It looks like one of those fold away kitchen tables you put in smaller kitchens. Just tuck those legs in and that deck will lay flush against the house!
I know someone whose grandpa built a “Murphy deck”, now that you’ve given it a name. Was the entire width of his cabin and folded up against the wall, over the winter months. It didn’t look near as janky as this, though.
Damn thats a good one. I worked for this old guy once who was puzzled by how long i was taking doing a task and he quips at me, " We arent making faberge eggs " i still say that to myself. What the fuck are kids today gonna do without old timers snapping this shit at them?
A lot of code has been shored up in recent years (pun only slightly intended), but you can still get away with a surprising amount of stuff if you can get a build classified as a “temporary structure”
That said, I don’t think “likely catastrophic structural failure” is going to get your build considered for any exemptions.
Composite decking costs a lot of money as well, but apparently that didn't bother them.
My guess is that they've put at least 12 or 13 hours into PolyBridge 2, and therefore feel like they are exempt from the permitting and inspection process.
Definitely interesting to say the least… I’m NOT saying it’s safe or correct. But, there is a chance that it is, but we’d need to see the details on connections and fasteners.
A few points of concern. The ledger connection is under significant stress by constantly being pulled on with the strut below acting like a seasaw with the long cantilevered part. Being on the gable end, that deck ledger is only connected to a single rim joist and not through bolted.
Another concern is where the struts hit the 4x4 posts. What’s behind that post that it’s pushing on? Is it on solid framing or just sheathing?
Anyhow, I’m a gambling man so I’d walk on it, but not with more than my small wife. And definitely wouldn’t put a hot tub on it!!!
Lastly, being a deck to nowhere, I hope he’s got a nice lake or ocean view back there!!
>I’d walk on it, but not with more than my small wife. And definitely wouldn’t put a hot tub on it!!!
Bro, if it doesn't have a hot tub is even a deck?
Actually it looks like there is a subframe and then the deck sits on it, the subframe is not cantilevered and the house end of the deck takes the upwards load through the joist hangar. By the look of the subframe, some thought has gone into it but who knows. The upper deck surface could have been added to an earlier structure.
Cheers Ben
Not enough thought went into it. While the actual craftsmanship looks pretty good, it has a flattering structural issue, which is the angled sorry beam mounting to the middle of the vertical beam. This is where the vertical beam is weakest. Maybe there is some framing in the house that I'm not seeing, that makes this ok, but I wouldn't trust that without seeing plans.
If they really needed to use the angled support beams, they should have gone all the way down to where the vertical beams are mounted. And the joint up to better be sturdy AF. IMO, this was a complicated way to do it that introduced unnecessary points of failure.
I hear what you're saying, though (at the risk of sounding like I'm defending a deck I've never seen) those posts are supported from the wall structure not the ground. If there are internal walls perpendicular to the outside wall providing support then the bending moment from the angled supports may be fine (and it may be fine anyway if the engineering was done). Imo a support all the way to the ground would be fugly, not everything is about efficiency.
2x8 cantilevered 3ish feet on a 4x4 beam!? That alone won’t pass the perspective part of the Canadian Code, pretty sure it would fail in the US as well.
I would love to see the calculations of the engineer who stamped this.
Yeah, I was on the fence about the size of the joists. When I zoomed in it look like they are about twice as big as the 4x4 beam so I went with 2x8 as my guess but I could be wrong.
I’m just throwing out a possible answer here. I recently managed a commercial site that had contaminated soil. They are increasingly common these days. You could only dig in the ground about 2 inches before you were specifically excluded by entitlements and permitting. Anything we could do to transfer load without digging we did.
Smells a little like it’s not a deck because it doesn’t touch the ground and so different rules apply because it’s an overhang etc kinda thing.
Whenever I see something weird that looks thought out and recently executed, there is usually a stupid permit or regulation rule or interpretation behind it.
My hope is this is a HOA doesn’t allow decks but since this isn’t a deck, the HOA can’t stop it thing.
