#FAIL
Oh, how I wish that hashtag referred to some cheeky Internet meme. Instead, it described the result of our deck footing inspection. We’d dug six holes and scheduled the inspector to verify their locations, widths, and depths — a pretty straightforward check, or so I thought.
We even went the extra mile and attached some ledger boards so the inspector could inspect them too. I wanted any problems found early, before we finished the whole deck (in our county the final inspection is after completion).
But the inspector found issues right away. As soon as he arrived he shook his head, said “we’ve got some problems here,” and started writing in his notebook. My heart sank.
After a few silent minutes, he explained the problems calmly. First, I had missed two small but crucial letters on a county diagram: “P.T.” meant the rim board where I attached the ledger on the siding side needed to be pressure-treated wood — ours was not. Even though we had installed waterproof flashing, the inspector said the ledger couldn’t remain as-is unless we either replaced the rim board with pressure-treated lumber (structural work I didn’t want to do) or lowered the deck by about two feet to bolt into the masonry foundation instead.
The ledger on the brick side caused another failure. The county won’t allow screwing into the brick because it’s not sound enough to bear the deck’s load. I’d thought longer screws through the rim board would solve it, but the inspector explained that the air gap behind the brick prevents a proper load transfer — the brick only supports its own vertical weight. His sketch on our ledger made the issue clear: unless we lower the deck to reach solid masonry, that attachment won’t be acceptable.
The inspector offered alternatives: lower the deck to bolt into the masonry foundation or scrap the ledger attachments and build a free-standing deck supported only by posts. Lowering the deck would have meant a platform two feet below our door — not ideal for everyday use — so building a free-standing deck quickly became the practical choice. That meant revising our plans, digging more holes, and preparing for another footing inspection.
The inspector gave me the official rejection notice and some useful guidance, which softened the blow a bit. I was upset — for wasting my dad’s time, for the delay, and for not trusting my instincts to consider a free-standing design sooner. I was also annoyed with the permit office that had approved the original plan without asking about the type of siding or brick we had. In their defense, they hadn’t had the specific house information during initial review.
Sherry, thankfully, stayed upbeat. She expected that failing an inspection was a real possibility in our strict county, and pointed out that catching this now — before finishing the whole deck — was far better than discovering it at the final inspection and having to tear everything down. The inspector’s suggestions gave us a clear path forward, and he even recommended meeting with the plan reviewer to get a revised drawing for a free-standing deck that uses as much of our existing materials as possible.
The reviewer drew up a new plan that keeps most of our work but converts the design to a free-standing deck supported by seven posts and girders. The good news: our ledger boards can still be used as rim boards for stabilization (with flashing), while the new footings and posts will carry the deck’s load instead of the house.
So the plan changed, but the path forward is clear: dig a few more holes, buy a handful of extra materials, and pass the footing inspection. My dad took the news well, and we’ll wait to buy anything else until the inspection is successful. Fingers crossed — hopefully soon we’ll be celebrating an approved footing inspection and moving on to the next stage.
We’ll keep sharing updates from this roller-coaster DIY project. If you’ve ever failed an inspection or stumbled on a building project, commiserate with us — especially if your story has a happy ending. DIY isn’t always smooth, but when it works out it’s incredibly rewarding and usually much cheaper than hiring a contractor. Off to knock on some wood…
Related past projects we learned from include a bathroom renovation, two kitchen overhauls, built-in laundry cubbies, a double desk, a long console table, and a large patio project — all reminders that setbacks can lead to satisfying results later.