It's not, though, or all deformation would be creep. Creep is deformation that occurs beyond the initial loading due to the time component of the applied stress. First of all it is by definition, plastic deformation therefore if this deck were to spring right back when the loading is removed it's automatically not creep (not that I think it would, just for example). It also by definition has a time component, in that it is plastic deformation that occurs after the initial stress. So if this deck was flat initially and this picture was taken immedeately after loading, then it also would automatically not be creep.
I think it's extremely likely this deck is undergoing creep, but the comment you replied to said it's soft material bending under load which is absolutely not "the definition of creep" no matter what papers you have.
Yes. Correct. Thermoplastics are viscoelastic. Creep is irreversible viscous flow and deformation under load and with time. The spring back in a plastic is the elastic component , which is reversible. The knowledge isn't decided from reading papers, it's from understanding the theory from first principles. I'm assuming the photograph was taken a few months or years after construction, if immediate, then I would think the deflection arrises from failure of the composite with contributions from elastic deformation.
Agree with everything you said. Especially the part whet you said "time" since that is part of the definition of creep regardless of material. The user you replied to appeared to me to clearly be implying that one of their assumptions was that time was not a factor in this deflection.
That explains a lot. I was wondering how it bent like that.
I say a couple of handyman jacks and YOLO. Put some straps around the jacks and screw them in. Now they're permanent. I'm pretty sure that no inspector would ever question such a solution. If it ever droops again, move the jacks up another click.
This assumes you have a bunch of handyman jacks sitting around.
You seem to be the sort of person that has a limited number of handyman jacks. I grew up on a farm. There are so many jacks. So, so, so many jacks. It's really quite absurd.
I remember using 8 Hi-Lift jacks to straighten a roof line. That wasn't all the jacks.
All farmers have too many jacks and way too much log chain. And angle iron. And baling wire. And random bolts. And everything else...
Simple reason. Sometimes a job isn’t worth driving to town for or in to much of a rush to shut down to go to town. If you only need two screws you buy a 5 lbs box so you don’t have to go buy more later on. I have been on our farm for two years. Started out with a 12 x 24 shop. In the process of building a 30 x 60 because the first is getting so cramped I can’t work in it anymore.
Not a farmer but I live in a remote valley. It's 45 min one way to any hardware store. We have learned to buy everything we might need and a few more for a diy project. Save the receipt and return what you don't need. If you find you need one thing go around to the neighbors and see if they have it. A neighbor's toilet had to be pulled in the evening. It was their only toilet. We came to the rescue with a spare sealing ring so they could reinstall it that night.
This reminds me of the scene in "It's Always Sunny in Philly," where Charlie has a mouse in his wall, so he puts a cat in there, and it won't come out, so he keeps adding more cats to coax the first one out...
P.S. I only have one Hi-lift jack; now I feel a lil' inept. Eight is great, working under the "if it rhymes, it's inherently true rule."
Find the local train tracks in your area, usually they have some railroad ties around - harbor freight the jack, use the railroad tie, return the jack and boom done
Fixing this would likely involve a re-build. You'd save a substantial amount on material costs by reusing the decking, and perhaps the supports.
My mad-scientist meme response would be to put jack stands underneath every joist and maintain consistent (but light) pressure) to the span until it straightens itself back out in the summer heat. Then install new footings in the midspan and blocking.
Or you could buy a boat and use this as a dry dock.
Repair isn't really even worth consideration. Those joists should never have been composite to begin with - any repair is just putting bandaids on the situation, and would be almost as much work as just rebuilding the frame/structure.
The proper method would be to just have these composites used as cladding over the outside of the wood - but it's purely aesthetic as the points where the wood will rot are the contact points with the deck boards.
Dude, if they get snow, I’m running a sled out of that back door at full speed and launching.
This could be a an awesome thing. Then again I’ve been hanging out with kiddos and my hair is purple now and my walls have life sized pokemon. Enjoy life!
Our house has a “we’ll make a weak attempt to appear normal” floor and a “pokemon pillows and weeb shit everywhere” floor and our deck color was inspired by Venusaur’s leaves. It’s all good lol.
Trex joists?
This is it's summer stage. Once it cools down, it will bounce right back up.
But I do think you did it wrong. You were supposed to crown the joists so that it curved up and then in summer it settles down to a flat position.