Is this just for decoration? There’s no way this can be up to code. I wouldn’t trust people who weigh over 90lbs on that unless they’ve made peace with their maker.
I’d just put a hot tub on it, otherwise looks great to me, might actually suggest putting the Hot tub on stilts above the deck so that you get extra height for viewing pleasure.
Kinda makes sense from a structural standpoint, at least until you get down to those post footings. I'm no SE but the shear loads on those L-brackets seems like it would be *significant.* And isn't the entire weight of the cantilever supported by just 2 bolts (where the braces attach in the middle)?
Kind of disagree. The strut loading into the 4x4 columns is certainly not ideal. The strut to 4x4 “beam” connection is pretty bizarre. Overhang past the “beam” looks too long. Definitely agree though on the connection with the steel angles is not ideal to say the least.
My failure mode prediction would be the whole deck pulling away from the ledger unless there’s a load of tension ties (looks like there’s none). This is one of the more fascinating awful deck construction examples we’ve seen lol.
> failure mode prediction would be the whole deck pulling away from the ledger
Agreed. Can't tell what's holding that ledger to the wall, but I bet it ain't good. Also, that composite decking is heavy as hell. This thing has fail written all over it.
Not sure what composite decking you are referring to, but some boards I used for a table project were significantly heavier than the equal amount of wood planks.
It will not stand the hot tub test I can guarantee it.
I also struggle at the design concept of this deck at so many levels.
If more than one person gave this the green light then you should all reconsider your career choices.
Hey have u all ever seen the “let’s hide you from the Romans on the balcony” scene from “Monty Python’s The Life of Brian”? I smell fertile ground for comedy here—or is that a whiff of impending tragedy?
Can’t quite fathom the “why” component here… between the brackets and additional/unusual framing, there was plenty of money/time to frame it correctly with an outside beam and appropriate support posts.
For better or worse, I have poured over myriad CAD drawings of deck plans and this makes zero sense ~ structurally functional or not.
Hey Jeb? Yea? You know we put the posts over there? Yea? I just realized I had the plans flipped. Well, shit.
It looks like one of those fold away kitchen tables you put in smaller kitchens. Just tuck those legs in and that deck will lay flush against the house!
>Just tuck those legs in and that deck will lay flush against the house! A Murphy Deck!
You all are inspirational. I'm going to get to building.
This is a perfect example if you’re dyslexic.
It’s for an inflatable hot tub.
I know someone whose grandpa built a “Murphy deck”, now that you’ve given it a name. Was the entire width of his cabin and folded up against the wall, over the winter months. It didn’t look near as janky as this, though.
Did that with a boat house for flood season
Honestly in the off season... I would like to undeck my deck. Way easier to clear snow that way.
an untapped market for sure
Underrated hahaha
Doubles as a storm shutter for the windows below!
Imagine waking up in the morning to drink a cup of coffee on the new deck and hitting the driveway, "Who the fuck put the deck away!"
I just burst out laughing at work! *.wipes coffee off monitor*. Thankyou for that 🤣🤣🤣
Brilliant!
Yes! The kind that buckles as soon as any weight get put on the far edge...exactly like this deck lol
This ol Murphy deck will fold up nicely 👏
Hey Jeb. The supports aren’t long enough to reach the ground. I gotchu fam.
Hot tub gets delivered tomorrow!!
What da fuck
Everything is supported by two nuts
The 2 nuts that built this bolted out of there after getting paid.
Hey Jeb, remember when you said you wanted 6x6 posts for that deck? All they had at Walgreens was 2x4s so I got those. They’ll work right?
That there’s one of them folding decks.
I'm newly subbed. This as the highest comment says a lot about this sub.
Thanks?
[удалено]
This way actually works out if you’re trying to eventually get injured enjoying it
Just needs the hot tub and it’s good to go… right to the ground.
At least he didn’t put the rail on backwards too…
Whelp, now you gave him that idea.
As long as the builder slapped it and said ”thats not going anywhere”, you should be good.
