Dear Suzy,
I have a 1951 house, pier-and-beam construction. Out back is an ugly
10′ x
12′ concrete slab and two concrete steps, about two feet high. There is
stucco-like masonry around the skirt of the house. I would like to
install a
deck, doing at least some of the work myself. Is it better to build an
attached
deck or a free-standing deck? The deck would be about two feet high, to
hide
the concrete steps. Can I just knock the stucco stuff out of the way or
would I
drill through it to attach a deck? Also, is a building permit required
for a
deck like this? Thanks. – Marinoni
Dear Marinoni,
Popping through the stucco is a cinch. Attaching a ledger board to
the floor
joists under the house with bolts is a breeze. Handy-dandy joist
hangers make
securing the deck joists to the ledger child’s play. And if your
concrete slab
is nice and solid, you can use these pre-cast foundation blocks and not
even
have to dig post holes. Screw the decking down, drag out lawn chairs,
and enjoy
a cold brew.
The only stumbling block to your project are those two words, the
only two
words in the English language I truly hate beside “okra” and “phlegm,”
the
words that can stop a bulldozer in its tracks and make a plumber weep:
Building
Permit. And, of course, you have to have a permit. (Unless you’re
building on a
Saturday/Sunday and have the blessing of all your neighbors within
eyeshot. I
didn’t tell you this, by the way.) You have to have a building permit
for a
little playhouse or a sidewalk or a new sewer line. Fortunately, you
can take
out a homeowners’ permit. Most of the inspectors we’ve ever dealt with
treat
homeowners gently and courteously. (Please note that I’ve said
“most.”)
Unfortunately, you still have to troop down to the planning
department and
face one of the rather brittle women who inspects your paperwork.
According to
Debra, a perfunctory woman in the permit department who grudgingly
answered my
questions, this includes a site plan showing the dimensions of your lot
and any
existing structures, as well as the size and location of your proposed
deck. If
you’re wondering what will be required of you and your deck under city
code,
just consult the National Residential Code Book, a tome open to
more
interpretations than the Bible. You might discover that you’ll need a
railing
around the deck since it’s more than six inches high and that the
railing has
to be a certain height and the rails must be spaced no farther apart
than the
thickness of an average baby’s head and a handrail of sufficient
dimension to
be grasped by an 80-year-old woman with arthritis is required where you
step
down into the yard and the mast head of your power line will have to be
raised
and….
So, what are you doing on Saturday, anyway?
You don’t have to know the code to write me at the
Chronicle, PO Box
49066, Austin, TX 78765 or e-mail me at Suzebe@aol.com.
This article appears in May 5 • 1995 and May 5 • 1995 (Cover).