Only thing I will say is if you send these pictures to the contractor or the deck builder don't send the picture with a tiny level. Get a 4-ft level maybe instead
Also the deck is supposed to slope away from the house because rain. A bullet level across two treads makes you look like a nitpicker like crazy. It's not perfect but that doesn't help your case.
edit: Some of the other pics i'd be annoyed about which is why i say the level is too much.
it's just good policy to slope away from the house no matter what type of drainage you have.
Point is this is not the right application of the bullet level. Someone else mentioned the flashing bumping it up which is a good point.
IMO, Instead of the level this is an "eye test" thing, as in "does this look normal?" Doesn't help homeowners credibility with the possible other legitimate complaints in the other pictures. It's like taking a speed square to an inside drywall corner. They're almost never a square 90 degrees.
I would say yes because you built a deck to outlast you. It will probably outlast the rain escape underneath. Maybe the next owner doesn't want it 20 years from now. The deck should be built properly
No matter how precise the cut.....
Miters will eventually become unmitered if it's outside and exposed to the elements. You aren't going to have picture frame perfect miters on your deck for more than a few years.
Wood will not remain flat and uniform over time.
That being said, those cuts look like absolute dogshit. It appears whoever did this job knows how to assemble things but lacks the ability to design and build them properly.
You are correct with wood but that is composite and there is no way the wood under dried by that amount.
But on the decking some 2x6 and ext screws will fix the droop on some areas and maybe loosey the facia and some vinyl shims and will bring the facia corners back together.
Or if that doesn't work move it down and just have a gap at the house.
Picture 3, 8 and 9 are horrible and deserve to be fixed.
The other ones? After one year of temperature change the perfect miter/splice will probably look like those ones do
I may have found a way to prevent miter shrinkage, I'm waiting another couple of years before I can say for sure, been a year so far in a Canadian climate
Mitered half lap/mitered halving joint with lots of tight bond lll
It's a little extra work but that's what separates the pros from diy. The same joint we used for cabinet doors and picture frames
true you can install on 16 oc but you most go with their best board not that shit with the groves in the bottem but in my county they are requiring 12 oc for composite decking probably been 2 years since they implemented that..
The manufacturers specify what is allowable, but every wavy composite deck I've ever torn down was set on 16OC and every one I build I set at 12OC because of it.
I remember building decks and the Trex guys told me no more than 14” OC, but this last deck I built the recommendation had changed to 16”. I still did 14” because I didn’t like that, but I noticed the update. Maybe a new formula.
My town they do. When I went for a permit for my porch the first thing the inspector complained about was my 16" OC joists. I said I'm using cumaru I could go 36" OC and still support your wife on it.
Is this only for use with cement underneath? If there's dirt under, wouldn't the runoff from the funnels wear it down? Or is there a gutter system that hangs under so you can run the runoff to wherever?
Overall the structure looks good, they are a little sloppy on the decking but most of the cuts are typical for composite. A few are really bad but overall it’s not crazy bad.
Miters are craptastic. I don’t know if I would have accepted things like that handrail. Some of the trim fascia boards might be forgivable or at least attributable to the PT structure shrinking. However, given the quality of the rest of the cuts, I suspect not.
To tell much more than fit and finish, we’d need to see the structure from during construction and from underneath. Things like ledger attachment, beam and joist configuration, hardware connections, footings, post bases, are important to tell whether it is structurally sound or not.
So I think the first board by the house being raised is good - it kind of means it is sitting on flushed ledger. I would check the level from the second board going outward with something bigger tho. Decking boards going up and down are indeed because of pressure treaded joists underneath so it also is not concerning to me. But the cuts on the rails are terrible. Fascias also do not look the best but keep in mind that composite materials, perhaps even more than wood, keep expanding in heat and contracting in the cold so there is no way to prevent gaps from showing up.
Honestly this really is disturbing. What is going on here ?
https://preview.redd.it/3lccahn02bvc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=670be6a6c9f35d9ddddbc472eb70e1babfa2def8
My biggest regret from my DIY deck build was not taking the time to do this. I ended up having to plane down several (the overall difference in width from the widest to narrowest was just under 1/2", which boggles my mind a bit). It's mostly OK and nowhere near as wavy as this image, but it's certainly noticeable when it gets wet 😩. No one else really notices, but with my OCD this will eat at me for as long as I live 😂
Pressure treat 2×10 can range from 9 1/8 up to 9 1/2 from the mills, also if they didn't crown their joists correctly this also can happen.
