Building A Roof Deck
Railing Requirements:
The beauty of the Azek system is that the baluster spacing conforms to the International Residential Code [IRC] calling for on-center baluster spacing to be less than 4 inches. The IRC also requires that a guardrail be 42 inches in height and the entire assembly be strong enough to resist a 200-pound horizontal load (or 20 pounds per linear foot, depending on the local code).
The Azek railing system meets this requirement and can be ordered so the balusters do not need to be cut to reach the 42 inch requirement. By eliminating the need to cut the balusters we saved time and labor.
NOTE: Check local code requirements prior to installation. Most building codes require that a 4” sphere shall not pass though the rail at any point.
The Devil Is In the Details:
We spent time making sure the siding, and trim were installed properly by flashing all of our joints and not nailing anywhere with in 8” of the deck to ensure we did not penetrate the rubber roofing that ran up the side wall.
One detail that we changed from the original design was to run a horizontal trim board, a skirt board, along the deck. This board allowed us to install our fasteners up high as opposed to installing and fastening clapboard siding down to the deck as it was to the earlier deck. The fewer nail hoes the better!
