Add bracing to cantilevered deck


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Old 04-25-16, 08:08 AM
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Add bracing to cantilevered deck

I've got a 12ft by 6 ft cantilevered deck On the second floor of a house I recently purchased. The deck will sway right and left if you shift your weight on it. The house was built in 1983 and there is no sign of water damage where joists enter the house. Wondering if there is a way to add support to prevent this from happening. Thanks
 
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Old 04-25-16, 08:44 AM
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For a second floor cantilevered deck and without at least seeing some pictures I would recommend contacting a professional. Either an architect, structural engineer or Professional Engineer.
 
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Old 04-25-16, 03:33 PM
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Thanks for the response. I know an engineer is going to tell me to replace the deck and start over. My Long term goal is to remove cantilever and build freestanding deck in its place. This is just a temporary fix to eliminate the sway and feel a little more comfortable with kids on it. I know of the horrors of cantilevered decks, they are well documented!!
I was hoping to hear that something similar to a diagonal brace would cause the side to side motion to stop until deck can be replaced. Or if anyone has a different suggestion I'm happy to listen.
 
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Old 04-25-16, 04:32 PM
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The horror is not isolated to cantilevered decks. Decks are somewhat notorious for making the news when they collapse with catstrophic results.

I would not fear that a Engineer will just say tear it down and replace. You are hiring them and they work for you. I've often been surprised at how hard they will work to make an existing structure work and minimize the cost. They may find that your deck is structurally sound but has more movement than you like. They might suggest a simple bracing system to dampen or stiffen the existing deck to make the deck more confidence inspiring.
 
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Old 04-25-16, 05:25 PM
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Not sure how anyone could even guess without a picture.
 
 

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