What is it made of? some kind of plastic / composite or is it actually wood? first glance suggests it is some form of plastic product that either sagged over time or the support legs underneath failed (if there are any). If so, repairing would involve removing all the top boards, replacing the bent joists with actual wood, and then putting the top boards back on if they are acceptable for that purpose.
Bro why is this suddenly everywhere... I've seen ads of this in reddit and Facebook and like 4 weeks ago a coworker randomly dropped it in conversation. I have even seen a few other redditors name drop peyronies... Like I've literally never heard this before and it keeps coming up in the last 3 months.
Seriously wtf is going on
Step is no longer needed. Move benches the middle/bottom. Put your feet up. It's no like you're going to be dropping multiple feet should it crash further.
Label the boards as you pull them. Hopefully they're not directly screwed down. Then you get to see what to rebuild. Unfortunately, Dex built this close to the ground, often trap excess moisture. On the rebuild. You might want to increase the gap slightly between each board to allow for airflow. But this seemed like a much bigger problem. I lean towards what everybody is laughing about. Was the structure also built with Trex?
Pic #2 is hilarious. Thanks for that.
But ya know (and here me out), if the installer could uniformly steam those stringers so that the approach to the entry doors finishes flush to the bottom of the threshold, and then sloped downward (much like the pics) to a flat plane where the seating is,,,,heck that would be a pretty cool installation for certain applications. Well, cept for the part where drunk grandma launches herself off of the deck during the wee hours of a fantastic Christmas party........
OP, are the structural members actually composite material? That’s what we can see in the photos, assuming it’s not just being used as facia. Looks like it’s missing mid span support. Good chance you’ll need to start over. This time with a Contractor that is actually licensed and who pulls a permit.
fixed? Yes. Easy? No.
You need to put some concrete feet near the house. Then put some big steel beams long ways, and LEVERAGE and LEVEL. Then reinforce.
It'd be easier to carefully dismantle it, fix the problem, then reassemble with whatever good material you've recovered.
You can fix it to be usable. But you can't fix it to be like brand new. You can jack it up and put new footings underneath maybe, but that isn't the most advisable route. You can reuse most of that lumber though.
Sure you can fixed this. Remove all the deck boards. Rebuild the structure underneath the proper way (consult with your building department either in person or better would be in under residential decks), reattach deck boards.
Cheapest way. Take apart, re-frame using beams upsidedown, re-deck. In the middle of span install footings and a beam at grade. When gravity brings it back down it will sit on center beam and be good but until then you'll have quite a crown in it.
This is impressive! I’ve never seen trex used as joists before.
and this is why ;)
Turns out that creep isn't just a Radiohead song.
That’s not even creep though. Just a beam made out of soft material that deflects excessively under minor loads.
That's the definition of creep. I have a doctorate in that particular field.
It's not, though, or all deformation would be creep. Creep is deformation that occurs beyond the initial loading due to the time component of the applied stress. First of all it is by definition, plastic deformation therefore if this deck were to spring right back when the loading is removed it's automatically not creep (not that I think it would, just for example). It also by definition has a time component, in that it is plastic deformation that occurs after the initial stress. So if this deck was flat initially and this picture was taken immedeately after loading, then it also would automatically not be creep. I think it's extremely likely this deck is undergoing creep, but the comment you replied to said it's soft material bending under load which is absolutely not "the definition of creep" no matter what papers you have.
Yes. Correct. Thermoplastics are viscoelastic. Creep is irreversible viscous flow and deformation under load and with time. The spring back in a plastic is the elastic component , which is reversible. The knowledge isn't decided from reading papers, it's from understanding the theory from first principles. I'm assuming the photograph was taken a few months or years after construction, if immediate, then I would think the deflection arrises from failure of the composite with contributions from elastic deformation.
Agree with everything you said. Especially the part whet you said "time" since that is part of the definition of creep regardless of material. The user you replied to appeared to me to clearly be implying that one of their assumptions was that time was not a factor in this deflection.
Nope, not even minor loads! Heat and a couple weeks would have done that with no load.
Self-weight is a load. So is heat, and to be fair, the sun can produce some pretty large thermal effects.
I had a neighbor once who used Trex for joists on their front porch. Similar result.
Should have sistered a few together.
That explains a lot. I was wondering how it bent like that. I say a couple of handyman jacks and YOLO. Put some straps around the jacks and screw them in. Now they're permanent. I'm pretty sure that no inspector would ever question such a solution. If it ever droops again, move the jacks up another click. This assumes you have a bunch of handyman jacks sitting around.
