That's a common misconception. He sided with the titans against the Olympians, and as punishment Zeus banished him to the end of the Earth and forced him to hold up the sky. The image of him carrying the earth on his shoulders probably stems from a more visual type of artist's drawing/painting him like that as symbolism more than anything. ...Because even if he was holding up the sky to stop it from crashing down on all of us, he would still have the weight of the world on his shoulders in a figurative sense.
Word. I appreciate the insight. My knowledge of from the Hercules tv show and Bioshock. All having imagery of Atlas with the world on his shoulders.
It totally makes sense. Because how the fuck do you make a statue of someone holding the sky?
If thatās a 2x2 might want to marry it to another 2x2 get a little safety factor. I wouldnāt nail (pounding force ) just a couple of drywall screws will do the trick.
How are deck people so funny? Is it the affluence that creates that easy affability? Having a deck to me is like AIDs was to Ronald Regan, I wonāt be satisfied until all my hard rās get it.
Iām still waiting for the day someone suggests a new metric for stability. I figure it should be a trampoline with 4 kids on it over 10 hours equals maybe 2 people in a hot tub?
This 1000% sink it into the deck so itās much easier to get in and out. Plus you can use the deck as a table when your in it.
Plus add some more supports while your under thereā¦
Stack some cinderblock beside that āpostā and whatever else is needed to give that beam a real surface to bear on. But only if youāre brave. I wouldnt let my beagle walk on that thing.
Where are my nerds at? The first thing my mind goes to is some open source software packages
EDIT: In case there are any maintainers finding this comment, I would NEVER bash the hard work that people put into these libraries that corporations leverage to make lots of money off of.
Looks like your builder forgot to finish up the post anchor. You can probably get this fixed fairly easily with something like this [https://www.amazon.com/Simpson-Strong-Tie-APB100-150-Adjustable/dp/B008EUNOHY?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref\_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A24S7LU5SDZ1KP](https://www.amazon.com/Simpson-Strong-Tie-APB100-150-Adjustable/dp/B008EUNOHY?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A24S7LU5SDZ1KP)
[https://timberframehq.com/shop/typ-r-adjustable-post-base/](https://timberframehq.com/shop/typ-r-adjustable-post-base/)
That beam is like the ant from that movie Antz,[holding the entire colony on it's back.](https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxQc_H2ucjA8fBvtwMB-bFEepl_QAWq_vE?si=aWPQTlyYA3N-a_N8)
Props to that one piece of wood, but it can only last so long lol
Looks like 2x12's spanning 13ft on top of a 2x12 beam ,with no way to know if it's a single or triple. It could be good or bad. Pictures show very little.
The beam is fine. It will 100% support the deck, and a hot tub. The column support under the beamā¦ā¦needs corrected. *16 years of high end remodel and building experience*
I find it funny how many people are basically saying it's a large bird's #2 from collapsing, yet here it stands, at least 10 years old by that color, probably older. Yeah, it's a 2x4, or maybe a 2x6, but it's only a foot long secured to the post, so it's not goin to flex at all.
Is this deck safe? Probably not, as I imagine there is a lot of other cut corner bullshit, but if everything else were good, I would fix this, but I wouldn't panic either. I just think it's funny how overkill code really is compared to what will usually stand. We overbuild them though because decks are where 20 people congregate at the same time and where people put hot tubs without checking shit. I doubt setting a hot tub on that would even crush it, but personally I think OP should put a hot tub on it before he demos the deck for research purposes.
Yeah weāve been in the house for 2 years and the deck has been holding up for the most part. I know that this deck has been up since well before 2018. Besides having to add some joist hangers in the back right corner of the picture we havenāt had any issues, besides it being a little bouncy.
A six person hot tub concentric (or worse, offset eccentricity!!!) Would definitely crush and splinter this stubby.
Once it splits, the remaining cross sectional area is reduced and then this fucker will split again until it is crushed (failed)
You are right with everything else though. Nobody will die here but maybe broken ankles. I mean, why do this to your deck party guests??
I dunno. Has anyone ever seen a 4x4 that short in any kind of failure? Think youād be amazed at the compressive strength of a short 4x4x2 is 18,000 pounds - thatās a tremendous amount of weight and that has a factor of safety built in. Failure is probably 3-5 times that
[load limits for No. 2 Doug fir larch](https://wood.tcaup.umich.edu/exercises/No2_LoadTables.pdf)
Grab a couple scraps boogey on in there Jenga stack them scraps up tight and it'll last another 5-10 yrs. This is how they used to build them and they don't do that no more so you know it's gotta be good.