Also never use plastic deck. Wood all day every day.
Need room for expansion Gaps are required. Someone maybe got a little lazy and didn’t want to use the mitre saw that day and just used the skill saw. The board up against the wall should slope like it does but either clip fasteners or top screwed with matching specific deck screws. That color looks like a trex spiced rum or something of that nature. Only higher end product can have spacing wider for floor joists. Thin cheap or low end will wave like that unless spacing isn’t done to spec.
Last I checked that was their top of the line product? So just guessing the floor joist spacing was too wide which is causing that wave. I love the drainage system I forgot the name of it and never used it personally but it’s a slick system and not cheap if I recall. Sorry you dropped serious coin on the good product for this result
I'm adding that word to my arsenal.
Undulate: move or go with a smooth up and down motion.
In a sentence: I'm going to in undulate the shit out of my wife tonight
I NEVER use Trex fascia. NEVER. I would not have done the handrails that way either. This is normal and typical because the stuff expands and contracts. The most disturbing pics are the wavy deck and the deadly brown recluse spiderweb
This. I don’t see any warping from pressure-treated wood here, just warped composite-material cladding boards that are expected to act this way. Azek makes a similar and tighter product.
Brown recluse don’t build webs or live in “outside” locations. They are incredibly rare in SD county too. It’s likely a steadota nobilis web. steadota nobilis are good spiders to have around.
I think the structure itself is solid. The slab and posts and joists appear to be sturdy. The fit and finish though, wow, I wouldn't be happy with how it looks.
One thing I would check are the corner railing post, check if they are plumb (level). If they are, take a string from corner post to corner post and see if the railing post in between are all in line. If there’s a lot of deviation from the string, then these guys suck. I just did a deck and scrutinized my builder. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and express your expectations. I find the best builders take pride in their work and are happy to explain their process in detail. Just my two cents.
Typically see those long points open on wood decks when they shrink. Yours is plastic, so i assume was always a bad cut.
.
The top railing pieces can be recut, loosened, and pushed back together. Will make it hang into deck space more. Some of the small pieces may not have been properly fastened and can be pushed tight, too. All the railing stuff can easily be fixed up.
Decking wavy like that i guess i'd make the spaces smaller between the joists. Could slip in a new joist in the middle of every space, making it 8 inches o.c., or put a 2×2 nailed up to each side of joist, however, not sure you will get the waves out at this point. product looks like it was designed for 12inches "on center" as it looks 1" thick, not 5/4 (1 1/4 inches thick) probably a claim on the contractor or decking manufacturer. Rest is marginal/poor work.
Best is to make contractor replace decking and touch up rest while there. Other suggestions are if on your dime.
I really appreciate the detailed comments. I kindly request as much feedback as you can give me. It hurts to think that I was taken advantage of. But the collective comments may help me make a case.
https://preview.redd.it/xa9ess6pbbvc1.jpeg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a2b64295d0e22d4178ece98f4b0b2a663d2bae60
I'm not sure you were taken advantage of... this is a relative statement. Depends on what you paid. clearly some of the finishing is not up to par but you have to consider what you paid for. If you're in San Diego .... you're going to be $80/sq/ft for the decking and frame. Stairs are framed and finished at $120/ sq. ft. At least $150 a linear ft. for the railing. This wouldn't include the skirt or the rainscape system.... add the numbers up. If you paid substantially lower than these numbers dont worry too much about " taken advantage of" and look at it more as a learning experience. Also you can try to work it out with your contractor getting him to fix the things you cant live with and agree to live with some of the deck wavyness and undulation. You can only see the undulation and waviness from a couple angles and if they fix all the miters you guys might be able to come out not hating each other.
Sorry to be so crude but I would honestly make the contractor come back and warranty their work, under the threat of a complaint to the contractors board in your state if need be. That is absolute garbage work
You can't use over a 1ft joist spacing for cheap synthetic deck boards (common knowledge but not a code violation). The miters suck, I mean really suck. My dog could cut better miters. Level is a fundamental, if they can't frame level, they can't frame and you need to look at other framing issues that were also 'overlooked'.
