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Photo of a residential deck construction(C) Daniel FriedmanPorch & Deck Construction
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This article series defines the parts & components of a deck and discusses building permits and code requirements needed for a do it yourself design-build deck project.

We describes critical safe-construction details for decks and porches, including avoiding deck or porch collapse and unsafe deck stairs and railings.

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Deck & Porch Construction, Inspection, Repair & Safety Guide

The Parts of a Deck or Porch

Strong tall porch (C) Daniel FriedmanAs a deck project begin to take shape, you will need to have a basic understanding of the structure of a typical deck. Knowing the name and purpose of each part will also help you in talking with your lumberyard and the local building department, as well as any contractors or architects.

The photo, left, shows a tall deck project that quickly evolved into a covered porch. It was constructed by the website editor, Daniel Friedman, in 1983.

One of the project conditions requested by the owner was that this high deck should not be wobbly or bouncy (nor unsafe).

Decks consist of several layers of construction, each with its own components and function.

The ledger joins a deck to the house framing. Concrete piers, often resting on wider footings below ground, provide the deck’s ’solid connection with the ground. Posts establish the height of the deck, tying the piers to on more beams. Joists attach ledger and beams, provide underlying frame for the d which is the surface layer.

If the deck is more than 2 feet above ground, it should be surrounded by a railing, which typically consists of posts, and balusters. Stairs are treads and sometimes risers attached to stringers, as well as a railing on each side.

Decks, like houses, are largely held together by lumber and fasteners. But houses have roofs, sheathing, and siding to protect them from the elements and add support. Decks, on the other hand, are exposed to all kinds of weather.

They can be buried in snow one season and baked in the sun the next, and may have to endure heavy foot traffic, deep freezes, and drenching rainfalls. When faced with such conditions, the materials that go into a deck are prone to deteriorate. Wood rots, fasteners loosen, metal rusts, and foundations may heave.

On many decks, shortcuts or simple errors made in planning or building accelerate the damage. A well-designed and well-constructed deck can survive intact for decades with regular maintenance. A poorly built and maintained deck can begin to deteriorate in just a couple of years.

Fine deck building may require that you spend a little more for materials, take a little longer on the construction, and take time to maintain and repair the deck as needed, but the results will be worth it.

Deck Building Building Permit and Deck Building Code Inspection Warnings

We inspected a deck built nearly eight feet above ground level, and without any railings. The owner wanted the view to remain unobstructed. The owner promptly asked us to convert the deck to a sun-porch using translucent corrugated roof panels. At the time of this photo safe railing balusters had not yet been installed.

At another New York deck that was built abutting the home but not attached to it, we also encountered deck high above the ground (about 8') with no railings whatsoever.

Our opinion was that this was a dangerous structure and that guard railings were needed. A local inspector examined the deck and opined that because the deck was a free standing structure, "building codes did not apply" and so no guardrail was "required". Our advice was that railings were needed for safety, regardless of that local opinion.

In most jurisdictions, home inspectors, building consultants, and builders are not permitted to declare that a structure does or does not comply with local, state, national, or modern building codes. That authority is reserved for the local building code compliance officer.

But in most jurisdictions a building permit and final building code compliance inspections are required to build a deck, regardless of whether or not the deck is attached to the principal structure.

And regardless of what any inspector claims about the "legal requirement" for guard rails on decks, we recommend that for safety, guard rails and stair railings (if stairs are installed) should be provided; if the deck is more than 3 ft. above ground level the requirement for guard railings and stair rails is required by model and most local building codes.

References on Deck Construction & Inspection

 




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Reader Comments, Questions & Answers About The Article Above

Below you will find questions and answers previously posted on this page at its page bottom reader comment box.

Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

On 2020-05-26 by (mod) - where are exterior step requirements ?

Glad to help, Ext.

The specifications for designing and building stairs are in the ARTICLE INDEX above where you'll start at one of these two articles

STAIRS, RAILINGS, LANDINGS, RAMPS https://inspectapedia.com/Stairs/Stairs.php

or

STAIR DIMENSIONS, WIDTH, HEIGHT https://inspectapedia.com/Stairs/Stair_Dimension_Specifications.php

On 2020-05-26 by exterior stairs

where are exterior step requirements

On 2018-08-24 by jim

where can I find info on building with cedar log guard posts and railings for a deck

On 2018-05-16 - by (mod) -

Not sure what you're asking.

There are several brands of bolts and connectors that can bolt through a ledger board into a masonry wall or foundation - if that's your situation. Each will have its particular application and installation details.

Some examples are at fastenersplus.com

On 2018-05-15 by candice

Dynabolt or metal braces to attach deck to house?

On 2016-06-20 - by (mod) -

Beck

Short answer: for a slider you aren't required to build a landing platform. But I would either make the steps no less than the width of the open area of the door (preferred) or you'll need to construct a ridiculous-looking guardrail across the door opening to force the user to walk down more-narrow stairs.

Here are some details:

Typical Minnesota stair codes state

A landing is required at the top and bottom of each stairway.

A landing is not required at the top of an interior flight of stairs provided a door does not
swing over the stairs.

The width (perpendicular to the direction of travel) of the landing shall not be less than the width
of the stairway it is serving.

The depth (in the direction of travel) of the landing shall not be less than 36”.

Landings shall have a maximum slope of one-unit vertical in 48-units horizontal (2% slope).

Guards shall be provided for landings that are more than 30” above grade.

Your local building official is the final legal authority on what's required by way of stair landings where you live. Certainly I see sliding doors that open directly to a single step rather than (the preferred) landing; the builder argues that there is no door swinging "out" and thus the "landing" equivalent is the interior floor. Not all building inspectors buy that view.

The landing platform (or step if you get away with that) should be at least the width of the door opening space.

Using St. Cloud as an example of minnesota stair building codes,

see http://www.ci.stcloud.mn.us/DocumentCenter/Home/View/786

On 2016-06-20 by BeckCo

I need to build stairs up to an exterior 6' wide patio door. Top of door threshold is 30" above grade. Does code require a landing? Do stairs need to be 6' wide (door width)? Im located in MN. Thanks in advance!

On 2016-03-30 - by (mod) -

Anon: a deck can certainly be free standing. But

Watch out: I've seen the "free standing" deck design used as a trick to run around building code compliance. At a home inspection I saw a deck 8 ft. above ground with no guardrails. I noted to my client that falling off such a deck would surely injure someone and that guardrails were badly needed.

The deck was built free-standing, about 1" from the wall of the house and entered by a sliding door from the house.

The owner, incensed, called his local building department for a defense.

The building inspector who had issued a CO on this travesty - this unsafe construction - bailed himself out by saying "OK, well the deck is not attached to the house so I don't have to inspect it and it's not part of the structure" and the owner said "OK so building codes don't apply" (which is not the case everywhere)

My reply is that "building codes may not apply" as the local inspector is the final authority.

But when somebody falls off the deck and breaks their neck, their neck is still broken, and if that's not bad enough, you can figure that their lawyer won't accept a defense that the unsafe deck was, in that jurisdiction, "legal" as any moron can see that for safety it needed guardrailis.

As you can hear, I'm still upset by this fiasco, decades later. We don't need to kill anybody just to sell our home.

Not that this applies to you, Anonymous.

On 2016-03-30 by Anonymous

Does a deck have to bge connected to the building, or could it be free standing?

On 2016-03-20 by Anonymous

any issues with upgrading a 4x4 post to a 6x6 post on a 8 inch pier? height is 32 inches If so what issue does it cause to the pier?


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