George Davis

Is a small inflatable pool safe on an 8' × 18' deck?

I’m thinking about putting a small inflatable pool on my deck that holds about 145 gallons of water. The deck was built with the house in 2023 and is 8' × 18'.

Would this be safe, or should I be concerned about the weight/load on the deck?

Thanks!

How would y’all approach filling/sealing this gap?

What would be the best way to fill and seal this gap properly? Looking for suggestions on the right materials and method.

How do I measure this gap to get the correct angle?

What’s the best way to measure this empty space so I can figure out the correct angle to cut the board and get a good fit?

Any tips or tricks would be appreciated!

How bad is this? 15+ year-old deck

This deck is over 15 years old, with a 20' span off the back of the house. It’s about 54" off the ground at the far end because of the sloping lot, and the posts are set in concrete.

How concerning does this look, and what would be the appropriate way to repair or reinforce it?

Any advice is appreciated!

LVP planned, but the upstairs floor is very uneven

We planned to install LVP upstairs, but the installer found over 1" of variation near the walls, especially around the bathrooms.

The house was built in 1995, but there are no obvious structural issues—nothing feels spongy and the drywall looks fine. They suggested self-leveler, but can’t guarantee the floor will meet LVP requirements.

Would you try self-leveling, or is carpet the safer option?

Would you consider these handrails finished?

Quick question for the contractors here. I’m happy with the overall deck structure, but I’m wondering about the handrails.

There are areas along the full length where the screws have pulled the wood up and left some raised spots. Would you consider this finished, or should the contractor clean these areas up?

TIA!

Is there anything that can be done about this gap?

We’re having a deck built, and there’s a significant gap between these posts. Is there a way to correct this, or is this something that needs to be addressed before the deck is finished?

Any advice would be appreciated!

Miter joint in pressure-treated wood

Any ideas on how to close this gap, or would cutting a new board with a better miter angle be the best fix?

My buddy is building my deck, and I’m not really happy with how this joint turned out. What would you do?

Are these deck stairs done right?

My friend is helping me build a deck. He framed houses years ago and has built a couple of decks, so I trust that he knows what he’s doing. However, the stairs relying on pressure-treated plywood make me a little nervous.

He says this is fine, but should there be more framing behind the plywood to strengthen it?

I’d appreciate some opinions before we go any further!

Contractor says he can’t stagger these boards

My contractor says he can’t stagger these boards because of something about the pieces connecting to the ends. I’m wondering if that’s actually best practice or if he just doesn’t want to cut smaller pieces.

The boards in the bedrooms he installed were staggered properly, so I’m confused about why these can’t be.

Is there a legitimate reason these shouldn’t be staggered?