I occasionally build a wood deck when work is slow. I fuckin' hate 'em. You have my sympathy Goat! I recently built one for some fellow who wanted 'mortise and tenon'. He said, "Not a screw one, got it."

Okie doke! For what it cost him, he could have bought a really nice hot tub and got to pro football cheerleader to do him in it.

When I wrote out the contract and the completion receipt, I told him, point blank, this is a limited warranty. Unless I fouled something up or the wood was defective, I was not responsible for the long term condition of said deck.