Hey guys I am new here but I wanted to ask and get an opinion on this as we aren’t very handy ourselves.
My fiancée and I are finishing a lofted apartment area above a garage. We hired a family friend’s husband as our contractor and so far we haven’t made it far into the process.
He has torn down the old deck and put up a new extended one, which looks okay from what I can tell. However there are a few points on the stairs, especially the bottom step, that have splits in the wood. I am concerned that this may lead to loose boards or repairs needed later on.
Based on my one wood shop class in high school, I didn’t think this looked good, but like I said I am not very handy so I want a second opinion. Is this something I should have them fix or is this to be expected?
Our contractor claimed the boards were exterior composite decking boards that should hold up to weather. They aren’t real wood and are very fake looking, and we decided to go that route to avoid paint/stain.
Everything construction-wise you described were things I noticed but didn’t know enough about which is why I posted here. So thanks for your detailed post!
You are correct, none of the stringers are attached to the ground, just resting on it, or in the case of the right side, just floating. They are resting on concrete they poured, so I am not sure if that helps with the concerns about the lumber treatment or not.
We don’t need permits for residential construction under 4 units in our county so we are okay there, but my fiancées dad is still the county building inspector and will be examining it.
Thanks again for your help!