Roof Deck Construction
Hello, I’m wondering if anyone has any advice on the costs and permits associated with building a modest roof deck, something with basically a wood base and maybe additional railings. I would estimate the sq footage to be around 500-600 and the height of the building is a 4 floor walkup (row house in williamsburg-…
Hello,
I’m wondering if anyone has any advice on the costs and permits associated with building a modest roof deck, something with basically a wood base and maybe additional railings. I would estimate the sq footage to be around 500-600 and the height of the building is a 4 floor walkup (row house in williamsburg- NOT landmarked). I’m also wondering what kinds of permits, if any, need to be acquired. Thanks for any replies in advance.
Two big things here, I believe FAR is max’d out. This is also a new construction building. Thanks to everyone, seems just like anything else- open to big time interpretation.
“The NYC Building Code allows decks under certain conditions. Decks can’t cover any more than 20% of the roof area and the deck material, if it is wood, cannot come any closer than 36″ from the property line. You must have railings 42″ high around the entire roof perimeter if people can access it. Yes, to do it legally you will need a DOB permit and you’ll have to leave an area for Fire Department access across the roof. Please have someone check the structure to make sure that it can support the weight of the deck and anything on it.”
Alterboy is correct, however the new code may have different requirements and limitations. In either case, the other big question you need to answer is what is your allowable FAR? If your roof is not currently begins used at a terrace is does not count towards your FAR, but once you add a deck, this will count toward your usable floor area. Check out the zoning resolution for you zoning district.
I second that notion Flashlightworthy, we have always covered larger areas than they particularly say will be allowed without a problem with the DOB on all the decks we have designed and constructed throughout the years, IPE wise off course, so by far thats true, it all depends who the homeowner signs off with and there expertise in that area getting things filed and approved.
feel free to take a look at some of our projects at http://www.citydecksny.com
As an earlier poster said, you’re limited to 20% if the decking material is combustible. If not, then you can cover a lot more. Also, depending on the time of day and the direction of the wind, ipe can be considering NONcombustible. I got signoff on a 100% ipe deck that cover 90% of my roof. (It used to always be considered non-combustible but they’re wavering. It all depends on who you get to sign off on the plans.)
Exactly what lamb said. I’ve had a couple of quotes for something along the same lines (4 story walk up etc) and quotes have actually come in closer to the $50k range. Budget 1/3 of that for the bulkhead construction, another 1/3 for the structural reinforcement and the last 1/3 for the actual construction itself (drawings, filing etc. etc.). I thought I could get this done for close to $20k, but as with lamb, I can’t budget for three times that. And yes, please do share if anybody has done this before (and a little cheaper)!
I’ve looked into doing the same on my wburg rowhouse and I’ve gotten some jaw-dropping quotes… for 300-400 sf I was told to ballpark $30-$40k. you could do it cheaper, but as hooky said, access & materials will have a big impact on costs. if you’ve already got a bulkhead, that could shave a good chunk off that figure. I have only a hatch now and a portion of that ballpark figure was allocated to improving access. hiring a structural engineer, doing drawings, filing with the DOB, getting an expediter involved, construction & materials–all this stuff adds up fast. there’s almost zero chance your roof has the structural integrity to handle the load produced by a deck with you and your friends on it. you’ll need to distribute load to the parapet walls with joists and build on top of them. then you’ve got materials, contractors, etc… I would really love to have a deck on my house, but this simply isn’t in the budget right now. if you do find a way to get all this done with permits and up to code for less than I’ve been quoted, please share!!
Thanks for all of this great info!
Based on the size of your project it would need to be done in IPE, a permit is definitely the best way to go doing it legally like alterboy said, having someone check the structure first will help you determine the substructure type/format that is adequate for your roof top deck.
A WOOD deck, or a deck made out of other flammable materials, can only cover a max of 20% of the roof area.