TIL my old deck used 2,000 screws and I was way off

I was replacing the boards on my 12x16 deck and decided to count every screw I pulled out, just out of curiosity. I guessed maybe 800 total, but the final count was 2,047, which blew my mind. It made me realize how much material and labor goes into something that seems simple from the outside. Has anyone else had a project where the sheer number of fasteners or parts totally surprised you?

2 comments

2 Comments

cole_bailey851mo ago

Damn, that's over two thousand screws for one deck.

dylan_green581mo ago

Right? Makes you realize how much hardware goes into something we just walk on. Each joist, each board, it all adds up fast. You'd need a whole bucket just for the screws, forget the framing nails or lag bolts. No wonder the pros have those big coil nailers, doing that by hand would take forever.