Deck Builders in Edgewood, WA

Deck builders in Edgewood, WA spend a lot of time thinking about slope. The city sits on what locals call North Hill, across the Puyallup River valley from South Hill. Where a lot falls away from the back of the house, the view improves and the deck gets harder: the far edge ends up well above grade, posts get tall, and the footings land on ground that may be steep. We build elevated and multi-level decks in Edgewood, along with ground-level decks, covered decks and repairs.

Edgewood writes its own design numbers

Edgewood incorporated in 1996 and adopted the state residential code with a local table of climate and site criteria. The numbers in that table set the baseline for every deck we draw here:

• Ground snow load of 25 psf
• Wind speed of 85 mph, Exposure B
• Seismic Design Category D1
• Frost line depth of 12 inches
• Moderate weathering and slight to moderate termite risk

The frost depth tells us how deep footings must go at minimum. The seismic category matters on tall decks, where lateral connections to the house and bracing between posts keep the structure from racking when the ground moves.

When the hillside is a critical area

Edgewood's critical areas code designates landslide hazard areas, including any area with a slope of 40 percent or steeper and at least 15 feet of vertical relief. Where city maps show a site is or may be in a landslide hazard area, the city requires a geological assessment by a geotechnical professional covering the site and land within 65 feet of it. The city's deck permit exemption also does not apply in landslide hazard areas, wetlands or flood hazard areas. If your back yard drops off steeply, we look at the city's mapping early, tell you if a geotechnical report is likely, and plan the schedule around it rather than finding out after the drawings are done.

Most view decks need a permit

Under Edgewood's residential code, a deck can skip a permit only if it is 200 square feet or smaller, no more than 30 inches above grade at any point, not attached to the house and not serving the required exit door. A deck hanging off the back of a hillside home fails at least two of those tests, so plan on a permit. We prepare the plans and handle the submission and inspections.

Railings that keep the view

On a deck built for looking at the valley, the railing is in your line of sight every day. Cable rail, glass panels and slim aluminum balusters all meet guard requirements while blocking less of the view than wide wood pickets. Below the deck, a tall structure leaves usable space; some owners add under-deck drainage to keep that area dry, others leave it open for storage.

Owners who stay

About 68% of Edgewood homes are owner-occupied, and 86.1% of residents lived in the same home a year before. Owners who expect to use a deck for a long time often look at composite boards, hidden fasteners and covered sections. Even with composite decking, the frame is usually treated lumber, so we flash the ledger, tape the joists and use corrosion-resistant hardware.

Start with a site visit

Call (253) 525-5245 to set up a free estimate. We walk the slope, measure the drop from the house to the far edge, check where water runs and look at the wall where a ledger would attach. You get a written quote that lists size, materials, railings, footings, any geotechnical step we expect and permit work.

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