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My neighbor's deck went from solid to spongy in under a year

He insisted on using untreated pine for the framing to save money, and now the whole thing is rotting where it meets the ledger board. Anyone else had to break the bad news on a project that was doomed from the start?
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3 Comments
taylor_cooper97
My cousin built a pergola with regular lumber and it was toast in 18 months. I helped him rebuild it with ground contact treated wood and proper flashing tape on the ledger. That was five years ago and it's still solid. Spending the extra cash on the right materials the first time is the only way it works.
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brian_bennett90
I used to cut corners on treated lumber for my own shed project years ago. The whole base was mush after two winters and I had to rip it all out. Now I won't touch anything for outside that isn't pressure treated or better. It's just not worth the time you save upfront when you have to do it twice.
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uma295
uma2951mo ago
Learned that lesson the hard way myself.
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