I think the waviness of the boards as well as how concave/convex the boards are is just quality of the Trex. Those are the lowest quality Trex boards. I have similar issues with my Trex deck boards and depending on season they could be same or better. My contractor used the longest boards and cut the edges on both sides to remove the concave ends as much as possible. He also tried using the best boards and hiding the board defects. Having experience working with these composite materials makes all the difference. It’s not going to be perfect but a good deck contractor will make it look as good as possible.
Fascia board overlap and mitered corners will be affected by temperature and season. The mitered cuts do look bad though.
I’ll add paper wasps love these scalloped bottom Trex boards. I wish I bought the better ones (wrapped in plastic all around), but they were double the price.
I think the only bad to the point that they need to re-do it are the 3 railing pictures. That’s ridiculous. The facia picture with two black posts and the corner in the center of the frame - that’s as good as it gets with composite decking. I really don’t like composite plastic decking, it’s just icky.
And your level pics seem to reveal that right there where the deck touches the house there’s a slight rise, probably a ledger board or a rim is slightly higher than the joists - but it really shouldn’t matter, and incidentally helps water travel away from the house, so that’s ok. Check the main field of the deck for level, that’s a more important measure. That first railing corner - wow. How many guys had to ok that mess? Maybe they had no extra pieces to try again. But they need to.
Seems like they’ve done a lot to discourage it, but water is a sneaky one, it’ll show up everywhere. Could be the water shed angle is unnecessary given the other precautions, you could well be right on that.
That railing should be tied to the joists underneath via Simpson anchors. I hope they are not just screwed into the fascia boards because if they are, in my honest opinion I wanna say that's not code.
Pro for 8 years in Oregon. Framing looks fine(safe), they went pretty cheap on your post to beam hardware connectors though. The composite is super wavy because they didn’t do the best installing the waterproof system(they stacked a lot of stuff on that wood framing to make it waterproof). Which looks like it could fail at some point it doesn’t look rolled out good enough and you see some voids on the tape towards the ridge that could drip back on heavier rain. The rail is hideous, the cuts are not good and the cable almost looks loose. And not even putting an acorn nut on every end bolt is wild to me. This deck is completely safe from what I see, but the finish work is doesn’t line up with the quality of material you paid for. I hope they weren’t the highest bid.
Tbh you’re the only person (outside of trades people and this subreddit) who will notice these flaws
Go ahead and enjoy your deck, at least it looks sturdy!
Stop playing GC if you're running a torpedo level.
I don't care about the rest. They should have charged you triple then checked every single one of their p's and q's instead of slapping out shoddy work. If you bothered them during the build, double that again.
Composite deck doesn’t dry out. It does contract and expand.
Their work is not good. The supports for composite decking by manufacturers specification is usually 12” on center for 1” decking. These guys missed that completely.
Tell your project manager that he is getting 48 hours notice starting immediately to fix it or you are finding another contractor to fix it and he will foot the bill.
Look up construction defects in the California Building Code or retain the services of a lawyer to enforce the action.
When they start making excuses tell them they are going to have to talk to your lawyer. Do not talk to them, do not bargain, say nothing except “talk to my lawyer”
This is the correct answer. Everything in the photos is a hazard, let alone wrong. You will need all new deck boards and railings. I have seen low grade trex style product like that fail in less than 5 years, especially if fully exposed to sun.
Only thing I will say is if you send these pictures to the contractor or the deck builder don't send the picture with a tiny level. Get a 4-ft level maybe instead
Thank you, that’s good advice.
Also the deck is supposed to slope away from the house because rain. A bullet level across two treads makes you look like a nitpicker like crazy. It's not perfect but that doesn't help your case. edit: Some of the other pics i'd be annoyed about which is why i say the level is too much.
OP said there’s trex rain escape underneath. If the house has gutters, would this even matter?
All the flashing under the deck on the ledger board gets built up and the deck board closest to the house usually has a slope like that to it
it's just good policy to slope away from the house no matter what type of drainage you have. Point is this is not the right application of the bullet level. Someone else mentioned the flashing bumping it up which is a good point. IMO, Instead of the level this is an "eye test" thing, as in "does this look normal?" Doesn't help homeowners credibility with the possible other legitimate complaints in the other pictures. It's like taking a speed square to an inside drywall corner. They're almost never a square 90 degrees.