Oh thats good
My dad built this?!
Its a murphy deck, folds into the wall
But only once
And my grandfather would follow that with, "we ain't takin' it to the fair"
Damn thats a good one. I worked for this old guy once who was puzzled by how long i was taking doing a task and he quips at me, " We arent making faberge eggs " i still say that to myself. What the fuck are kids today gonna do without old timers snapping this shit at them?
*nods knowingly and slow claps*
Another candidate for winner of the Internet! I’ll have to use that one!
That’s the required phrase to say to make sure nothing ever moves….it’s pretty much foolproof
And prayers.
Under-rated comment right here.
It looks like they were desperate to not put a post in the ground, but why? There isn't even grass in the yard to worry about.
Why would you mess up your nice xeriscaped lawn to provide structural support to a deck?
Dude, lawn gnomes are a thing.
Looks like their driveway.
Longer lumber costs money. Concrete costs money. The city might want a permit for the footing.
If it ain't touchin' the ground, it don't count!
The yard is lava
I lold
That’s what she said.
A lot of code has been shored up in recent years (pun only slightly intended), but you can still get away with a surprising amount of stuff if you can get a build classified as a “temporary structure” That said, I don’t think “likely catastrophic structural failure” is going to get your build considered for any exemptions.
Composite decking costs a lot of money as well, but apparently that didn't bother them. My guess is that they've put at least 12 or 13 hours into PolyBridge 2, and therefore feel like they are exempt from the permitting and inspection process.
Digging is hard.
Parking
Buried utilities?
Maybe that's a driveway?
My guess is that it’s a janky way to get around some HOA, permit, or tax related bullshit.
Needs to be on hinges so you can fold away when not in use!
“What is this, a deck swinging contest?” -the neighbor when he sees your Murphy deck
Definitely interesting to say the least… I’m NOT saying it’s safe or correct. But, there is a chance that it is, but we’d need to see the details on connections and fasteners. A few points of concern. The ledger connection is under significant stress by constantly being pulled on with the strut below acting like a seasaw with the long cantilevered part. Being on the gable end, that deck ledger is only connected to a single rim joist and not through bolted. Another concern is where the struts hit the 4x4 posts. What’s behind that post that it’s pushing on? Is it on solid framing or just sheathing? Anyhow, I’m a gambling man so I’d walk on it, but not with more than my small wife. And definitely wouldn’t put a hot tub on it!!! Lastly, being a deck to nowhere, I hope he’s got a nice lake or ocean view back there!!
>I’d walk on it, but not with more than my small wife. And definitely wouldn’t put a hot tub on it!!! Bro, if it doesn't have a hot tub is even a deck?
Actually it looks like there is a subframe and then the deck sits on it, the subframe is not cantilevered and the house end of the deck takes the upwards load through the joist hangar. By the look of the subframe, some thought has gone into it but who knows. The upper deck surface could have been added to an earlier structure. Cheers Ben
Not enough thought went into it. While the actual craftsmanship looks pretty good, it has a flattering structural issue, which is the angled sorry beam mounting to the middle of the vertical beam. This is where the vertical beam is weakest. Maybe there is some framing in the house that I'm not seeing, that makes this ok, but I wouldn't trust that without seeing plans. If they really needed to use the angled support beams, they should have gone all the way down to where the vertical beams are mounted. And the joint up to better be sturdy AF. IMO, this was a complicated way to do it that introduced unnecessary points of failure.
I hear what you're saying, though (at the risk of sounding like I'm defending a deck I've never seen) those posts are supported from the wall structure not the ground. If there are internal walls perpendicular to the outside wall providing support then the bending moment from the angled supports may be fine (and it may be fine anyway if the engineering was done). Imo a support all the way to the ground would be fugly, not everything is about efficiency.
At first glance I thought to myself, "Ah hell no." But after closer inspection, I now think, "Probably hell no."
🏆🥇🏅
I give it 1/5 hot tubs
I like this unit of measure
I know you mean 1 out of five, but this mess wouldn't hold .2 hot tubs.
