I’m building a large ipe deck with curved portions, including a curved stairway, tempered glass railings etc. My question is concerning the curved stair railing. The homeowner wants a simple open rail with maybe a couple horiz members. the way I read code is 4″ and 6″ rule, however She drives around allday hitting malls etc, looking at other jobs. You know the deal. Who’s right? Thanks Dave
Replies
Will the project be subject to city inspection? If so, it's not going to be possible for her to have it her own way.
How high off the ground is it? I'm not sure on the code but I think that if less than three feet high you don't need to worry about it.
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit.
The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."
--Marcus Aurelius
21" here in jersey
In Oregon, as well as CA, if the deck is more than 3 risers (regardless of riser height), it needs a handrail.
that would have to be no more than 22.5".
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit.
The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."
--Marcus Aurelius
The poor dear...after she gets all her high dollar Ipe deck done, she will have to give up shopping so she can take care of the deck, cleaning it, treating it...but I guess she knows what she wants!Wine is God's way of capturing the sun.
So like she's at the Mall all day, like checking out, like, all the like one day sales, so like, what's that, like got to do with the Codes?
Code is code!
Check with the local building department.
Like, go down to city hall, they'll give you PICTURES of what is code and she'll have to LIKE it!
Bob
"Rather be a hammer than a nail"
Please post some pictures of your deck. We would really like to see it.
Bob
"Rather be a hammer than a nail"
This is one cool deck, leading to a negative edge kidney pool, elevated spa, stone pool deck leading to a topigraphical drop of 60' to a lake. The view is the big deal, i e I don't want to look at railings, so we look at mags and other projects and surmise they are legal (not).BTY FHB is guilty of this also, sorry. The little disclaimers don't mean anything to homeowners. Anyway the upper part is about 45'/15' down a center 3 riser stair 5' wide to a complicated curved 15'/15' section with a juliet balcony from french doors (curved) to 2 risers to pool deck, off the pool deck is a curved stairway to grade 10 risers following the curve of the outside radius. all the material is 5/4 / 6 ipe installed with eb ty ,wrapped posts (ipe) ,4/4 queen posts, 2/6 ipe stair, 4/4 skirts. All decking is "picture framed" ie no exposed edge grain, even the skirting is mitered. BTY using the 5/4 ipe eliminated the shadow and looks real sweet, My new favorite decking material if you have the means. I'll send pics when I finish Thanks ,Dave
Sounds like a fun project Dave. I really don't think I'll do another deck using the EbTy system. It is just too labor intensive. We face screwed our last ironwood deck and it turned out great. The customer does want us to come back and replace all the step fascia with 1x8 ironwood instead of the 5/4X8 TK cedar fascia we usually use.
Looking forward to seeing your pictures,Bob
"Rather be a hammer than a nail"
Maybe this is of some use to you, given that your mallrat wants to see the view ...
http://www.feeneygateway.com/cablerail.html
cable railing, wire fence, etc reminds her of German prison camps probably from her 1st life as she not even 40 yet
I'm sure this may raise a few eyebrows however a lot depends on inspectors feeling of the matter. Horizontal rails on the deck guard rail have been taboo for some time but on more than one occasion I have been allowed the use of horizontal (4 inch ball spacing applied) rails for the stair guard railing itself. Some inspectors feel the ladder rung effect of stair parts sloped at 40 degrees is pretty much moot. In my case I presented the building department with a drawing explaining what the client wanted and why I thought it was safe to use. Both times the idea passed without any problems.
Currently, we have a 6" spacing on horizontal railing bars, 4" on verticle balusters. The three riser and you've gotta have a handrail, only applies to the handrail on the steps here. 30" above grade and a deck or porch are required to have railings. But....
Some of my own porches are more like 36" above grade, straw fluffed up to 30" satisfied the inspector. He didn't measure anything, but he did ask "those decks are all 30" off the ground, aren't they?" Well, yes sir they are!
We also put up a lot of temporary handrailings in order to pass inspections. Some are replaced with neat stuff that hasen't been deliverd yet, and, some are taken down and may or may not be replaced, I know nothing... It's okay, I can fix it!
In MA if an architect rubber stamps a design and sends it off to the state for approval, they can get away with almost any non code design!