Replies

1. 
   JerraldHayes | Aug 25, 2006 05:12pm | #1

   You're going to switch to a ledger strip and pocket hole screw assembly because of the rizing cost of "double-hot-dipped-galvanized joist hangers". How much did they go up?

   Without actually doing a study I would think anything but a real radically outrageous increase in the cost of joist hangers would be more than off-set by the cost of labor in executing a ledger strip and pocket hole screw assembly. If you are doing it for the looks ( I hate the look of joist hangers when I can see them from below) then I think switching methods might be appropiate. But for cost? I really have my doubts.

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2. 
   BossHog | Aug 25, 2006 05:22pm | #2

   Using pocket hole screws in exterior structiural applications is completely assinine.

   He's not dead, He's electroencephalographically challenged.

1. 
   Shoeman | Aug 25, 2006 05:58pm | #4

   Don't suger coat it Boss - tell us what your opinion is

2. 
   JerraldHayes | Aug 25, 2006 06:06pm | #5

   BossHog - "Using pocket hole screws in exterior structiural applications is completely assinine."

   mike4244 -

   "Screws might snap, there brittle compared to nails which bend instead. Before joist hangers were in vogue ledgers were used. A typical framing with ledgers would be a 2x2 ledger, joist notched for ledger and toenailed into the beam."

   While I don't side with Sewermans rationale I don't really agree with what you guys are saying either. Yeah if Sewerman was to use the type of pocket screw you typically use with a Kreg jig for cabinet construction yeah that would be a real bad idea (weak, brittle, asinine, all those kids of things) but to use heavy stainless steel or epoxy coated screws (or even lags) in a pocket screw type application for securing joists to a ledger is perfectly okay (or the engineers that specified on the jobs we did that way are in big trouble).

   We've done just that when the space underneath the deck is usable and/or the underside of the deck is obviously visible. On a two or three million dollar house the clients don't want to see the ugly hardware and want a fastening solution that looks good in addition to doing the job of holding the deck up. We also had one job once where the joist hangers were made custom by a metal shop too.

   However I still think that Sewerman rationale that joist hangers are getting too expensive to be cost effective is a mistake.

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3. 
   mike4244 | Aug 25, 2006 05:31pm | #3

   Screws might snap, there brittle compared to nails which bend instead. Before joist hangers were in vogue ledgers were used. A typical framing with ledgers would be a 2x2 ledger, joist notched  for ledger and toenailed into the beam.

   That being said, I would still go with joist hangers over the ledger. No notching involved, joist is full strength too.

   mike