyside--Up]

I see you have no blocking underneath your deck, it is crucial. I would say minimum in the middle parallel to the house but you will need more because your deck is large. The distance of the footings are way too far apart and the 4x4 not the best in your setting. Good to have a helper :) I don't get help from my husband, he prefers to watch TV.

[@DIYBuilt]

Ya this deck was built improperly by a previous owner but we just wanted to strengthen it up a bit for safety concerns until we could replace it. Having a helping hand on this project was a godsend

[@stevemiller5626]

Thank you

[@DIYBuilt]

Your very welcome, thanks for visiting.

[@stevemiller5626]

@@DIYBuilt coming back to thank you again. Worked as advertised. Cheers from NYC

[@DIYBuilt]

@@stevemiller5626 so glad it worked for you too. Cheers my friend.

[@Heather87899]

Your 4x4s are also quite a bit far apart which probably isn't best for tall decks.

[@DIYBuilt]

That’s a good observation, I agree a shorter span between posts would have been better

[@DIYBuilt]

Thanks for watching! 👍Taking the necessary steps needed to prevent a deck collapse. Subscribe here: bit.ly/2UEmJoS for more new and exciting DIY projects from Hammered Halo

[@HawkGTboy]

Watching that deck sway made me feel queasy.

[@DIYBuilt]

Walking on it made me feel queasy too. Take care my friend.

[@Methodical2]

That sway is scary.

[@DIYBuilt]

Ya, I know. It’s better now though

[@johnwhite2576]

Great job…uglybas all get out tho…

[@DIYBuilt]

Thanks

[@tomzhao103]

Should be demolished yesteryear.🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯

[@DIYBuilt]

I agree

[@strokerace4765]

4x4s are too small

[@DIYBuilt]

Yes I know, we did not build the deck. Should’ve been built with at least 6x6

[@Doorsanmore]

Tear it down and start over. Also no way in hell that’s 1000 sqft

[@DIYBuilt]

I agree and ya your right, it is just under 600sqft, there was a lower level extension off of this one that we previously tore down due to safety concerns that I included by mistake.

[@ha3516]

Your boards are MOVING as you mark them. Use clamps! And get some EYE protection, dude.