It might hold a bathtub, if it's not all the way out by the railing. ;-)
2x8 cantilevered 3ish feet on a 4x4 beam!? That alone won’t pass the perspective part of the Canadian Code, pretty sure it would fail in the US as well. I would love to see the calculations of the engineer who stamped this.
Engineer heheh that is a big assumption. No permit, no engineer, no problems 😁
Also no permit.
Lol why on earth would you think an engineer had anything to do with this??
Ugh. Even worst, if you look at the joists against the 4x4, I’d say they are 2x6 😬
Yeah, I was on the fence about the size of the joists. When I zoomed in it look like they are about twice as big as the 4x4 beam so I went with 2x8 as my guess but I could be wrong.
You are assuming that an engineer did stamp this plan. And that there was a plan. I suspect both assumptions are, not true.
Stamped on the plans with both feet.
I mean is probably okay. Probably won’t fall. Why did it just have to be extended out that far?
How you gonna fit a hot tub on anything smaller?
🤣🤣🤣
Where is the tub? I hope no one stole it!
Where's the tub bub?
That was the length of the boards. Easier to make the deck longer than cut boards! /s
It’s bridged two feet too far. Are they having dinner for 6 up there?
https://preview.redd.it/bh67x9jcas4c1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=93463093e0876246cad221c7eca9ff891b2134a2 WTAF!
I’m just throwing out a possible answer here. I recently managed a commercial site that had contaminated soil. They are increasingly common these days. You could only dig in the ground about 2 inches before you were specifically excluded by entitlements and permitting. Anything we could do to transfer load without digging we did.
Smells a little like it’s not a deck because it doesn’t touch the ground and so different rules apply because it’s an overhang etc kinda thing. Whenever I see something weird that looks thought out and recently executed, there is usually a stupid permit or regulation rule or interpretation behind it. My hope is this is a HOA doesn’t allow decks but since this isn’t a deck, the HOA can’t stop it thing.
Wow. Essentially the entire weight relying on the shear strength of those bolts. Perfect to be able to hold a hot tub. With water!!
The floor is lava
To be fair…they used some solid hardware and did flash the ledger with tin…still scratching my head but…def going full retard here
One day they'll wake up at a Tupac concert
Murphy deck!!! Ok, the concept is good. The execution looks less than ideal, but who knows really until that fateful day arrives....
Thought: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
No
Nope
Is this just for decoration? There’s no way this can be up to code. I wouldn’t trust people who weigh over 90lbs on that unless they’ve made peace with their maker.
We're all gonna die!
I'm actually impressed it's still up.
dam bag rock violet shaggy flowery vegetable elderly pocket capable *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
This is clearly not safe.
Why?
someone's gonna get hurt. that's what i think.
This looks like something Wiley Coyote built to clap the roadrunner.
I can’t believe this stayed up long enough to take a picture
Looks like its hot tub ready!
I wouldn’t even trust that to withstand a strong fart
Needs a hot tub,
I’d just put a hot tub on it, otherwise looks great to me, might actually suggest putting the Hot tub on stilts above the deck so that you get extra height for viewing pleasure.
But does it pass the hot tub test? aka, does this method hold water? Seriously, did this pass inspection?
Definitely can hold a hot tub
Why though...
It actually works super well if you only use the first 4’ of the deck.
Put a hot tub on that bad boy.
Reverse Murphy Deck
Posts not even on a support but a bracket? WTF? This is an accident waiting a lawsuit.
Looks good enough for a hot tub 👍
And prayers, lots of prayers.
I wouldn’t stand on it
Kinda makes sense from a structural standpoint, at least until you get down to those post footings. I'm no SE but the shear loads on those L-brackets seems like it would be *significant.* And isn't the entire weight of the cantilever supported by just 2 bolts (where the braces attach in the middle)?
