Follow-up on deck repair

The inspector came and left and left a message for me on the phone and
had no complaints about my deck.   Even without the railing or the
steps.

So I"m off the hook for a few years.

Maybe by then I'll want something specific.  (I had thought about
steps to the basement, covered by a part of the deck that would swing
up when needed.  Or an associated shed/locker for my bicycle and
lawnmower)

I used the old treated 2x4's to build a fire-wood rack from a kit.
(When target says they are selling a two-pack, don't believe them.
It's two pieces but only makes ONE firewood rack.  Most other ads for
the same item, the Finley kit, didn't call it a two-pack.)

And I have about 48 square feet of space more for yard, which is a lot
for a townhouse.

My shortened deck, my mini deck, two feet deep, is much better without
railings.  I can sit on the deck with my feet on the ground.  I can
use it as a work bench or a lunch table. 

Maybe I'll build steps later.


It was 28 inches from the ground, but somehow when I was done
magically it was 30 inches and an eighth above the ground!  30 inches
and above is probably the height that requires a railing.   I had made
the 4x4 posts one eighth inch higher than the measured length, so they
wouldn't fall out, and I thought maybe I measured wrong and the posts
had somehow made the deck too high.  But using a level, I saw the deck
was still tipping down a little bit as it went away from the house.
So I decided to raise the earth. First I just spread the dirt that
there around better, but that wasn't enough, so I bought 40 pounds of
top soil. 

Unfortunately that stuff is black and my dirt is some of it dark brown
and some of it light brown.   I only put down a little and I may scoop
it back up and put it where I can't see it. behind some bushes or in
the stream bed.  It only cost $1.23.  

The inspector was reasonable. 


I was going to tear down my whole deck and just put in steps to the
back door until I could bulld a new deck, but the last 7 2x4's were
sound, firmly nailed ot the joists. and not warped (though the outer
ones sagged a bit. Im going to make the center leg longer and longer
and maybe I can undo the sagging. )