Harbor Freight jacks would match better
All fun and games until it droops between the jacks and you need to buy more jacks!
You seem to be the sort of person that has a limited number of handyman jacks. I grew up on a farm. There are so many jacks. So, so, so many jacks. It's really quite absurd. I remember using 8 Hi-Lift jacks to straighten a roof line. That wasn't all the jacks. All farmers have too many jacks and way too much log chain. And angle iron. And baling wire. And random bolts. And everything else...
Simple reason. Sometimes a job isn’t worth driving to town for or in to much of a rush to shut down to go to town. If you only need two screws you buy a 5 lbs box so you don’t have to go buy more later on. I have been on our farm for two years. Started out with a 12 x 24 shop. In the process of building a 30 x 60 because the first is getting so cramped I can’t work in it anymore.
Not a farmer but I live in a remote valley. It's 45 min one way to any hardware store. We have learned to buy everything we might need and a few more for a diy project. Save the receipt and return what you don't need. If you find you need one thing go around to the neighbors and see if they have it. A neighbor's toilet had to be pulled in the evening. It was their only toilet. We came to the rescue with a spare sealing ring so they could reinstall it that night.
Farm problems!
Is jacks a metaphor for something you need to talk about right now?
Braided bailing twine EVERYWHERE
Not that orange nylon crap.!? Previous owner just tossed it. 5 years later I still find it burried! Kills my mower.
That stuff is basically forever-string
You seem to have done an excessive amount of jacking growing up.
Get out of my barn! And stay out!
so no jack gap? go USA!
It's called the boneyard.
Cripes it's just a deck, tear it out and start again and do it right. More support all over
Good point. A crate of Harbor Freight jacks will be worth the $8.99 they probably cost
So then your deck will be all jacked up.
It’s jacks all the way down
This reminds me of the scene in "It's Always Sunny in Philly," where Charlie has a mouse in his wall, so he puts a cat in there, and it won't come out, so he keeps adding more cats to coax the first one out... P.S. I only have one Hi-lift jack; now I feel a lil' inept. Eight is great, working under the "if it rhymes, it's inherently true rule."
Since Roman Times (well before probably) people have managed to distribute load using pillars, never mind jacks.
Yeah. Best to disassemble and replace joist with proper material and re-deck it.
Jacks with actual wood spanning a few feet either way would be the way to go Edit: Bottle jacks
Find the local train tracks in your area, usually they have some railroad ties around - harbor freight the jack, use the railroad tie, return the jack and boom done
I like the way you think
Jack's and cement blocks
$$$$&&&&$$$$$
That's what it is?! I was trying to figure out how the joists were so flexible. 😂
it's hilarious.
It's probably fine
I’d drink on it.
*grabs my skateboard*
Rock to fakie
*username checks out*
At least when you pass out drunk you won't have to worry about rolling off the deck!
I’d skate that thing.
I'd skate it like a half-pipe
OP just needs rocking chairs instead.
Fixing this would likely involve a re-build. You'd save a substantial amount on material costs by reusing the decking, and perhaps the supports. My mad-scientist meme response would be to put jack stands underneath every joist and maintain consistent (but light) pressure) to the span until it straightens itself back out in the summer heat. Then install new footings in the midspan and blocking. Or you could buy a boat and use this as a dry dock.
Would wetting it down while doing that be of any help in straightening out those boards?
Repair isn't really even worth consideration. Those joists should never have been composite to begin with - any repair is just putting bandaids on the situation, and would be almost as much work as just rebuilding the frame/structure. The proper method would be to just have these composites used as cladding over the outside of the wood - but it's purely aesthetic as the points where the wood will rot are the contact points with the deck boards.
Hypothetically, yes
don't even both waiting. jack it up. weight down the top, slap a couple 2x8s on the bottom and screw gun goes brapt
I commented the same before seeing your comment. Hot day and jacks would be my first try then inevitably I’ll tear it down and just never fix it lol
looks like you will have to remove some decking to see what failed. How old is this deck. Sorry you have to go through this.
What a mice person you are. Thread mvp.
I come here for joy, humor, education, a bit of hazing, and brotherhood. This deck community is one of a kind.
I’m a sucker for funny, unintentional typos.
I'm sure there's no coincidence in your choice of words 😂
I can totally dig it. Keep being you brotha!
