Digging More Deck Footings After the Failed Inspection

If at first you don’t succeed… dig more holes. That ended up being my plan after our first deck footing inspection failed (a previous post explains that debacle). Progress on this deck hasn’t been lightning-fast, but we’re slowly moving toward having a finished deck to enjoy family meals on by the end of summer—maybe even by this time next month if we’re lucky. But first we had to deal with a familiar speed bump.

Because our original plan to attach ledger boards to the house wasn’t acceptable to the inspector (even though the county initially approved it), we changed course and designed a free-standing deck. That meant digging more holes—seven additional footings, to be exact—bringing the total to twelve footings. Five of our original holes were still usable, one was useless, and seven more were required to meet the new plan.

Having learned from earlier work that digging footings is tough but manageable, I wasn’t too worried. The first round had left my dad and me hot and sore, so I felt bad about making him do seven more—but it was better than digging all twelve at once (which would’ve saved a rental fee for the auger, but cost a lot more sweat). All in all, it could have been worse.

This time we borrowed both an 8″ and a 12″ auger bit, since the codes in our area call for 12″ wide footings. Last time we accidentally used the 8″ bit and had to manually widen each hole, so getting the right bit made the work far more efficient. Everything seemed straightforward—until we hit something unexpected.

While digging a starter hole by hand, my shovel struck something solid. At first I thought it might be a root or buried brick, but as we cleared dirt it revealed a 6″ thick concrete slab—likely the old landing for a staircase that had once been here. The slab was too thick to break with a sledgehammer and nearly too heavy to move. After some grunting, shimmying boards under it, and teamwork, my dad and I shifted it enough to allow the auger to reach the proper footing location.

Moving that slab was exhausting, and we hadn’t even drilled a hole yet. Still, we pushed on, suited up, and fired up the auger.

The 12″ auger bit was definitely heavier and a bit more challenging to handle, but it saved us tons of manual digging. With each pass we had a true 12″ wide hole and reached the required 21″ depth for footings in our area, so the work moved quickly once we got into a rhythm.

I still used the manual hole digger to clear some loose material left by the auger. And apparently I make some very expressive faces while working—pure entertainment for my wife documenting the process.

All told, it likely took us around 90 minutes to dig the seven new holes, including the time spent moving the unexpected slab. We were far less fatigued than the first round—probably partly because it wasn’t as hot out, and partly because the earlier digging had built our strength.

With the holes complete, we called the inspector to schedule a re-check the next day. I admit I was nervous about failing again, but the inspection turned out to be quick and painless. A different inspector reviewed the revised plan, glanced at the footings, and said, “Looks good.” No measuring, no fuss—Sherry almost missed the whole thing because it was so fast.

After the inspector approved the holes, I asked a few follow-up questions. The best news was that I could leave the ledger boards in place to act as rim boards for the free-standing deck. They won’t bear the deck’s weight—the posts will do that—but they provide a convenient place to attach perimeter decking for stability. That meant our previous work wasn’t wasted and we avoided undoing the ledger work and re-siding the house. I do need to install counterflashing over the ledger tops, which was already on my to-do list.

Relieved and excited, I texted my mom the good news. Now I need to order additional materials—more posts and girder boards—so I can start building the deck structure. Fingers crossed I get the same friendly inspector for the final inspection when the deck is finished.

Thanks to everyone who shared their own failure stories last week—your commiseration really helped. To flip the script this week: what problems have you overcome recently, at home or elsewhere? Did something that felt like a setback end up working out in your favor?

P.S. A huge thanks to everyone who checked in after the severe storm on Friday night. We were without power until Sunday afternoon and saw some frightening, tornado-like winds, but our house escaped damage and power has been restored. Many thanks to the crews who helped with restoration efforts.