Outside deck regulations?

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Outside deck regulations?

1 | 2 | 3

mattwnz

20659 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4917

#1247188 26-Feb-2015 16:16

JonnyCam:
kiwitrc:
mattwnz:
Jaxson:
JonnyCam:
trig42: Oh, and personal peeve, don't put the decking timber ridged side up. Just makes it dangerous and slippy, and is uncomfortable.

+1
In australia the 'grip tread' is sold as a feature to draw the moisute away from the top of the deck by having it face downwards.

this...

I have just put a new deck down to replace an old one, and the tread was installed downwards. The old decking which was 20 years old didn't have a tread, however I have seen many decks which have the tread upwards, and they are very slippery, because there is less surface area when you are walking on it. Calling it grip tread is part of the problem, as that isn't what it is.

Thats weird, I have a 23 year old Kwila deck, tread up, that runs around the entire house, in all that time no one has ever slipped on it, and that includes some pretty hefty booze fueled BBQs over the years. I water blast and oil it every few years and its still nearly as good as new. Maybe its the type of timber people are using, or possibly lack of maintenance (mould/moss etc) causing slip issues?

Depends on the environment. Frosty mornings where I live rain can lead to the 'channels' being filled with ice.

With a pine deck, you shouldn't need to do anything to it, as it has built in protection in the timber being h3.2 or whatever. If you stain it regularly, that is going to be more about appearance than prolonging the life of the deck. If you have trees overhead it will get slimey with leaves etc, which I have found to be a lot worse with deck tread upwards. But you get that whether it is stained or not, as it accumulates on the surface and groove. Waterblasting can remove this, but it seems to prematurely deteriorate the deck surface, as it apparently causes damage to the timber cell structure, and it can cause chucks of the timber to fly out if it is done too hard. The best situation for a deck is when it is always in the sun, and there aren't any trees, this allows it to remain dry. Water is what kills a deck.

Handle9

12541 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 10359

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1247204 26-Feb-2015 16:55

1101: Slightly related..
what if I was to repair a partly rotted old deck, its more than 2m high?
Would building consents be required.

And whats average the costs involved of getting consents for decks 2m high ?

Generally the principle is like for like replacement is OK without consent unless the work is "complete or substantial"

This guide goes into it a bit more:

http://www.dbh.govt.nz/UserFiles/File/Publications/Building/Guidance-information/pdf/building-work-consent-not-required-guidance-3rd-edition.pdf

You can replace some rotten planks and a few joists, if you pull the whole thing down and build it again it'll need consent.

Fred99

13684 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 10018

#1247315 26-Feb-2015 20:38

1101: Slightly related..
what if I was to repair a partly rotted old deck, its more than 2m high?
Would building consents be required.

And whats average the costs involved of getting consents for decks 2m high ?

I don't know if there is such a thing as an average cost - as well as consent application and inspection fees, to get consent you'll probably need professionally drawn plans (reg designer or architect). As it's restricted work, you can't DIY except "under supervision" of an LBP builder (or with "owner-builder" exemption which is recorded on the LIM).
We built a couple of decks recently, one low (although with a 1.5m fall), the other about 3m above ground level.
Risk-averse Chch council demanded Geotech survey where the footings were, this added over $2k, then a structural engineer to do the design, IIRC this added about another $1200. I guess compliance costs for the deck totaled about $5,000.

For repair of a partly rotted 2m high old deck, I suggest getting a builder to look at it. Replacing rotten decking is one thing, but if there is rot in structural timber it's a potential hazard. If the timber isn't that old (<50 years), then perhaps the question should be asked as to whether the timber used was a suitable grade, and if not, then what else might have had corners cut when it was built.
You should also be aware that home insurance policies are voided if a "structural member is removed" - you need to take out a building insurance policy.

1 | 2 | 3