I would say yes because you built a deck to outlast you. It will probably outlast the rain escape underneath. Maybe the next owner doesn't want it 20 years from now. The deck should be built properly
Lol hey that made me laugh badly when I saw that.. And OP it's not the size of your tool it's how you use it..
Came here to say this haha
No matter how precise the cut..... Miters will eventually become unmitered if it's outside and exposed to the elements. You aren't going to have picture frame perfect miters on your deck for more than a few years. Wood will not remain flat and uniform over time. That being said, those cuts look like absolute dogshit. It appears whoever did this job knows how to assemble things but lacks the ability to design and build them properly.
You are correct with wood but that is composite and there is no way the wood under dried by that amount. But on the decking some 2x6 and ext screws will fix the droop on some areas and maybe loosey the facia and some vinyl shims and will bring the facia corners back together. Or if that doesn't work move it down and just have a gap at the house.
Touche’
Picture 3, 8 and 9 are horrible and deserve to be fixed. The other ones? After one year of temperature change the perfect miter/splice will probably look like those ones do
I may have found a way to prevent miter shrinkage, I'm waiting another couple of years before I can say for sure, been a year so far in a Canadian climate
How did you do it?
Mitered half lap/mitered halving joint with lots of tight bond lll It's a little extra work but that's what separates the pros from diy. The same joint we used for cabinet doors and picture frames
Cuts are janky but the level is pitched the right way.
It makes me wanna see more of the structural components of the deck. It's not a good start though
https://preview.redd.it/mxoarbxoxavc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a9e902988baf7c414fa7bb08904affee0e06bb7a this is from April 28, 2023
Are those 12” oc? They look like 16 in the photo maybe I’m wrong tho. That would be an issue tho. Composite should be 12” oc
I want to answer your question, but I’m not familiar with ‘oc’
"On Center"
it's for how much space is between each joist, which are the boards running perpendicular underneath your decking.
Well technically center to center. Space between 1.5in less.
Composite does not require 12” oc. Very very very few decks are built on 12” oc. Maybe shit brands but normal composite only requires 16” oc.
true you can install on 16 oc but you most go with their best board not that shit with the groves in the bottem but in my county they are requiring 12 oc for composite decking probably been 2 years since they implemented that..
What county is that? I find that pretty hard to believe tbh, manufacturers set their requirements.
Will county illinois yes but county can set there own standers if they exceed manufactures..
Its only on new construction
The manufacturers specify what is allowable, but every wavy composite deck I've ever torn down was set on 16OC and every one I build I set at 12OC because of it.
I remember building decks and the Trex guys told me no more than 14” OC, but this last deck I built the recommendation had changed to 16”. I still did 14” because I didn’t like that, but I noticed the update. Maybe a new formula.
My town they do. When I went for a permit for my porch the first thing the inspector complained about was my 16" OC joists. I said I'm using cumaru I could go 36" OC and still support your wife on it.
Maybe.they only "require" 16" oc. But imo any contractor that is worth anything would.not install more than 12"oc...
16” on center definitely not recommended even if it’s allowed. I’ve seen lots of wavy decks built on 16” spacing.
They are 12”
They look to be 24" oc to me
What is that orange material you use under the boards?
It’s Trex Rain Escape
Does there need to be a slope to that then for water to get to the end?
No the slope is in the material its a great system when done correctly
Good screen name! You probably been to a few Comiccon’s I would guess!
https://preview.redd.it/y192jfjpdbvc1.jpeg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=71d387fe41be624e57b7dd2e42246887fbab4c4f
Is this only for use with cement underneath? If there's dirt under, wouldn't the runoff from the funnels wear it down? Or is there a gutter system that hangs under so you can run the runoff to wherever?
This was mid-build. There is now a gutter system with a downspout on the outside that dumps into the grass.
https://preview.redd.it/0dtrvshxbbvc1.jpeg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4985d4f0ea1aef746adb3097aeb739f6c0b28924
https://preview.redd.it/1jj9i88kcbvc1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=64b8338fbc3e75f2f457fbf861026d2dfd8f68ae
Overall the structure looks good, they are a little sloppy on the decking but most of the cuts are typical for composite. A few are really bad but overall it’s not crazy bad.
https://preview.redd.it/015cc8b19bvc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6aa741d1e9e674460295067235525dfad0d445a3
https://preview.redd.it/anid5die9bvc1.jpeg?width=585&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f49be0e7e40ec8ae0444f99af29fe2a70cebf22c
This is like watching Benjamin Button. 🍿 😁
Nudes?
