Not a great thing to wake up to this morning...
 

...I heard a big noise in the middle of the night during the heavy rains, but assumed it was thunder...I guess not..

Yikes! That's weird. I think I see nails but it must not have been attached very well.

I'm guessing that pine needles and other debris from the last 14 years blocked whatever drainage it was supposed to have and the water built up and it gave way.

Inside a porch is more surprising but water is tough. It can get anywhere.

I can't tell for sure...
But it looks like they used soffit material and nailed directly to purlins attached to the deck joist.
The deck joist are beginning to show some signs of rot.

They have better systems.

yes...
 

Yes, that's exactly how it was done. I am concerned if the joists are showing rot. A few of the deck boards on top have become punky where they get hit with roof water run-off...at a minimum, those need to be replaced. Might be time to bite the bullet and replace the whole darn thing with Azek or other material that will out-live me.

Nothing's worse than discovering hidden rot. We went to replace our porch siding at camp only to discover the whole sill had rotted out and quadrupled the work and cost.

Sorry, friend, but good luck!

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Unfortunately the practicality of putting in esthetic features, is often not good. you have to have a way to get that debris out, or the result is as you have experienced..... Hopefully the frame of the deck is still solid.... a few punky boards on top are easy to replace... if you went the "roof" for the deck below, just incorporate a way to pressure wash the debris out occasionally....

So I made the mistake of telling my brother who knows everything, (just ask him), and got the earful of, "...that's what you get for having a finished look that is nice to look at. My deck that's open underneath will never have that problem...blah, blah, blah... :eek: )

As much as you don't want to hear it, your brother is probably correct. Unless you have a waterproof membrane under the deck above, water is going to collect on the ceiling below. Eventually that is going to rot and you can see the results today.

''Nail Pop" occurs on both sides of a deck. The expansion/contracting of the wood wicking moisture and then drying out loosens the fastener and allows for a small amount of rot around it.

If the panels are still good... you can check the level of rot... clean it up... add joist tape and reinstall the panels, but with screws that are larger than the current fasteners. Most likely replace the purlins and wrap those with the tape before securing.

The top decking can be fixed by a mixture of either deck grates or just replacing a few boards that take the pounding from drip off the roof.
(obviously joist tape what you can under those also).

Time and Mother Nature will rip down any structure.

Nothing wrong with the finished look, unfortunately most builders, and consumers don't think it all the way through..... It doesn't take much pitch to get the water to run off, unfortunately all the "stuff" following through the cracks of the deck above are a different story... It should be easy enough to create some access points, that would allow you to put a pressure washer nozzle through and remove the "Stuff" with some pressure once every couple of years...

I don't think a hose or pressure washer would work.
The attachment to the purlins limits the gap created for the run-off of water and debris.

If you look at a system, like the Trex RainEscape, it creates a large gutter that has an opening deep enough so that all the debris flows freely to the catch basins, and the catch basins are big so less chance of clogging.

Just rather expensive.

Count Your Blessings...
 

It didn't fall during lunchtime... :rolleye2:

You are SO right...
 

You couldn't be more spot on! When my son is here every few weeks, he and his dog like to sit on that patio furniture below the deck and just look out at the lake. If it had happened when he and the dog were there, we'd have much bigger problems than cleaning up broken vinyl soffit and pine needle sludge.

Soffit
 

Had they used vented soffit instead of solid you probably wouldn't have had this problem !

It would leak onto the patio below... which was what they were most likely trying to avoid.

Prior to decking, you can use Trex RainEscape... after decking you can use Timbertech Dryspace.

Other than that... you have to realize wherever the ceiling is attached to the purlin... that is the gap you have for water and debris.
Overtime, the purlins will rot, and the nails/screws will release.

Now for the repairs...
 

OK, so the mess is all cleaned up and now it's time for the repairs. A contractor who was referred to me by a friend came by the other day. I asked for two estimates: one to do the "short-term fix" to get things back to where they were and one that is a long-term solution to replace all of the wood deck boards and rails with Azek or something similar. I also asked him to think about what could be done with the "short term fix" that could prevent this from happening again, (thinking of John's suggestion of the under-deck drainage/gutter system). That was clearly something he had no experience with.

He was a friendly guy, but I just had the gut feeling that this might be beyond his skill-set. So, appreciate any recommendations on high quality, (and yes, that may mean high cost), deck guys. I don't want any hacks and I don't want anyone who does it part-time when they're not working at the fire station.

Thanks.

It depends on what you choose.

Are you going to resurface the deck, and is Azek the product of choice?

In a perfect world, the contractor would have undergone certification by the manufacturer, know how to use their design tools, and be able to give you what the finished product and price would be before you sign a contract.

Listen to your gut. If it’s saying no then it’s a easy decision


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you need to clean it out every few years...

The whole thing needs to be replaced.
Hopefully, none of the rot has encroached into the sill of the main house.
Any carpenter can build a deck. Not all carpenters can build a deck correctly.

Trex has an interesting design website. LINK

Paul Haskel of Gilford. Name of an excellent carpenter.