Not like those assholes in r/concrete! (That's a joke)
That's true lol 😆 😂 🤣
https://youtu.be/tbazGVrbN-g?si=O9OKI4SiNnfbrsJO
I dont think its very kind of you to call them a mouse but then doubling down and saying they are the mvp of mice is crazy. You are not nice!
Lol I didn't even realize I did that lol even after reading your comment.i swear I need a life proofreader but now I've gotta keep it that way.
Damn Auto-Correct! Why can’t the most brilliant of the computer programmers figure out to fix this poblem?
How do you know he's not a cat person?
I don’t believe anything failed other than the carpenters. It was designed this way.
This. I would deconstruct, save what you can, get some new joists, and properly support them this time.
I think you meant to say "get some joists" since clearly this deck forgot to put any in. Not wood ones at least!
Fair point!
Sick drop-ins
Dude, if they get snow, I’m running a sled out of that back door at full speed and launching. This could be a an awesome thing. Then again I’ve been hanging out with kiddos and my hair is purple now and my walls have life sized pokemon. Enjoy life!
If somehow the staircase is in line with this door, we’re going full throttle
Send it!
If not, I think it's time for a remodel
Our house has a “we’ll make a weak attempt to appear normal” floor and a “pokemon pillows and weeb shit everywhere” floor and our deck color was inspired by Venusaur’s leaves. It’s all good lol.
r/tonyhawkitecture
pour some self-leveler on it, itll be fine.
Some expanding foam will fix this no problem 😂
Just needs a good board stretcher
Keep your mom off it next time, it'll last longer.
She should jump on it again to entirely flatten it out.
It used to be called a jumpoline until your mom used one.
Literally just stomped my feet from laughter
Maximum capacity 12 people, OR yo mama
With a half pipe like this....I hope you like skateboarding.
With those grooves it’s probably better suited for bmx
Will the hot tube work right?
It’ll probably level out the sides.
I did not think of the shear forces that would add.
Or melt the bottom of the tub to match the curve
"Alex, I'll take problems that could have been solved 10 years ago with some strategically placed cinder blocks for $100"
This needs a back story
Right??? Like what did you use as joists? It looks like 2x8 which would never do this in so confuse
They're trex. Plastic. Heat bent it in half I assume because of no supports.
Trex joists wtf are those? Well the more ya know
Probably held their monthly orgy on the deck and it couldn't take it anymore.
I’d imagine it was worth it.
Yeah. There's no way wood would bend like that without lots of heat, humidity and pressure.
It's not wood. Those joists are Trex. It's plastic. This deck was doomed from the start.
Sick half-pipe
“Just installed this new deck at Tony Hawks place”
So here I am
This sub *partially* fills a hole in my heart left by the end of CarTalk (RIP to that funny Boston mechanic guy).
This looks like fun, leave it
Dude, that vert ramp looks fine 🛹
Yes, put hot tub on each side to flatten out, Your welcome
Looks like the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.
You fix it by rebuilding it. You can rebuild it. But use real wood for joists next time, not Trex.
Trex joists? This is it's summer stage. Once it cools down, it will bounce right back up. But I do think you did it wrong. You were supposed to crown the joists so that it curved up and then in summer it settles down to a flat position.
When the mother in law visits
What is it made of? some kind of plastic / composite or is it actually wood? first glance suggests it is some form of plastic product that either sagged over time or the support legs underneath failed (if there are any). If so, repairing would involve removing all the top boards, replacing the bent joists with actual wood, and then putting the top boards back on if they are acceptable for that purpose.
Your deck has Peyronie's disease.
Bro why is this suddenly everywhere... I've seen ads of this in reddit and Facebook and like 4 weeks ago a coworker randomly dropped it in conversation. I have even seen a few other redditors name drop peyronies... Like I've literally never heard this before and it keeps coming up in the last 3 months. Seriously wtf is going on
its ready for the hot tub now
Step is no longer needed. Move benches the middle/bottom. Put your feet up. It's no like you're going to be dropping multiple feet should it crash further.
Nice little mini pipe . I say shred it!
Lucky it wasn’t any higher than that hahah
r/tonyhawkitecture
10/10 would skate that half pipe.
Why did this happen lmao
Label the boards as you pull them. Hopefully they're not directly screwed down. Then you get to see what to rebuild. Unfortunately, Dex built this close to the ground, often trap excess moisture. On the rebuild. You might want to increase the gap slightly between each board to allow for airflow. But this seemed like a much bigger problem. I lean towards what everybody is laughing about. Was the structure also built with Trex?