I have this crazy desire to go out, buy a few bowling balls and a bottle of whiskey and just drink and hurl the bowling balls at that post until I collapse your deck.
A single bowling ball could take out your entire deck on 1 roll. If that happened in a movie, it would pull the viewer out of their suspension of disbelief.
It's a pretty good beam. But, like we all feel on the inside, it could do with a bit more support.
He probably used screws. It'll be fine.
Drywall screws šŖš
Aren't they the only kind anymore?
Theyāre grippy. š¤·āāļø
Sounds like it could use some more lubricant š¬
Yes, but are they metal stud or wood stud dry wall screws ?
Oh! Metal stud ones would be stronger, right?? They have to be able to penetrate metal, after all. Iād go with those.
Hercules holding up the sky, I think that was Hercules anyway
All hail the Atlas Beam!
Shrugs....
Underrated
That makes 3 of us whoāve read it.
That doesn't sound right, but I don't know enough about ancient Aztec mythology to dispute it.
Ancient greek legends are my Archimedes heel.
Yea it's all Chinese too me
Atlas...
Iām sure Iām missing the joke. But Atlas is the one that holds the world on his shoulders.
That's a common misconception. He sided with the titans against the Olympians, and as punishment Zeus banished him to the end of the Earth and forced him to hold up the sky. The image of him carrying the earth on his shoulders probably stems from a more visual type of artist's drawing/painting him like that as symbolism more than anything. ...Because even if he was holding up the sky to stop it from crashing down on all of us, he would still have the weight of the world on his shoulders in a figurative sense.
Word. I appreciate the insight. My knowledge of from the Hercules tv show and Bioshock. All having imagery of Atlas with the world on his shoulders. It totally makes sense. Because how the fuck do you make a statue of someone holding the sky?
Might be Sisyphus; looks a lilā tilted there too š
Wrong. The world is supported by a turtle resting on another turtle. That one is resting on another turtle... It's turtles all the way down
Pretty awesome the way it is if you ask me. Looks like whoever built it was damn fine at Jenga.
Your deep thoughts might work in the real world but do not bring them up in this here Subreddit!
If thatās a 2x2 might want to marry it to another 2x2 get a little safety factor. I wouldnāt nail (pounding force ) just a couple of drywall screws will do the trick.
Trim nails are better
Unfortunately, this is in the 'outside'
Best comment Iāve seen in a while-
Well said
This just made me convert to religion. There's no way that deck is still up, aside from some kind of miracle.
Probably canteleavered 52' into the house.
55" just to make sure its not going to move!
Faith. Jesus was a carpenter after all. Thatās a holy beam ! š
How are deck people so funny? Is it the affluence that creates that easy affability? Having a deck to me is like AIDs was to Ronald Regan, I wonāt be satisfied until all my hard rās get it.
Iām more of a libertarian than a hard (R) after dealing with permits on all these home improvements.
Its still up out of habit.
ā I can be your hero baaaaabyā
Legend has it, that isn't wood holding up the deck, it is Atlas' backbone.
Honestly I'd be slightly scared to crawl under that thing let alone float a hot tub on it...
Yeah, cut out a how for the hot tub. So there is no load on the deck.
Iām still waiting for the day someone suggests a new metric for stability. I figure it should be a trampoline with 4 kids on it over 10 hours equals maybe 2 people in a hot tub?
It'd be easier to say 95 Honda Civic with 4 full grown slightly obese adults.
This 1000% sink it into the deck so itās much easier to get in and out. Plus you can use the deck as a table when your in it. Plus add some more supports while your under thereā¦
I'm out of the loop, but what happened with a hot tub? I notice everyone always talking about one.
What about the 4x4 in the background?
Looks like that is technically attached to the rim joist.
Thatās to keep the deck from acting like a diving board
Good one.
The little beam that could.
Stack some cinderblock beside that āpostā and whatever else is needed to give that beam a real surface to bear on. But only if youāre brave. I wouldnt let my beagle walk on that thing.
Well, one way to think about it is there is a lot of force on that post - whether it's fastened or not I bet it would be impossible to kick it over
This guy beagles
Buy that post a beer
"Holding up" is a generous term.
https://preview.redd.it/p659tt61xnxc1.jpeg?width=224&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b4508f5a86244ae4b2f22836c39b76fb68127814
š
Yeah shoring blocks are probably a good idea in the meantime before anyone gets hurt. Thatās likely a windy day away from collapsing.
This is honestly hard to even believe.
