The warmer weather we have been enjoying the last few weeks tends to draw us to activities outside our homes. One of the best ways to enjoy the outside is on a deck. With this in mind, many do-it-yourselfers will plan and construct decks on their own homes this spring and summer. Before you begin, however, a little study of good deck building practices is recommended.

According to the North American Deck and Railing Association, or NADRA, there have been at least 30 deaths due to deck failures between 2000 and 2006; and, when a deck fails, more than 75 percent of the people on the deck are injured or killed.

Pouya Dianat / AJC (ENLARGE)

Rich Hart of the American Society of Home Inspectors' Georgia chapter checks the quality of construction on a homemade deck.

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There are several deck details that are especially critical for safety; and in my experience good deck building guidelines can be hard to come by. To assist the aspiring deck builder, here are some recommendations for obtaining the information necessary to build a safe deck.

Attachment to the house: If possible it is preferable to construct a deck as a free-standing structure. However, if this is not practical, you must ensure a good connection of the deck to the house structure. Requirements for this attachment are provided in a table relating joist length, or span, to the size and number of bolts. This table can be found in the Georgia State Amendments to the International Residential Code published by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, or DCA, and can be downloaded at Georgia Department of Community Affairs (PDF) or by calling the DCA at (404) 679-3118.

It is also important to install proper flashing at the connection of the deck to the house to ensure that no water gets into the house structure.

Some flashing details and pictures are available in a publication from the U.S. Forest Products Society titled "Wood Decks, Materials, Construction, and Finishing."

This manual can be obtained by calling the Forest Products Society at 608-231-1361. In my opinion, the manual is essential for constructing a safe deck. Chapter 3 of the manual covers every aspect of deck construction with many easy-to-understand pictures.

Installation of deck posts: Deck posts must be sized and installed correctly to provide the necessary support for the deck floor system. A table for determining post size is available in the wood decks manual. Unfortunately, the table on post sizing is a little technical. To keep life simple, unless your deck is less than 8 feet high, I recommend using 6-inch by 6-inch posts. Deck posts must rest on good footings to properly transfer all loads to the ground. The posts also must be properly attached to the deck floor structure. Details for both these critical connections are included in the wood decks manual.

Deck joist connection to band joist or ledger: The best way to connect the deck joists to the band joist or ledgers is with metal joist hangers. I commonly see joist hangers incorrectly nailed. Hangers must be nailed in every hole provided in the hanger and they should be the same size as the joist they support. The high copper content in modern treated lumber can react with metal hangers and cause the hangers to corrode. You should be careful to choose metal hangers and nails that are manufactured to resist this corrosion.

Deck and stair railings: The details for safe railing construction are too numerous for this article. The best resource for these requirements is in Chapter 3 of the 2006 edition of the International Residential Code.

Unfortunately, the code book is a little pricey for a one-time use. If you know a builder or home inspector, they usually will be more than happy to share their book with you.

If you decide to buy the entire code book, it can be obtained from the International Code Council, or ICC, at iccsafe.org or by calling them at 1-800-422-7233.

This article by no means covers every important aspect of deck construction. However, with the help of the codes and the Forest Products Society deck manual you should be well on your way to building a safe deck.

Do you have a home repair question? Send e-mail to Ask the Inspector at homestyle@ajc.com.