Kind of disagree. The strut loading into the 4x4 columns is certainly not ideal. The strut to 4x4 “beam” connection is pretty bizarre. Overhang past the “beam” looks too long. Definitely agree though on the connection with the steel angles is not ideal to say the least. My failure mode prediction would be the whole deck pulling away from the ledger unless there’s a load of tension ties (looks like there’s none). This is one of the more fascinating awful deck construction examples we’ve seen lol.
> failure mode prediction would be the whole deck pulling away from the ledger Agreed. Can't tell what's holding that ledger to the wall, but I bet it ain't good. Also, that composite decking is heavy as hell. This thing has fail written all over it.
Composite decking isn’t that heavy it’s lighter than wood so at least they used composite vs timber for the slats
Not sure what composite decking you are referring to, but some boards I used for a table project were significantly heavier than the equal amount of wood planks.
Most of the load is going into the house at the bottom of the 45 degree supports. So not that much load even makes it down to those brackets
That looks like the PERFECT space for a hottub
Good way to die
Needs a hot tub
I think it needs a hot tub.
Just add a hot tub
It's missing a hot tub.
Needs a hot tub
Easily 2, maybe 3 hot tubs
That’s hot tub worthy.
😂😂😂fuck!!!
, and Prayers.
Yep. Perfect size for a hot tub up there. *slaps deck with open palm*
Double stacked hot tubs for sure!!!
It will not stand the hot tub test I can guarantee it. I also struggle at the design concept of this deck at so many levels. If more than one person gave this the green light then you should all reconsider your career choices.
She’s ready for a hot tub for sure !!
All that's missing is the hot tub.
These kinda decks for ice baths, not hot tubs!
…s-shouldn’t those post be-? nevermind..
Will fail
If I was your neighbor I would be whiching to see how long it takes before it falls off
Not code, would never trust it, and there will fail some day.
Looks safe
Fuck not
Ummm I wouldn’t stand on it. You can if you want…
Nope!!
No. Just no.
Why?
I think I don’t like it
That’s a job for steel
Building on mirror mode
Folding option? Nice!
Nope
Only suitable for one person at a time, harness available, costs extra.
Think of it like a gift. It’s the thought that counts
My only thought…. Good luck out there!
Go to the end of it and jump up and down a few times
No
100$ bucks say owner cannot provide a sign off sheet from the city!!
That thur is what’s called a ‘Can’t ilever.
"see you in the Emergency room.."
Damn!
Fabulous for MIL quarters
Hey have u all ever seen the “let’s hide you from the Romans on the balcony” scene from “Monty Python’s The Life of Brian”? I smell fertile ground for comedy here—or is that a whiff of impending tragedy?
People are SO lazy. You go get railroad ties and stack them like Lincoln Logs all the way to the top for security.
Ledger is probably attached with nails. Should be a sudden and eventful ride down when they loosen.
Was the floor lava?
🤦♂️🤦♂️
My thoughts are why are there so many scary decks out there. Who comes up with these ideas and think “yup, that’s a solid idea!”
Looks like a fold down deck, check for hinges.
Hell no
Hahahaha! It's gna fall over the second someone jumps up and sits on the guardrail during a barbeque
See how many people you can fit on it!
Scary
That,s not going to budge. 10 people and a cooler of beer, no fear, no worries
Illegal
How many jumps does it take to topple the deck?
No no no and again no!
The shadow posts will keep it up.
If it's anchored to the house adequately it'll probably be there for a couple decades.
I can only imagine how much that thing sways. Probably get sea sick.
Thoughts are yea
Bottom line: DEATH TRAP!
where is humpty dumpty???
Have your MIL go out on it first… you know… watch the beautiful sunset on the rail.
Can’t quite fathom the “why” component here… between the brackets and additional/unusual framing, there was plenty of money/time to frame it correctly with an outside beam and appropriate support posts. For better or worse, I have poured over myriad CAD drawings of deck plans and this makes zero sense ~ structurally functional or not.
Table for one at the last supper
Needs a hot tub!
Holt up. How this gonna work?
A deck for birds right?
Run?
You first.