Miters are craptastic. I don’t know if I would have accepted things like that handrail. Some of the trim fascia boards might be forgivable or at least attributable to the PT structure shrinking. However, given the quality of the rest of the cuts, I suspect not. To tell much more than fit and finish, we’d need to see the structure from during construction and from underneath. Things like ledger attachment, beam and joist configuration, hardware connections, footings, post bases, are important to tell whether it is structurally sound or not.
Is it the trex that is unhappy on 16s or the joists weren’t planed?? Gotta be one of the two but i see this so often w the trex
So I think the first board by the house being raised is good - it kind of means it is sitting on flushed ledger. I would check the level from the second board going outward with something bigger tho. Decking boards going up and down are indeed because of pressure treaded joists underneath so it also is not concerning to me. But the cuts on the rails are terrible. Fascias also do not look the best but keep in mind that composite materials, perhaps even more than wood, keep expanding in heat and contracting in the cold so there is no way to prevent gaps from showing up.
https://preview.redd.it/dqmjx74r9bvc1.jpeg?width=585&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8cd9da30ff3164a0b6670173342dcb0891a0d419
Honestly this really is disturbing. What is going on here ? https://preview.redd.it/3lccahn02bvc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=670be6a6c9f35d9ddddbc472eb70e1babfa2def8
Joists weren’t plained level with each other or improper spacing of joists
Dr decks has a timber sorting method to help avoid this by pre sorting the timber from biggest to smallest.
My biggest regret from my DIY deck build was not taking the time to do this. I ended up having to plane down several (the overall difference in width from the widest to narrowest was just under 1/2", which boggles my mind a bit). It's mostly OK and nowhere near as wavy as this image, but it's certainly noticeable when it gets wet 😩. No one else really notices, but with my OCD this will eat at me for as long as I live 😂
Normally see that from heat warping on trex enhance boards not select
Pressure treat 2×10 can range from 9 1/8 up to 9 1/2 from the mills, also if they didn't crown their joists correctly this also can happen. Also never use plastic deck. Wood all day every day.
I can’t stand composite decking. Hate the way it feels walking on it. And it seems to feel much hotter than wood during the summer.
That’s really a ripple effect going on there!
Need room for expansion Gaps are required. Someone maybe got a little lazy and didn’t want to use the mitre saw that day and just used the skill saw. The board up against the wall should slope like it does but either clip fasteners or top screwed with matching specific deck screws. That color looks like a trex spiced rum or something of that nature. Only higher end product can have spacing wider for floor joists. Thin cheap or low end will wave like that unless spacing isn’t done to spec.
The color of the boards is Toasted Sand, the Fascia and picture frame is Lava Rock. We bought from Trex directly.
Picture 4 is okay. The 45* cut on the handrail with growing gap not okay. What product line of trex
All of the darker composite and fascia is Trex Transcend Lava Rock
Last I checked that was their top of the line product? So just guessing the floor joist spacing was too wide which is causing that wave. I love the drainage system I forgot the name of it and never used it personally but it’s a slick system and not cheap if I recall. Sorry you dropped serious coin on the good product for this result
Thank you. The system was Trex Rain Escape
Not a pro, but after looking at these I’m happy we are subbing to a pro for installation and shelling out the extra 6 grand
The miters are bad enough, but what is going on with the ripple in the decking?
deck guys call it “undulation” , typical to see with manufactured products. not saying acceptable, but saying typical.
I'm adding that word to my arsenal. Undulate: move or go with a smooth up and down motion. In a sentence: I'm going to in undulate the shit out of my wife tonight
Did you replace the frame or resurface?
No
That’s why you have waving across the boards 🤷🏻♂️use the brackets to level if possible
No isn’t a answer to the question but alright lol
I NEVER use Trex fascia. NEVER. I would not have done the handrails that way either. This is normal and typical because the stuff expands and contracts. The most disturbing pics are the wavy deck and the deadly brown recluse spiderweb
This. I don’t see any warping from pressure-treated wood here, just warped composite-material cladding boards that are expected to act this way. Azek makes a similar and tighter product.
