Deck in the backyard
I am thinking about extending a tiny deck I have coming off the parlor floor of my brownstone. There is a 30′ setback rule (eg. the end of the building has to be 30′ from the rear property line) although there is an original extension which pre-dates the rule and is about 25′ from the…
I am thinking about extending a tiny deck I have coming off the parlor floor of my brownstone. There is a 30′ setback rule (eg. the end of the building has to be 30′ from the rear property line) although there is an original extension which pre-dates the rule and is about 25′ from the property line and goes across about 2/3rds of the property. Are decks subject to the set-back rules? Can it be extend along (one or both of) the side property lines? Does it be made out of a fire rated material (ipe or metal?). And finally do I need a permit/landmarks approval to build it as long as it conforms to rules?
YI, Are you aware that the Amazon is being logged to oblivion as we speak and that Ipê has now become the largest timber export from Brazil (since illegal mahogany logging was finally curtailed, thus shifting mahogany logging to Peru). Are you aware that many of these trees are 200-300 years old.
Ipê was considered a lesser-known species just 10 years ago and has now become the in-demand species for decking. Most ipê logging is done illegally, and many loggers used forced or even slave labor, as outlined in a 2002 New York Times article and a Knight-Ridder article from this year. Recent scientific studies have confirmed that the Amazon is being eradicated twice as fast as reported by the UNFAO due entirely to high-grade logging.
According the the Brazilian government, 80% of logging in the Brazilian Amazon is done illegally. A Greenpeace study showed ipê as one of the primary products of this illegal logging.
How is it possible that in this day and age, with all the information on rainforest destruction and illegal logging out there, folks can still cavalierly support the use of tropical hardwoods??
Check our website at rainforestrelief.org for more information about what not to buy and email us for help selecting any wood products.
By the way, redwood and cedar and contributing to the rapid loss of the last old growth temperate rainforests in the world.
I’m thinking about this too – my yard is not too big. I found this on the NYC DOB site-it’s a start:
You should hire a licensed NYS engineer/architect and then file plans with the DOB to get a permit…http://www.nyc.gov/html/dob/downloads/pdf/deck.pdf
Check the Installing a Deck or Porch section of this: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dob/downloads/pdf/swimpools.pdf
And then there’s this:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dob/html/reference/tppn0403.shtml
“ISSUANCE #636
TECHNICAL POLICY AND PROCEDURE NOTICE #4/03
Date: December 17, 2003
Subject: Decks, Porches, Terraces and Breezeways
Effective: Immediately
Reference: Rule §15-01 and §27-972(h) of the New York City Building Code
An open porch, veranda, portico, terrace or deck shall be considered acceptable for projection into a required yard if the following is provided:
There shall be no useable building or storage space underneath.
Projection does not exceed eight feet beyond the face of the building, except that steps leading from a porch or deck may be located beyond this unit.
The construction material shall be limited as follows:
Any projection made of combustible material(s) shall be a minimum of 3′-0” from any property line. As such, this would be in compliance with Building Code (effective 12/6/1968) – Subchapter 3 /Articles 14, 15, 16, 17 and related Table 3-4 and Administrative Building Code (1938, effective prior to 12/6/1968) – Section 26-248.0/1(a) and /1(b), as applicable. Building Code (effective 12/6/1968) – Section 27-336.c – “Porticos, porches, etc.” shall not apply to any deck or porch construction made of combustible material(s), provided the exposed sides are protected.
Decks made of noncombustible material(s) can be less than three feet from any property line. As such, this would be in compliance with Building Code (effective 12/6/1968) – Section 27-336, “…similar appendages may be constructed of combustible materials or of assemblies on buildings of construction Classes II-E to an unlimited extent…”
Rear Yard Requirements (from Dept of City Planning):
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/sigrowth/yard_requirements.pdf
The Zoning Handbook ($24)…
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/pub/zonehandc.shtml
You should do a search..there is lots of discussion about decks on the board. We’re also building a deck at the moment, and from what I’ve learned the deck is subject to the set back rule. If its flammable material it needs to have 3 feet of clearance on either side. If you are building out to the property line on either side It needs to be built of iron, with a non-flammable material on top — Ipe is acceptable it seems.