Structural Engineer Frank Woeste Says Most U.S. Decks & Porches Unsafe

Structural Engineer Frank Woeste, P.E., Ph.D., a professor of Engineering at Virginia Tech, maintains that most U.S. decks and porches can't support the weight load that building codes say that they should support. His assertion is well founded. He spent an extensive amount of time inspecting and reviewing all sorts of decks and porches for his new Manual for the Inspection of Residential Wood Decks and Balconies. He said that when the team of authors of the Manual went out to research decks and porches, they did not find even a single one that was completely code compliant.

Our deck and balcony collapse attorneys note that the International Building Code, upon which most local building codes are based, requires that a deck, porch, or balcony be able to support a live load of 40 psf (pounds per square foot). This is in addition to the "dead load" the structure must bear. The dead load is the weight of the structure itself.

Frank Woeste, in a discussion of a fatal porch collapse in Chicago that killed 13 partygoers on June 29, 2011, seemed frustrated with the media's repeated coverage of a Chicago Fire Commissioner's statement that put the blame on overcrowding. At the time of the fatal porch collapse in Chicago, no more than 30 people were on the porch. The actual number probably stood at fewer than that.

There were about 70 partygoers spread across all three levels of the building, inside and outside, and the connecting stairways. Most of the killed and injured partygoers were underneath the deck when it fell on the 1st and 2nd floors.

Frank Woeste says that the math clearly reveals that a code compliant deck should have supported the weight of the people that occupied it. In fact, the 12' x 20' porch should have safely supported 60 people if it was fully code compliant. This is based on:

• An average person's weight of 160 pounds,
• With each person allotted 4 square feet,
• On a porch supporting a live load of 40 psf.

He said the erroneous media focus on "overcrowding" in the fatal porch collapse in Chicago could give other deck and porch owners a false sense of security about the strength and reliability of their own decks.

Injured victims of the fatal porch collapse in Chicago and the surviving family members of those killed in the fatal porch collapse have sued the City of Chicago in addition to the building owner. Their deck and balcony collapse attorneys focus attention on inadequately sized joists. They say that the City did not do its job in inspecting properties and making sure that they were safe for use. And an after the fact inspection by the City on 700 decks and porches resulted in citations for at least 545 of them, and outright condemnation of 70 others.

Frank Woeste says that some basic math can help you build safer decks and porches. He says that some fairly simple math can easily guide you in joist size and spacing, but that you should be sure not to overlook the ledger attachment. Most deck and porch collapses result from failure of connections at the ledger board attachment. Post stability is another important consideration, especially for taller structures.

Our experienced deck and balcony collapse attorneys could help you obtain fair financial recompense for your expenses and your pain and suffering after you've been injured or you've lost a loved one in a structural collapse. But your advance inspection and repair could possibly help you avoid a disastrous deck collapse altogether. Build safe.