House next to a new detached garage, separate foundations, can I connect the two with a deck?
MikefromtheMountainsofUtah
| Posted in Building Code Questions on
My building official thinks that my contractor is wrong in suggesting that we can just place a ledger board on the house on one side and 6 feet away, a ledger board on the detached garage on the other side. Placing a deck between.
My local code does not say anything that specifically prevents this or declares that a detached garage can’t have something connecting it to the house. Does anyone know if the building inspector is right?
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Replies
Mike,
The place to start is the inspector. They can tell you what their objection is. It could be any number of things in the code or bylaws. We would just be guessing.
I don't know what code he is referring to but I would personally suggest you just self support your deck. There can be a lot of issues with waterproofing at ledgers and it is not much harder to pour a couple of footings and not worry about it
To a certain extent, it doesn't matter if the inspector is right or wrong. They make the call.
It would be helpful if they could provide you with more details about their concern. E.g. Are they concerned that by connecting the two buildings, they will become one structure and that could have zoning implications (or implications for electrical or fire code)? Are they concerned that differential settling will lead to failure?
If the inspector is already being persnickety, building a standalone deck can be challenging as well. They may require you to dig down to undisturbed soil if you are close to the foundation walls.
How high off the ground will this deck be?
canada_deck,
"To a certain extent, it doesn't matter if the inspector is right or wrong. They make the call."
They really don't. Anything they ask for they have to be able to reference in the applicable codes or bylaws. Over the years I've had lots of "I'd like to see" comments from inspectors, and then we have a discussion as to whether what they are suggesting is a good idea or not. But that discussion takes place with the clear understanding that I'm under no obligation to do what they would like.
If the deck is between the house and the garage then I'm guessing that the garage slab is on grade with the side door maybe 6-8" above the grade? Why not do a patio on grade and some steps up to the house side door if it's a bit higher?
If not a patio, then your upper deck surface is probably going to be no more than 12-24" above grade so would you even need to dig for footings? Deck blocks on grade might work, but whatever you choose a stand-alone deck would be much simpler than ledger boards and waterproofing/flashing the deck to wall connections. I mean, the deck is only 6' wide.
Seems like the big concern is about preventing any fire from spreading in the roof structure between the buildings.
Walta
A followup. The inspection department had a long discussion about it and decided there is nothing in the code that prevents it so I am good to go. Ledger's on both house and detached garage, epdm above the deck joists, and it will all be sealed and insulated. Thanks!