TIL my DIY pavilion collapse was totally my fault (bad screws)

I built a 10x12 cedar pavilion last summer in my backyard here in Austin. It looked great for like 5 months. Then a thunderstorm came through in March and one corner just gave way. The whole thing leaned like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I was so mad at myself. Took it apart and realized I used coated deck screws for all the structural connections instead of structural screws or lag bolts. The heads just snapped off under tension. Spent a whole weekend replacing every single connection with proper TimberLok screws. Cost me an extra $60 and a ton of sweat. Has anyone else cheap out on fasteners and regret it later?

2 comments

2 Comments

aaronlee26d ago

Learned that lesson on a fence. Cost me double.

felixw6825d ago

My buddy did this building a deck and ended up with his grill sitting at a 45 degree angle after one cookout. Still gives me a hard time when we fire it up.