According to the January 23, 2010 issue of THE PRESS DEMOCRAT from Santa Rosa. the deck was built about 1995 without a permit and the current owner of the house purchased it around 7 years ago.  It would be interesting to know if a Home Inspector was hired when the home was purchased.  Offficials further state investigation shows it was improperly constructed and was not safe to use.  As a Certifed Master Inspector who has built many large decks and inspected even more, I do not find this surprising.

Decks are popular, they can be a lot of fun, a good one is costly, they require upkeep and most importantly they can be very dangerous.  This event caused many injuries, an 18 year old girl may loose her foot.  The attorney's that will follow will get huge settlements.  Many decks are built without a permit, built by homeowners or handeymen who mean well but do not know how to build the deck.  They do not know the proper lumber size, the spans between supports, the correct hangers, rust proof bolts with washers, and the spacing required.  Many more items of major importance are often ignored or left out.

Several lessons should be learned from this tragedy.  FIRST, a building permit should be obtained and a qualified builder should do the construction.  SECOND, when buying an existing home you should always retain the most qualified Home Inspector available.  Select a Home Inspector who has  been certied by a recognized and respected Home Inspectoion Association such as CREIA, ASHI, AII.  These organizations require training, experience, monitored testing and members are required to participate in continuing education.  They should also have errors and omission insurance.  Not all certifications have value, anyone can get a certification in under an hour on their computer, worse yet, some just do inspections with nothing but a business card.  THIRD, once you get your report from the Home Inspector, immediately correct the health and safety issues that the report indicates need your attention.