Trex has a better one in the deck planner.

But if he wants Azek, he should use the Timbertech one to deal with any nuances of the product line.

It will be easier when they go to order as the item codes will match up with the product.

Zip Up
 

I remembered this thread from Meredithman and thought I would offer this option...

I'm in the process of doing an under deck ceiling system made by "Zip Up". This system is a "do it yourself" system and designed to be installed after your upper deck is installed which makes it nice. It's relatively inexpensive compared to other under deck systems that require access from the top and a lot less complicated to install with only three main pieces required.

https://zipupceilings.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGAededTruk

The system can accept can style lighting and I decided to go with lights made by Trex which are their "rainscape" can lighting which are lightweight and plug and play and require no electrician to install as long as you have an outlet somewhere to plug in transformer.

I ended up purchasing online through Decks Direct as the only place in NH to get it was at Gilford Home Center. Unfortunately they could only get certain colors and sizes that I couldn't use which I thought was a little strange. Decks Direct had everything I needed and shipped it for free and was received in 3 days!!

I'll take and post some pics once its done but thus far I have found it to be a pretty easy and good system to install especially for those of you trying to finish off underneath an already completed deck where options are very limited...

Dan

They may have been looking at DrySpace?
It seems to be a lot more limited in options than the product you chose.

Zipup
 

Zipup looks like great system. A very nice looking finished project.

25(?) years ago we put a "ceiling" over our lower deck to prevent rain from dripping through. We built a separate 12 x 24 frame and covered with corrugated aluminum panels. It is pitched for normal drainage, but it is also hinged so the whole ceiling lowers for cleaning and we leave it in the down position in the winter which protects the stored furniture a bit. It was a DIY project, but some help and guidance from knowledgeable contractors.

Progress Photos
 

Here’s a few progress photos…Hopefully complete in the next day or two. Very happy with the zip up system!

The first photo shows the area being worked on.

The second photo shows the layout of furring to anchor system to. (crucial)

The third photo shows some of some of it completed with lights…

There will eventually be a gutter system installed at the end of the system to catch all the water.

Dan

Don’t know why the second and third pic are sideways???

Different than the DrySpace.

DrySpace doesn't have any furring strips.

The long rails secure directly to the joists and create the required pitch without any measuring... and then the panels between the rails snap in and can be removed at a later date should it need to be cleaned out.

The rails protect the wood from rot... but have sizing limits.

This is more like our new TrussCore product... but even that one doesn't use furring strips

I did look at Timbertechs “Dry Space” but didn’t like the looks of the large corrugated panels and it was really unsightly at the gutter where all the corrugated gaps were even more exposed.

Zip Up does sell their own PVC furring but it’s crazy expensive and from everything I researched, most contractors were using pressure treated or other rot resistant wood as furring and I can certainly understand why after doing this project. Just the simple ability to rip your own custom size furring is a real nice benefit!

If this space was a simple rectangle and had no lights, this job would take a quarter of the time. While layout is critical no matter what system you use, prepping for lights really consumes time but it’s a must have in my situation. The Trex Rainscape lights are awesome but not cheap!

Dan

The only reason I hate furring strips is that the water/debris collects next to them were the waterproof panel is attached.

I have been looking to some newer versions were we will have to apply PT ''shims'' the length of the joists to keep the channel clear.

Our Trex dealer is working with them... but so new that I have just barely seen a sample today... so not much info or real world experience.

This system doesn’t have that issue as each panel is “zipped” into a full length rafter that hangs down at least 2” off the furring so there is plenty of space. See pic below….

Dan

The only reason I hate furring strips is that the water/debris collects next to them were the waterproof panel is attached.

I have been looking to some newer versions were we will have to apply PT ''shims'' the length of the joists to keep the channel clear.

Our Trex dealer is working with them... but so new that I have just barely seen a sample today... so not much info or real world experience.

To bring this thread full-circle...
 

...Great to see and hear about your experience with Zip-Up, Dan. I am actually getting that for the repair of what started this whole thread last June...allegedly the project is starting in the next few weeks, so it will be about a full year from the crash to the start of the repair.

To say that this has been a bit of a fiasco is an understatement. Many calls to various contractors who either: a) never showed up; or, b) came out and took measurements and pictures, but then I never heard from them again nor received a quote from them. The 3 finalists who stood out in their professionalism were Scott Compton Builders, and the construction arms of Stephens Landscaping and Miracle Farms. None of these folks are inexpensive, but I was able to see actual jobs they had done and it is all top-notch. Lastly, getting the insurance company to cough up the money was also a back-and-forth hassle and while they are not covering the entire cost, (they deem the Zip-Up system to be an "upgrade" over the original soffit material), they are covering more than half of the cost.

Finally, light at the end of the tunnel...

Glad to hear Meredith Man! I think you will be quite happy with the Zip Up System!

Good luck with your project!

Dan

When making major decisions like this, one must always ask themselves. What would John do? :laugh:

Since I sell the materials to Compton, Stephens, and Miracle Farm... anything they want.