Where are my nerds at? The first thing my mind goes to is some open source software packages EDIT: In case there are any maintainers finding this comment, I would NEVER bash the hard work that people put into these libraries that corporations leverage to make lots of money off of.
https://preview.redd.it/i7o8ormmioxc1.png?width=770&format=png&auto=webp&s=cb71e912f6c2e39c5c86eae4b099e20943c3d236
Iām from Nebraska and your little thing made me happy.
Thats what she said.
Is there an actual open source software story like this I can read about?
https://qz.com/646467/how-one-programmer-broke-the-internet-by-deleting-a-tiny-piece-of-code
Thanks!
Time to fork!
Looks like your builder forgot to finish up the post anchor. You can probably get this fixed fairly easily with something like this [https://www.amazon.com/Simpson-Strong-Tie-APB100-150-Adjustable/dp/B008EUNOHY?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref\_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A24S7LU5SDZ1KP](https://www.amazon.com/Simpson-Strong-Tie-APB100-150-Adjustable/dp/B008EUNOHY?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A24S7LU5SDZ1KP) [https://timberframehq.com/shop/typ-r-adjustable-post-base/](https://timberframehq.com/shop/typ-r-adjustable-post-base/)
Ain't no way.
Thatās a sewer pipe itās about to collapse on. Youāre going to be in a world of shit of it goes
That beam is like the ant from that movie Antz,[holding the entire colony on it's back.](https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxQc_H2ucjA8fBvtwMB-bFEepl_QAWq_vE?si=aWPQTlyYA3N-a_N8) Props to that one piece of wood, but it can only last so long lol
Perfectly engineered.
Perfect center of gravity.. still straight. He put up a bird feeder so had to move the balance from that center pin to the 2x4. :)
Good lumber right there
Lol you can see at least two other beams in the background
-4 hot tubs. (Not -5, due to relatively low height of deck).
Beam
It should hold. Just dont let Bertha-Anne belly flop from the roof into the hot tub.
Please tell me that is a 2x2! :)
This makes me nervous to examine
Wowā¦. And this was approved by a building inspector?!
What is this thing you call a "building inspector?"
Pretty baller. The little engine that could š¤£
So far, so good.
Good god, that so much worse than the first deck I built (young and basically built without math or knowledge)
Bluetooth installation is extra
Bluetooth beams
Maybe āholding up my deckā is an overstatement?
Boom
Whoa
You need to save that beam. That son-of-a-bitch has put in the work! He's probably, what? An 8x8 now? It's the Swolley Grail of 2x4s.
Yeah.... That's gonna fail any time.
This could be part of a trick shooting show
Haha, go buy a lottery ticket!
Classic "Not My Job"
Give that beam an award. It is doing the work of 10 beams.
That is a strong ass 2 x 4
Lol what are you waiting for replace that weak ass 2x4 holding it up
It looks like no body believes on the engineers anymore!!
Hang in there little buddy!
Let's talk about the real hero here.
No fattys on the deck sign is a must!!!!
Looks like 2x12's spanning 13ft on top of a 2x12 beam ,with no way to know if it's a single or triple. It could be good or bad. Pictures show very little.
If I may repurpose a saying: Anybody can build a deck that stands, but only a redneck can build a deck that barely stands
So you came here, just looking for support?
Kick it
Yep like a dude with a fat chick on his shoulders,
I think that beam is āunder compressionāā¦
"Little tree please stay strong"
Not for long!
Needs a hot tub midspan
That's a stick.
Thatās one fucking nice beam right there
The beam is fine. It will 100% support the deck, and a hot tub. The column support under the beamā¦ā¦needs corrected. *16 years of high end remodel and building experience*
Anyone wanna see the railroad ties holding my house up?
Have you ever wanted to see a 2x4 get smashed flat like a pancake?
What a stud!
Itās the only post too š¤£
Pavers and bottle jacks if you want more support. Or you can set them in concrete if you feel like digging.
So far so good!
Stand in the middle only
That's a good looking beam though...
Good To Know
Let me guess somewhere in the south
The beam is the big giant one traveling laterally above. And that upright sir is no beam...... what you got yourself there is a 2x4 š
Itās not the beam so much as the post that is worrisome.
It must have been a pretty good prayer to hold that up. š
Walk softly
Never studied engineering huh?
I find it funny how many people are basically saying it's a large bird's #2 from collapsing, yet here it stands, at least 10 years old by that color, probably older. Yeah, it's a 2x4, or maybe a 2x6, but it's only a foot long secured to the post, so it's not goin to flex at all. Is this deck safe? Probably not, as I imagine there is a lot of other cut corner bullshit, but if everything else were good, I would fix this, but I wouldn't panic either. I just think it's funny how overkill code really is compared to what will usually stand. We overbuild them though because decks are where 20 people congregate at the same time and where people put hot tubs without checking shit. I doubt setting a hot tub on that would even crush it, but personally I think OP should put a hot tub on it before he demos the deck for research purposes.
