Hello everyone –
Looking for some advice on our clients second story deck above a sunroom with flat roof above. PICTURE is attached
Currently, the support posts for the railing system are going down thru a flat rubber roof and are attached to the ceiling framing of the sunroom below. Some leaks have occurred and have been traced back to the penetrations in the roof at the posts.
We are planning on stripping the existing pressure-treated decking, removing the railing system and having our clients roofing contractor install a new roof surface.
Here is the dilemma: Our client does not want any penetrations through the new roof surface. for fear of leaks
We are planning on installaling new sleepers over the roof and attaching composite decking. No problem there. However, when we install a new railing system, what would be the best way to attach and install the railing without creating another possible water problem?
Being it (the deck) is off the ground a ways, Safety is of a major concern. Would it be strong enough to notch and attach 6×6 rail post lagged to the outside of the ceiling framing and spaced out with washers to allow for drainage.
Anyone else have any other ideas. Hope i havent been too vague.
Thanks in advance for the advice.
Replies
I would say that the structure gains lots of strength being attached to the house walls. Seems to me a non-penetrating attachement as you suggest would be adequate with the folllwing issue addressed:
A very stiff and structurally sound top rail.
Effective and pleasing shear bracing on the outside rail section.
Seeing the liability, I would create some ideas in drawings and submit the drawings to an engineer for approval and stamping.
Our engineer pays $27,000.00 a year for liability insurance, insuring foundation and other structural design work. If we build to his design and allow him to inspect any work to be covered, his insurance covers failure.
Thanks, thats helpful. I will research that idea.
Our owner is an engineer by degreel. Perhaps I will have him design this and then have it checked and stamped by a licensed engineer. That may save some time and money.
Thanks again
I've run into this same thing twice now. What i've done in both instances is to have a steel base manufactured for the posts. The base is approximately 12" x 12" with a sleeve coming up, offset to one side, to receive a 4x4 post. The 4x4 post has to be mortised into the sleeve and then gets bolted through.
Next is to lay the sleepers and box this post base into the sleepers. In one instance, we used a vinyl railing system to cover the PT 4x4s and this was quite adequate. However, the other instance i did it used 6x6 mahogany post sleeves which we made with a continuous over the post railing. And I'm telling you that thing was as sturdy as could be. hope this helps.
very nice idea. Something along those lines may very well work. Thanks for the advice
pic
That's a nice looking deck. As a roofer, though, my concern is the deck outlasting the roof and then whataya gonna do? We usually complete the roof and then flash in blocks or attachments on top of the roof to attach the posts to with the wall being the source of rigidity. The railing is independent of the panelized floor system.http://logancustomcopper.com
http://grantlogan.net/
http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/homeimprovement/chi-010316outdoorrenovation,0,2786095.htmlstory?coll=chi-classifiedhomeimprove-utl
Thanks for your response. How you described is how we would typically do it as well.
however, in this situation, the homeowner is looking for a way to attach railing without attaching to anything on the actual roof deck surface. Im not sure he would accept blocking attached over the roofing (in this case, rubber) as there has to be some way to attach the blocking to the framing below.
That being said, I dont see any problems with attaching posts to blocking, flashing and counterflashing the posts. If done right, there should be no problems and obviously, a sleeper system would need to be fastened to the roof deck in some fashion or I suppose it could "float".
I need to do a bit more research before finding a solution. Everything that has been suggested has been good. Just have to weigh the pros and cons of each.
Thanks again for your time.
Are the holes in the siding that are below the deck for ventilation of the room's attic space? I have a similar structure and am trying to figure out my venting "problem." thanks
Yes, they were for venting. And, until forther investigation, it was believed to be the source of water infiltration he was having. However, we since found the rubber membrane above was installed improperly. He has since had it redone and we are back up there installing a new sleeper system with decking and new rails attached with notched 6x6 posts. Havent been there yet personally, but will try to get some pics of how everything turned out.
Flat roof railings
I am about to start a railing and floating deck project, that has all the details you have detailed here. I would like to anchor the newel posts without penetrating the first layer of rubber. But we all have a wish lists. The new railings will most likely be aluminum reinforced PVC with 6x6 PT posts wrapped in PVC. My thought was to anchor the posts either to the structure below or through a steel post base, flash the connection with rubber and counter flash with the PVC post wraps.
Any and all thoughts are welcome.
Al