Deck Railing - alternative to pickets
I don't want to look at pickets (balastrades) I would prefer prefer tthe view of the lake. What are some suggestions for materials? Cosiderations - I live in a very cold winter climate (-30C is not unusual) and very young children play on the deck during the summer. Why not put two horizontal treated 1X3's, equally spaced between your top rail and deck floor? It has worked well for me, and the young children on our deck and dock. If the deck is more than 30 above grade, the guardrail must be at least 36 tall, and, whether you run vertical pickets, horizontal rails, or put lattice between the deck and the top rail, it has to be spaced close enough that a 4 ball can't pass through it. Lefty, I had no knowledge of the 4 ball rule. What is the basis for that, and is it a national rule? Thanks for the info, Rick Look in Sec. 1712 of the U.B.C. Guess they don't want anybody faling through the guardrail or getting strangled in it. Here's a couple of ideas I had and am looking at... Panels of 6x6 10 gauge wire mesh (like they use in concrete slabs) bordered with a lightweight steel channel frame. These are hot dip galvanized or powder coated and mounted between the posts. Saw this at a local restaurant. Another idea, galvanized steel posts with stainless steel or galvanized 3/16 cable strung between them on 4 to 6 centers. Either or these allow great visability. I'm not to concerned about the 4 ball rule and going for more of a 6 rule, which I believe is the old standard. My current railing doesn't meet this or the height requirement and I don't plan on getting a permit. The 6 rule may have well been the old standard, but how old is old? I just checked a '91 U.B.C. code book, and it said 4. Do it any way that floats your boat. Just be aware of two things. First, when you sell the house, you could very well have to bring the deck up to current code. That's minor. But in the mean time, if a small child were to get their head stuck in the 6 opening and get seriously hurt, or worse, you probably won't be covered by your homeowner's insurance in the event of a lawsuit. That's not so minor! In some commercial applications, I've seen stainless multistrand wire used in handrails. They'll have a round top rail like a handrail, then the space below filled in with wires that are about 3/16 or 1/4 in diameter. Expensive, but nice. One source is marine catalogs, like West Marine or Defender Industries. I'm not associated in any way with either, other than as a customer,,, http://www.defenderus.com/ http://www.westmarine.com/ They also sell the tools and little fittings that crimp the ends. For an unobstructed view, you can install tempered 1/2 to 3/4 inch glass between the posts. You see this application in commercial balconies. Check a local glass company and building department for required specifications I don't know how large your deck is or to what expense you are willing to go to, but you could look into framing panels of lexan glass into a railing. I have used this to make machine guards and it is pretty tough stuff, and allows pretty good visabilty. Lexan would work just fine, AND IT'S A WHOLE LOT CHEAPER THAT THE TEMPERED GLASS!! Those are both reasonable options ....but here in the Pacific Northwest they would be tough to keep clean. We'd be out there ever other day so we wouldn't be looking through spots and/or streaks! Look into using tempered panels out of 5' sliding glass doors, layed horizontally between the posts. Build a frame that is 2 or 3 above the deck with 2X4's, and wood stop the panes into that. Treating the glass with Rain-X would probably eliminate the streaking problem. And, from what I'm hearing, rain is not a problem for you this year anyway. The LACK of rain -- NOW THAT'S A PROBLEM!! Glass from sliding doors sounds good. I don't know what the deck is used for in the cold weather, how large it is or what shape it is, or what kind of elevation it has. There is also the matter of how many dollars to the how much use there might be from this deck. Might think ahead and put the glass or lexan panels right to the deck floor, sepaarated by upright post that would serve to support a roof. Build the roof later, and later fill in the sections above the railing with a storm type of window, giving you in the long haul an enclosed area. Depending on the size you could roll out some astro turf carpet tocover the deck in the winter months............just some ideas OK I've read enough nonsense here... Thermal Industries, Inc. (www.thermalindustries.com) sells 6' and 8' GLASS RAIL Sections that are (BOCA) CODE APPROVED PVC vinyl with a heavy gauge extruded aluminum core, 3/8 tempered safety glass. Contact me at newlife@a1usa.net for additional information I see the site....a great option for those of us with an unlimited budget. What's different? Same glass issues as mentioned before. Cost issues for those of us on a budget. Lefty's Lexan I'm sure is more reasonable, so what's your advantage? Well gang I appreciate the advise and I just priced it out and believe it or not tempered glass comes in as a winner at $2.00 per sq. foot cheaper ($1.25 to those of you south of the 49th parallel) than Lexan. In addition, the glass doesn't have the disadvantage of being subject to scratching. Given that we still have 12 to 18 inches of snow on the ground and 22 inches of ice on the lake it doesn't seem likely that I will get anthing started till at least late April or early May, but the glass will be ordered soon. This approach is costly, but it meets the important criteria of a clear view, it is safe for the tykes and their bikes and it readily available cut to the exact size I require. P.S.King, I think you meant to say that tempered glass can be ordered to the exact sizes you need. It will be made that size. There is no such thing as cutting tempered glass, at least not that any glass shop in No CA is aware of!
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