dock decking question

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kellyr66

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Jul 3, 2005
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18115
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I need advice quickly. I'm currently having work done on my dock. What we agreed to was to extend the walk way 300 feet more inland and also expand the existing dock by making the 100' walkway 6 feet wide instead of its current 3.5 width. There is also a section that would be expanded by 100 square feet. The agreement was that he would tear out the existing deckboards on the dock and replace with new 2x6 deck boards so that everything look the same. Today he tells me that since the deck boards are screwed down; it would be a big mess to pull out and it would tear up the stringers. He is proposing putting the new deck boards on top of the existing deck boards.

If I agree to this aren't I asking for trouble? Won't the existing deck boards rot if I put more wood on top of it??
 
Go with your original plan. The rot on both old and new boards is likely because you will be placing the boards face to face. There is no way for the trapped water to drain. Additionally, by not ripping up the old, you have at least doubled the weight on the existing substructure without adding anything to its support capacity. Was it engineered to support the new width? If so, can it support the new width and the old width.

My 2 cents.
 
He didn't see the screws on the dock when he gave you an estimate?
How can he expand the dock and double up only the original area?

Hold him to the agreed price or move on.
 
Big Red Flag! He must have seen the screws when bidding the job, be afraid, very afraid.
 
Thanks for your opinion. I'm not really well versed with construction concepts. After I posted my original message I called the dock builder and asked some more questions.
- There will be felt paper put down first.
- The felt paper will have holes between the boards for drainage.
- Claims he usees the technique alot and wouldn't do it if it caused problems.
- I still have a hard time picturing how this would work. I'll have to get him to draw a picture.
- I asked about the extra weight. The pilings are down deep and can handle the exra weight
- There is work being done to the support structure - more pilings for the 100 squarefoot addition and double capping.
 
Yes, he knew the boards were screwed down when he gave the estimate.
I agree, a big red flag that he wants to change the plan now. I'm thinking he is just trying to get out of the work of removing the old boards and hauling them away. I'll hold him to original deal.
 
quote:
Originally posted by kellyr66

Thanks for your opinion. I'm not really well versed with construction concepts. After I posted my original message I called the dock builder and asked some more questions.
- There will be felt paper put down first.
- The felt paper will have holes between the boards for drainage.
- Claims he usees the technique alot and wouldn't do it if it caused problems.
- I still have a hard time picturing how this would work. I'll have to get him to draw a picture.
- I asked about the extra weight. The pilings are down deep and can handle the exra weight
- There is work being done to the support structure - more pilings for the 100 squarefoot addition and double capping.

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Run.

Felt paper is put down on roofs to as an underlayment to the shingles to assist in the prevention of water infiltration to the wood on your roof. For the sake of argument it is waterproof. How is a water proof membrane going to assist in drainage. Addidionally, felt does not perform well over time when exposed to sunlight. I don't know how it does exposed to water.

If he does this all the time, get several references of jobs he has done. Can the guy off the street pull former job permits from the city records and go to the site of his work and question the owner? I don't know.

Anything the current boards are doing is going to be transferred at least in part to the new board. eg. If the current board is warped...so goes the new board.

My warm fuzzy meter is not moving off zero with this contractor. I am tending to agree with the others. He did not see the current boards are screwed in and realized his time just went through the roof on this job. Simply stated...He's going to lose his arse on this one and is exercising personal damage control v. good honest customer service.
 
Felt paper may protect the old boards but water will puddle up under the new boards. The wood needs to breathe and drain properly. I'm not sure I agree with screws taking MUCH longer. He can use a saws-all to cut between the old board and the joist.

I'm sure the old jobs are indeed fine...for now. See if any are more than say five or ten years old, rot takes time.
 
I'd be concerned whether he was going to get fasteners all the way down into the stringers through the old boards. A major issue can be storm tide flooding lifting the boards up. If he just screws into the old boards (which is all the typical 3-4 inch screw or nail is going to do in this situation), then your whole deck depends on the strength of the old screws, and now you would have twice the buoyancy pulling up on them. You can't beat Mr. Archimedes.

After Irene, lots of docks around here look like roller coasters, or the decking just isn't there anymore. It went out in the bay like Huck Finn's raft.

If I'm reading this right, you have 100' of 3 foot 2x6 boards. That's ~200 boards, probably attached to 2 stringers with two screws each? So 800 screws? For a crew of guys with power tools, if the screws aren't totally shot and most will back out without a fight, it does not sound like that many additional hours of work.

The felt paper idea sounds awful. He can poke some holes to get some drainage, sure. But over time, a lot of leaves, pine needles, dirt etc is going to collect in there having nowhere to go. Then you will have grass and weeds growing out of it, and it will hold moisture and rot the new wood. Or you are going to be power washing those gaps every year. It just sounds to me like a thick wet moldy/mossy mess.
 
Why can't he use a drill and simply take the screws out of the exsisting deck boards?
 
The boards had to be fastened with something! And if not nails, then screws and I don't see why they can't be cut with the reciprocting saw just as he would have done with the nails. Sounds to me like he didn't figure his time correctly and is making excuses to get additional funds. Be careful, it you do continue with this guy, make sure you have a scope of work in writing that says exactly what he is going to do.

Lady C
 
Screws are more difficult to sawz all than nails, he is being lazy, the method he describes is the most half-azzed thing I`ve heard in a long time.
 
quote:
Originally posted by oneillch

The boards had to be fastened with something! And if not nails, then screws and I don't see why they can't be cut with the reciprocting saw just as he would have done with the nails. Sounds to me like he didn't figure his time correctly and is making excuses to get additional funds. Be careful, it you do continue with this guy, make sure you have a scope of work in writing that says exactly what he is going to do.

Lady C

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and exactly what you are going to pay. He should not (read doesn't) get a dime until the job is complete and the inspector has signed off on it.

What's the warranty?
 
quote:
Originally posted by mx8

Screws are more difficult to sawz all than nails, he is being lazy, the method he describes is the most half-azzed thing I`ve heard in a long time.

Click to expand...


+1
 
Another point, you may want to be suspicous of a guy who doesn't notice if the boards were screwed or nailed down.
I mean think about it, I would be embarassed to say "oh, I didn't notice there was screws, not nails". It's not as if using screws is such a rare option. I think he is just skirting his responsibility.

Be afraid, very afraid.
 
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