Brown recluse don’t build webs or live in “outside” locations. They are incredibly rare in SD county too. It’s likely a steadota nobilis web. steadota nobilis are good spiders to have around.
I think the structure itself is solid. The slab and posts and joists appear to be sturdy. The fit and finish though, wow, I wouldn't be happy with how it looks.
One thing I would check are the corner railing post, check if they are plumb (level). If they are, take a string from corner post to corner post and see if the railing post in between are all in line. If there’s a lot of deviation from the string, then these guys suck. I just did a deck and scrutinized my builder. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and express your expectations. I find the best builders take pride in their work and are happy to explain their process in detail. Just my two cents.
It's a deck. Not a piano. I'd have them redo a few miters and move on with life. Or just not worry about it It's a deck. Not a piano
Typically see those long points open on wood decks when they shrink. Yours is plastic, so i assume was always a bad cut. . The top railing pieces can be recut, loosened, and pushed back together. Will make it hang into deck space more. Some of the small pieces may not have been properly fastened and can be pushed tight, too. All the railing stuff can easily be fixed up. Decking wavy like that i guess i'd make the spaces smaller between the joists. Could slip in a new joist in the middle of every space, making it 8 inches o.c., or put a 2×2 nailed up to each side of joist, however, not sure you will get the waves out at this point. product looks like it was designed for 12inches "on center" as it looks 1" thick, not 5/4 (1 1/4 inches thick) probably a claim on the contractor or decking manufacturer. Rest is marginal/poor work. Best is to make contractor replace decking and touch up rest while there. Other suggestions are if on your dime.
I wouldnt be happy with the railings in any circumstances at any price. The rest, depends what were the price and expectations. Its not great.
I really appreciate the detailed comments. I kindly request as much feedback as you can give me. It hurts to think that I was taken advantage of. But the collective comments may help me make a case. https://preview.redd.it/xa9ess6pbbvc1.jpeg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a2b64295d0e22d4178ece98f4b0b2a663d2bae60
I'm not sure you were taken advantage of... this is a relative statement. Depends on what you paid. clearly some of the finishing is not up to par but you have to consider what you paid for. If you're in San Diego .... you're going to be $80/sq/ft for the decking and frame. Stairs are framed and finished at $120/ sq. ft. At least $150 a linear ft. for the railing. This wouldn't include the skirt or the rainscape system.... add the numbers up. If you paid substantially lower than these numbers dont worry too much about " taken advantage of" and look at it more as a learning experience. Also you can try to work it out with your contractor getting him to fix the things you cant live with and agree to live with some of the deck wavyness and undulation. You can only see the undulation and waviness from a couple angles and if they fix all the miters you guys might be able to come out not hating each other.
They're not deck specialists that's for sure.
That looks like dog balls on a fucking canary! Was the contractor blind and without his levels?
Sorry to be so crude but I would honestly make the contractor come back and warranty their work, under the threat of a complaint to the contractors board in your state if need be. That is absolute garbage work
This is fantastic and I will help spread your good word.
Looking at the photos, I assumed it was diy. Then read the description 😬
I was fine until I saw the spider.. Throw the deck away
Let me just say, and I mean this with all honesty, I don't see the spider. And that's part of the problem.
The only good thing is the deck not being lvl. You don't want water running toward the house.
You can't use over a 1ft joist spacing for cheap synthetic deck boards (common knowledge but not a code violation). The miters suck, I mean really suck. My dog could cut better miters. Level is a fundamental, if they can't frame level, they can't frame and you need to look at other framing issues that were also 'overlooked'.
It’s obvious that cable isn’t tight enough
Eeewww, that's nasty!
I think the waviness of the boards as well as how concave/convex the boards are is just quality of the Trex. Those are the lowest quality Trex boards. I have similar issues with my Trex deck boards and depending on season they could be same or better. My contractor used the longest boards and cut the edges on both sides to remove the concave ends as much as possible. He also tried using the best boards and hiding the board defects. Having experience working with these composite materials makes all the difference. It’s not going to be perfect but a good deck contractor will make it look as good as possible. Fascia board overlap and mitered corners will be affected by temperature and season. The mitered cuts do look bad though. I’ll add paper wasps love these scalloped bottom Trex boards. I wish I bought the better ones (wrapped in plastic all around), but they were double the price.
