Ledger
Deck Ledger Board
Layout Of The Ledger
Removing the Siding
Ledger Board Fasteners
Attaching the Ledger Board to the House Rim
Attaching the Ledger Board to a Concrete Wall
Attaching the Ledger Board to Brick Siding
Flashing the Ledger Board
Installing A Ledger Board Around A Corner
Removing Stucco Siding
Checking House Framing
Ledger Board Installation
Types of Deck Flashing
Framing Around a House Cantilever
Lateral Load Device
Ledger Spacers
Vents, Pipes, and Spigots
Ledger to engineered floor joists





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Watch the first of our deck design video series. Here are the three products in the video. Enjoy!
Gossen PVC Decking
BigFoot Systems
EBTY Hidden Fasteners

Lateral Load Connector Device

If your building department has adopted the 2009 IRC code you may need to follow a more strict set of rules for installing ledger boards to deal with lateral loads. The new 2009 IRC Section 502.2.2.3 now suggests that all decks attached to a house must be connected to the floor joists of the house by horizontally oriented hold down devices using long bolts. These devices must be provided in at least two locations per deck usually at the edges of the deck. This will involve cutting into the house to gain access to the floor joists.

Historically the bolted connection of the ledger board to the house rim was supposed to resist all the vertical shear forces and lateral loads that would pull the deck away from the house. The new code was developed to prevent the house rim from ripping away from the house by anchoring the deck to the house floor system.

Building a free standing deck is an easy way to satisfy the requirement. By installing embedded support posts or diagonal bracing you may also be able to avoid installing the lateral load device. It is ultimately up to your building inspector to interpret this new rule and apply it to your house construction and deck design. Only time will tell how this will be enforced.