Saw a stat that 90% of DIY deck builds fail inspection the first time, and now I can't decide if that's a deck problem or a permit problem | Build And Design

Sage Hall · 2026-09-30T22:45:03.848794+00:00

I was poking around a county building office page in Fort Collins last week and they posted their own numbers: 9 out of 10 homeowner deck permits get flagged on the first inspection, mostly for footing depth and railing height. Half of me thinks that proves most people should just hire a framer and be done with it. The other half thinks the code book is written for engineers and the average person with a shovel never had a fair shot at passing. Where do you all land, is this a skill issue or a rules issue? And for the folks who did pass on the first try, what did you check before you called it in?

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Saw a stat that 90% of DIY deck builds fail inspection the first time, and now I can't decide if that's a deck problem or a permit problem | Build And Design - The Design Community Hub