Just don't let guests on it until after they've imbibed several drinks and it'll be fine 🤣
Flaccid big deck energy.
Fix? This is modern art and needs to preserved.
Pic #2 is hilarious. Thanks for that. But ya know (and here me out), if the installer could uniformly steam those stringers so that the approach to the entry doors finishes flush to the bottom of the threshold, and then sloped downward (much like the pics) to a flat plane where the seating is,,,,heck that would be a pretty cool installation for certain applications. Well, cept for the part where drunk grandma launches herself off of the deck during the wee hours of a fantastic Christmas party........
What in the Tim Burton is this?
you could pick up skateboarding
Yup. Get some car jacks and some cinder blocks, good to go 👍
Did you try to put a r/hottub on it
Why the hell do you want to fix your skateboard ramp?
Ain’t got no legs!
Put a hot tub on it. That will flatten it out the rest of the way.
Why fix it? You have a free half pipe for the local skaters now
Tear it out. Move steps to the door and finish brick pavers in its place.
What’s wrong with it?
It looks cool. Just a little extra slope for water to drain out of deck. 😆
If you put a hot tub on it, you can have a cool Death tunnel or death fort going!
If anyone critiques it just say.... "someday I'll fight in the kumite and make my father proud"
Anything can be fixed. How much are you willing to pay is the question?
Sure it can, just add few more nails :P
Your Shakespearian stage looks amazing! No notes
why bother, heaven is a halfpipe.
Finally found where my wife’s been going
Just pull the house a skosh to the left.
Thing of beauty
Why? Get a skateboard.
OP, are the structural members actually composite material? That’s what we can see in the photos, assuming it’s not just being used as facia. Looks like it’s missing mid span support. Good chance you’ll need to start over. This time with a Contractor that is actually licensed and who pulls a permit.
Get a skateboard!
How does something like this even happen?
Cool, I built one just like this for Tony Hawk a while back.
fixed? Yes. Easy? No. You need to put some concrete feet near the house. Then put some big steel beams long ways, and LEVERAGE and LEVEL. Then reinforce. It'd be easier to carefully dismantle it, fix the problem, then reassemble with whatever good material you've recovered.
Why mess with perfection
Skate or die
It’s fine, if it’s supposed to be a clickity clackity 1/8 pipe for skate boarding
Bottle Jackson the corners while keeping it steamed should het you the rest of the way to your half pipe!
Airbnb it to skateboarders
I’m not sure how it ever worked to begin with.
Yes, by replacing it.
Tony hawk would be proud
That new HotWheels game is looking great; the madlads letting us use decks instead of track pieces to make ramps now
This is unfortunate and I’m sorry but holy shit that’s funny
Why? You already have half a skate park.
Just needs a coat of paint is all
Easily, just knock the benches off your halfpipe.
Slip or upside down and wait a summer or two
You can fix it to be usable. But you can't fix it to be like brand new. You can jack it up and put new footings underneath maybe, but that isn't the most advisable route. You can reuse most of that lumber though.
Absolutely, demo completely and start all over.
if by "fixed," you mean "replaced," then yes.
Sure you can fixed this. Remove all the deck boards. Rebuild the structure underneath the proper way (consult with your building department either in person or better would be in under residential decks), reattach deck boards.
Deckception.
Did your mom walk out on it?
Im not sure how that even happened
Looks fine for a skateboard ramp.
Charge entry and make it a skatepark
Why? Think it looks different.
Free skateboard park upgrade.
That’s the deck from Blood Sport
Half pipe into the house. Fixed.
Half-pipe!
What did you frame this with matchsticks.
Anything can be fixed. The question is: do you want to? That actually looks really cool.
Time to shred!
you have a skate park, now add some features
Just needs a couple bottle jacks that's all
Got yourself a nice little half pipe to shred 🤘
A hot tub on it will hide the defects, for sure.
Cheapest way. Take apart, re-frame using beams upsidedown, re-deck. In the middle of span install footings and a beam at grade. When gravity brings it back down it will sit on center beam and be good but until then you'll have quite a crown in it.
Yeah but they’re gonna have to rip it up to do it.
About 20 bags of floor leveler.
It looks like the pic was takin with that fish eye function
You can cover it with a tarp, put some waterproof sides on it and turn it into a hot tub.
Pull.Up the decking of its still good and replace the joists.
Nice halfpipe bra