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Products and Materials

Code-Compliant Guardrail Post Connections

Mike Guertin, editorial advisor

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Professional Deck Builder cover

(c) Mike Guertin

Professional Deck Builder magazine

Photo: Professional Deck Builder cover

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Fine Homebuilding covered deck guardrail post connections in ‘Start Your Railings Right’ last year.  With only 3 pages, the article stuck to the basic post to frame configurations.  For anyone who’s building guardrails on a deck and not feeling great about just bolting or screwing 4x4 posts to a weak rim board, or for those who aren’t convinced posts need more robust attachment, there’s now a good resource to turn to with additional information to what we covered in FHB.

This month’s Professional Deck Builder magazine takes three swings at the issue of mounting deck guard posts securely to the deck frame.  

Andy Engel (former Fine Homebuilding editor and now editor of Professional Deck Builder) leads with an editorial that frames the case for using best-practice post mounting methods using metal hardware.   

Andy also breaks down the forces on a guardrail post and reviews some simple engineering math in the Q&A column to show how metal hardware can resist a guardrail failure.

And I pick up where we left off in FHB with an article  that expands the post to frame details.  While many of the details aren’t vetted with independent testing, they are based on basic rim-post-joist and hardware arrangements that have been tested.

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Choosing a Chimney Flue-Top Damper

Comments (3)

Benjamin1988 writes: This is a much needed guide. Sometimes we forget the issues relating to zoning regulations

BENJAMIN MARCUS RAUCHER
Posted: 7:51 pm on March 9th

MikeGuertin writes: Alfred,

See page 17 of DCA 6 (Prescriptive Residential Wood Deck Construction Guide) for information on stringer code requirements and stringer span limits. http://www.awc.org/Publications/DCA/DCA6/DCA6-09.pdf

You will probably have to go with housed (mortised) stringers if you want just one run of stairs. The span is probably too great to use cut (notched) stringers without a landing mid-span.
Posted: 7:09 pm on November 6th

Alfred1 writes: I have an upper deck that is 10' above ground. I need help in designing stairs, to the ground, for it.

For the stringers, would treated 2" x 12" work and I suppose treated 5/4" for the treads.

How steep should the the stringers be and how do I lay out the notches for the treads. Would anyone recomend mortising out the stringers for the treads to fit in as notching out for the treads might weaken the stringers.

any help would be appreciated.
Posted: 5:54 pm on November 3rd

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