Quoted a deck job today and honestly not sure how the last guy got away with it

I remember seeing a few of these before, and it always leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I had a job a few years back where the client insisted on a really elaborate cedar porch setup over his finished basement. He wanted it to look like a massive overhang, but when we finally dug into the subfloor, the actual footings were just shallow concrete blocks sitting on packed dirt. Not piers, not poured footings, just those blocks. He swore the previous contractor had 'stabilized' the soil beneath it. My gut imediately told me that configuration was doomed, especially given the weight of the cedar decking and the amount of water retention in that basement. I had to gently explain that without deep piers, the entire structure is susceptible to movement and eventual failure. It is crucial to remember that the joist size doesn't magically support a load if the foundation beneath them is unstable. I ended up pulling out the proper plans and explaining the required support system for him. He was resistant at first, focusing on the aesthetic changes, but once we showed him the local code requirements, he agreed to the necessary foundation work. It is always best to err on the side of overly engineered support, especially when the house itself is older. You want to avoid any situation where structural integrity is compromised by cheap installation.

I took one of those jobs about six years back and I still think about it. Two story deck on a split level, second story section bouncing like a trampoline when the kids ran across it. The owner swore the original builder was licensed but coud never produce a name. My mistake was letting him talk me into 'just reinforcing what's there' instead of walking. Spent three weekends sistering joists and adding a mid span beam, and every time I tightened a bolt I had that pit in my stomach wondering what was underneath me. What finally settled it was his insurance company. They sent an inspector out for a routine renewal, flagged the deck, and gave him thirty days to produce documentation or tear it down. Turns out nobody ever pulled a permit. He ended up paying me a second time to demo half of it, which stung for him but at least it came down in a controlled way instead of the other way. Now I tell people the phone call to the building department is free. Around here they'll come look at a structure like that without the owner even having to request it in some cases. It felt like going behind his back at first, but after I heard about a deck collapse two towns over that put a woman in the hospital, I stopped feeling bad about it. The guy with the spiral staircase might hate you for asking about permits, but he'll hate a lawsuit worse.

Man, the hot tub cantilevered out on joists is the part that got me. I looked at a place like that once, except the tub was sitting on a deck the owner built himself over a patio slab. He kept saying 'it's only a couple inches of water.' I asked if he knew a gallon weighs about 8 pounds and watched the math hit his face. Didn't take the job obviously. Did you at least take photos before you left? Would love to see that spiral staircase setup.

The 'it was all engineered' line always cracks me up, because in my expirience the guy waving his hand ussually means his brother-in-law sketched something on a napkin back in 2011. One thing you can do before you even go back for a second look is call the building department and ask wheather anything was ever filed for that address, since permitted plans have a stamp on them and a homeowner can usually request copies. If the clerk comes up empty, that tells you everthing. Also I am genuinely curious what the spiral staircase stringers are attached to, because that detail alone would keep me up at night.

Gotta disagree with the part about the homeowner coming around once you show him the code requirements. In my experience that's the exception, not the rule. I had a similar thing a few years back, lady with a raised deck over a walkout basement, footings basicly river rocks and hope. I pulled up the local requirements, sat with her for an hour, and she nodded the whole time then hired her neighbor with a pickup truck the next week. Most of these folks aren't shopping for structural advice, they're shopping for someone to agree with the answer they allready picked. That's why walking away is usually the right call even when it feels rude.