Can I sue the previous homeowner?

I bought a house last April (2010) from a very difficult seller. I had the house inspected, and was informed that the deck was built with wood to ground contact. Now even with the little construction experience I have, I knew that was not desirable, but I liked the house and the location, and the price was affordable. After purchasing the house, I realized that not only was the deck wood to ground, but it was built crooked, using improper support structure and shoddy building techniques and materials. After I decided to remove the deck altogether, and started pulling it apart, I noticed even more horrible and shoddy things. I have taken about half the deck apart thus far, and doented with photos and video all the things I've found. I do realize that had I taken more time to inspect the deck, I might have caught some of the initial visible defects, but the seller definitely did not inform me of all the issues with the deck. I would like to know if I have any legal recourse against the previous homeowner for not informing me of the defects. I would like him to pay for the removal of the rest of the deck, and the construction of a new deck. Not only do I have to waste my time and money taking it apart, and building a new one, but the deck was factored in to the price of the house so I paid for a piece of junk essentially. I mostly feel cheated, and the guy was quite a cheat himself I learned sometime later. Advice anyone?