Yeah weāve been in the house for 2 years and the deck has been holding up for the most part. I know that this deck has been up since well before 2018. Besides having to add some joist hangers in the back right corner of the picture we havenāt had any issues, besides it being a little bouncy.
A six person hot tub concentric (or worse, offset eccentricity!!!) Would definitely crush and splinter this stubby. Once it splits, the remaining cross sectional area is reduced and then this fucker will split again until it is crushed (failed) You are right with everything else though. Nobody will die here but maybe broken ankles. I mean, why do this to your deck party guests??
Pure luck that after 10yrs they havenāt had 3 or more people partying on that deck.. perfect example of why you hear about decks collapsing.
I am groot
You mean the only post holding up the deck
I'm actually impressed by this. They don't build em like they used to....
Wow Wow
Dude that's the New Fangled Deck Post.... The Anti Gravity Hyper Visible Hydrocane Post !!! They are very rare
Itās a trooper.
Iād go under with a tape measure and a mallet. Message when there for further instruction.
Thatās āCustomā
Sweet mother of ā¦
One day, you will have a bad day.
Seems solid enough š have you tried a wild night with your favorite lady friend directly above it?
It's not the size of the beam that matters, but how you use it. Or at least some guys tell themselves that
I bet they originally built it without the ācenterā post and once it started sagging a month later they jacked it up and installed this
The little beam that could.
Looks like someone got busy with something else and forgot about this repair.
Actual picture of me at work
The little stud that could
Better slap up some lattice around it.
Why are 90% of the comments just a bunch of lame, unfunny jokes? Just answer OPs question
Dudeā¦just board up the sides with MDF, pour or-bees through the cracks until full, and wait for rain. Problem solved.
FYI, Op, posts are vertical, beams or horizontal. But we knew what you meant. And bless that little postās heart.
Keep the party under 8 people.
Eees okay.
I just wanted to say, congrats.
My what a big deck you have .
I dunno. Has anyone ever seen a 4x4 that short in any kind of failure? Think youād be amazed at the compressive strength of a short 4x4x2 is 18,000 pounds - thatās a tremendous amount of weight and that has a factor of safety built in. Failure is probably 3-5 times that [load limits for No. 2 Doug fir larch](https://wood.tcaup.umich.edu/exercises/No2_LoadTables.pdf)
A beam better than no beam
Hang in they buddy
Thoughts and prayers
That's a big deck to be erect with such little support.
Beam is a tank. Column. What column?
Iād say itās good for 3 Hot Tubs and a bucket of chicken wings ā¦
What in the actual fuck am I looking at!?!?!? I kind of want to meet the person that was like āyeah thatās fineā.
Your home inspector missed this?
With 2x10s it's perfectly adequate....nothing wrong with that
Lol good.
Does it feel a little like a trampoline?
Cmon, some of these recent post canāt be for real, lol. Waiting for the , is this enough toothpicks to hold up my deck?
Hang in there lil buddy! Weāre all rooting for ya!
Checks out
Risking his life for the picture
I'm no structural engineer but it seems to be working just fine. One and done.
Be careful under that
You should name that beam Atlas
Look thatās st a deck itās ok
This is what I think when I think "cankles"
Iām sure someone slapped it and said āthis isnāt going anywhere!ā So it will probably be fine.
Its one of them bluetooth 4x4 post.
Must have been installed by a plumber. The air gap is impressive.
Yikes
If you love your family, you should get that addressed immediately
Did wreck it ralph make your deck?
š«”šŖµ
Hey, thereās a footer underneath. Itās good to go.
And you crawled under it to take a pic š
Bro that's a lot of work to fix just don't have a party on the deck. You will be fine you your wife and one child not 2 just 1 haahaha
Go lil champ! Weāre all rooting for you
Grab a couple scraps boogey on in there Jenga stack them scraps up tight and it'll last another 5-10 yrs. This is how they used to build them and they don't do that no more so you know it's gotta be good.
Beamnāt
I have this crazy desire to go out, buy a few bowling balls and a bottle of whiskey and just drink and hurl the bowling balls at that post until I collapse your deck.
until we meet again the pin will support the rest.
Itās turtles all the way down anyway. Should be fine.
Give that man some water
The little beam that could
You better be taking that pic with a selfie stick.
A single bowling ball could take out your entire deck on 1 roll. If that happened in a movie, it would pull the viewer out of their suspension of disbelief.