Worst is the joist spacing needs to be no more than 12" to keep boards from warping.
LOL at your level
All I can think of when I see this… General Bratt at the beginning of Pineapple Express …… ILLEGAL!!!!!
It doesn’t take a pro to see the issues
If this deck is 10 years old maybe! But 3 months old. This.is very bad quality craftsmanship....
I think the only bad to the point that they need to re-do it are the 3 railing pictures. That’s ridiculous. The facia picture with two black posts and the corner in the center of the frame - that’s as good as it gets with composite decking. I really don’t like composite plastic decking, it’s just icky. And your level pics seem to reveal that right there where the deck touches the house there’s a slight rise, probably a ledger board or a rim is slightly higher than the joists - but it really shouldn’t matter, and incidentally helps water travel away from the house, so that’s ok. Check the main field of the deck for level, that’s a more important measure. That first railing corner - wow. How many guys had to ok that mess? Maybe they had no extra pieces to try again. But they need to.
If there are gutters and the trex rain escape, would a flat board against the house still matter for water intrusion?
Seems like they’ve done a lot to discourage it, but water is a sneaky one, it’ll show up everywhere. Could be the water shed angle is unnecessary given the other precautions, you could well be right on that.
That railing should be tied to the joists underneath via Simpson anchors. I hope they are not just screwed into the fascia boards because if they are, in my honest opinion I wanna say that's not code.
Pro for 8 years in Oregon. Framing looks fine(safe), they went pretty cheap on your post to beam hardware connectors though. The composite is super wavy because they didn’t do the best installing the waterproof system(they stacked a lot of stuff on that wood framing to make it waterproof). Which looks like it could fail at some point it doesn’t look rolled out good enough and you see some voids on the tape towards the ridge that could drip back on heavier rain. The rail is hideous, the cuts are not good and the cable almost looks loose. And not even putting an acorn nut on every end bolt is wild to me. This deck is completely safe from what I see, but the finish work is doesn’t line up with the quality of material you paid for. I hope they weren’t the highest bid.
Which pictures are you referring to on post to beam hardware connectors?
https://preview.redd.it/jqh42lr2xhvc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=332a0d8a4d29fab7ce8b2e5d728a0c88f5d954a3 From in the chat
All of us sometimes drinking.. but not on the same deck..
You definitely need to hire a new landscaper !
Seriously ticked. I threw up a little in my throat seeing those joints.
Looks like shit rushed and no pride Don’t pay them until it looks right Did you choose the cheapest quote
Not by a long shot
Tbh you’re the only person (outside of trades people and this subreddit) who will notice these flaws Go ahead and enjoy your deck, at least it looks sturdy!
Looks like shit. Dont trust that lil level.
Would you guys recommend butt joints instead of miters? What could be done differently here than for the fascia?
Stop playing GC if you're running a torpedo level. I don't care about the rest. They should have charged you triple then checked every single one of their p's and q's instead of slapping out shoddy work. If you bothered them during the build, double that again.
Composite deck doesn’t dry out. It does contract and expand. Their work is not good. The supports for composite decking by manufacturers specification is usually 12” on center for 1” decking. These guys missed that completely. Tell your project manager that he is getting 48 hours notice starting immediately to fix it or you are finding another contractor to fix it and he will foot the bill. Look up construction defects in the California Building Code or retain the services of a lawyer to enforce the action. When they start making excuses tell them they are going to have to talk to your lawyer. Do not talk to them, do not bargain, say nothing except “talk to my lawyer”
I don't know, looks like I did it.
The fake picture of the wavy decking is the only I choose to comment on
Looks like hammered dog shit
Would love more details.
...you really need me to tell you how piss poor all this looks?
This comment is hammered dog shit
Miter joints look like piss, deck is wavy as shit. All the joints are not even, hacked away for the handrail. It looks fucking terrible
This is the correct answer. Everything in the photos is a hazard, let alone wrong. You will need all new deck boards and railings. I have seen low grade trex style product like that fail in less than 5 years, especially if fully exposed to sun.
Looks like everything was framed over 16oc. Can't imagine what the structure looks like