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April 16, 2008
Wood Deck... Don't Get it!
We're very very actively looking to build a wood deck on our roof. I know the rule... 20% of the roof can be made of wood (or combistable material). Here's what I don't get... none of my neighors followed that. None of them. All are somewhat new. Did they just not get permits? I would assume they did. If they raise the deck can they do more than 20%? Thanks for the help.
Comments
You got it. And raising the deck has nothing to do with the 20%.
Posted by: denton at April 16, 2008 9:50 PM
what does a "raised" deck mean? If you build a deck on a raised platform, you can exceed the 20%?
Posted by: guest at April 17, 2008 8:11 AM
what does a "raised" deck mean? If you build a deck on a raised platform, you can exceed the 20%?
Posted by: guest at April 17, 2008 8:12 AM
We built a roofdeck a couple years ago. What we found was that a wood deck that rests directly on the roof could cover only 20% of the roof. But a deck that is built on steel beams that rest on the party walls can be covered with wood and cover more than 20% of the area of the roof. There are other restrictions however -- no flammable material can be used within 3 feet of the lot line. We got around that one by showing planters on those 3 feet. Another way to get around these antiquated fire regulations is to use ipe, which is a type of wood that is dense enough that it is not considered flammable.
You should talk to an architect who's built these before -- she'll be able to tell you exactly what the rules are.
Building the deck was a lot of trouble, but well worth it! We enjoyed it for several summers, and got back every penny we invested in it when it was time to sell.
Posted by: brooklynrulz at April 17, 2008 9:59 AM
To answer your question about your neighbors, maybe I'm one of them. When we built our deck I asked around and was told there were lots of rules, what they wee was in dispute, and that no one in Brooklyn followed them because the DOB ignored this issue. In other words, there are lots of laws that nobody cares about.
Since then, it seems to have become something people do the "right" way. Everyone here will say to follow the regs for the sake of your roof and/or so you don't burn down the neighbors building. I don't know if there's any evidence of such things ever having happened. I'd be curious.
At this point, because property values have actually gone up so much and it may become an issue for resale, I'd say hire the architect, pay the fees, and go to the added expense of doing it right. However, please don't narc on your neighbors. I may be one of them.
Posted by: guest at April 17, 2008 11:20 AM
too late, you're done for.
Posted by: guest at April 17, 2008 1:23 PM
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