Just tore off the old decking boards and now I'm staring at the joists underneath, wondering if I should inspect them myself or just call someone who knows what they're doing. I'm pretty handy but not exactly a structural engineer, you know? Anyone here tackled this themselves and felt confident about it, or is it smarter to just bite the bullet and pay a pro to come out and give it a proper look?
If you're already handy, you might be overthinking this a bit. Deck joists aren't rocket science—usually, you're looking for obvious signs like rot, insect damage, or significant warping. Grab a screwdriver and poke around the wood; if it sinks in easily or feels spongy, that's your red flag. Unless you're seeing something really questionable or complicated (like weird framing or structural connections), paying a pro might be overkill at this stage.
