[katana]

Just my opinion, but it’s not the Irish on the deck (or in this case the Irish town name). It’s the Mexicans who are hired to build them and the inspectors who are paid to look the other way.

[RegulatorCountry]

Rusted nails. Very salty there, HVAC units typically rust out and fail in five years or so.

[fini]

I live 30 minutes away from Emerald Isle. In 1985, there were no Mexicans in the area, except for picking crops. Mexicans didn't start showing up in the construction trade around here until the late 90s.

Building inspectors around here do not look the other way, and are especially strict on houses near the sea, because we have frequent hurricanes (that really stress the buildings).

I think this is a simple case of too many people standing too close together. Few decks are made to handle that kind of stress.

[ExpatGator]

I lived in Emerald Isle in 1985. I built houses and decks during that time. I assure you that the deck in question was not built by Messicans, as I knew everyone who slung a hammer in that town. I can also assure you that the building inspector did not look the other way.
Structures and fasteners have a serviceable life after which they become questionable. The salt air plays hell even on galvanized nails.

[smokingfrog]

They should have used bolts and joist hangers for the major load-bearing parts of the deck, not nails.