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I have a question about what Menards is proposing. Is something like this legal?

I would think that the last joist (in purple) would require more than a single connection point over the red post and blue beam.

Isn't this some sort of violation of the cantilever? Or does the rim joist play into things?

enter image description here

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    Can you articulate your concerns in more detail? What do you perceive as the problem? – Alaska Man Apr 23 at 16:58
  • Looks normal to me, this is a residential deck not a commercial one correct? The caps and decking further tie everything together. . – Ed Beal Apr 23 at 17:52
  • How do you mean "...the last joist..."? – Greg Nickoloff Apr 23 at 19:18
  • Residental deck, free-standing - so none of these are tied into a ledger board. "the last joist" being the bit o' vertical purple, situated over the red post on the right side. (the blue lines are the beams). – Akshue Apr 23 at 19:28
  • I think this schematic is only meant to show the joist and beam layout, not anything else. Whether or not that rightmost joist (or any other one) is unstable depends on other things not shown. You are right to ask the question ... you should ask the installer. To illustrate, there is in fact another tiny "joist" shown to the right of the post. That "joist" is not supported by any beam. It, too, may or may not be ok depending on how it's all constructed. – jay613 Apr 23 at 21:48
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The deck builder is myself (well, DIY... but engineer with access to CAD - if that makes it better or worse...) I was just copying something that menards had in their "deck designer" program, trying to simplify things a hair. Here is how I fixed things - rotate the joists 45 degrees.

It makes the joists on the south end of the drawing a bit trickier as far as cuts go - (moreso on the other side of the pool where the angles are shallower), but here is what I have. I was able to fit things with a 2' cantelevir while still keeping my holes at least a foot away from the pool. It does make for a tricky 65ish degree cut, for the rim joist, though...

enter image description here

enter image description here

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  • Remember that a 65° degree cut is also a 25° cut from the other side - makes it simple on a miter saw. – FreeMan May 25 at 18:17
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One of you are insane, but obviously, it's not you :)

From the layout drawn, they are setting the joists on top of the beam, now comes the problem - with a deck panel installed as shown on the sketch below (note that the deck panel can be in any orientation), if you step on point "A" of the cantilever joist, point "B" tends to tip up, as it is not supported by anything but jointed by the deck panel and the edge board (if there is one). Similarly, when you step on "B", "A" will lift up. THe joist is unstable, thus it needs to be corrected.

enter image description here

IMO, the easiest way to fix this situation is to shorten the overhang of the joists as shown below. enter image description here

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    I'm not so sure about this theory. It seems like the rims (and all their connections to the joists) would be quite stable and prevent the movement described. – Aloysius Defenestrate Apr 23 at 23:58
  • @Aloysius It won't be an immediate threat, but the instability will cause the problem down the road, depending on how this corner is utilized, and how often it is loaded. It is a hidden bomb a new deck shouldn't have. If one decided to let it go, I can only wish him good luck. – r13 Apr 24 at 0:08
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    In your new "shortened overhang" model, the exact problem you described (assuming it is a problem; I tend to agree with @AloysiusDefenestrate, especially if it is short) still exists, a joist unsupported by beams, all you did is shorten it up... – Jimmy Fix-it Apr 24 at 14:09
  • @Jimmy Yes, in review, I recognized my overthink on a dead corner that will be obstructed by the handrailing. However, it does not remove the concern of instability if the overhang is too long. So the better protection is to shorten it to deny the access. Now the handrail will be forced to close to the beam and post, and every step will be on solid materl beneath. – r13 Apr 24 at 16:30
  • @r13, I get it now. Your intent was not to change how the joist was supported, but rather to minimize stress on it by shortening it and limiting the chance of it being stressed due to being closer to the corner. – Jimmy Fix-it Apr 24 at 16:36

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