Balcony Code Question

While your deck material looks very nice, is beauty more valuable than safety? Ask yourself that question and I think you'll know what to do.

The code for railing height used to be much lower, 36" I think. Probably one person managed to flip over, so in the usual over-reaction the code was changed.

The real issue is, who owns the balcony? Not cpalms. The co-op or condo or landlord owns it, so cpalms has to go to them for approval. I wouldn't bet on it.

cpalms Even if the coop didn't have to approve it -- which they absolutely do-- you would have to remove all of it when you sell as you wouldn't want liability exposure for selling anything without disclosing that it was not up to code. There are other options that would not violate the code and still allow you to have a nice looking balcony.

Thanks for the responses, I hear ya, It is a small condo and I do not think the approval process would be an issue.....apt23, what other options would you suggest?

I put down a competing product made by VIFAH on my deck and it looks fantastic (I went with teak). Since it all snaps together, it's a non-issue when it comes time to move out because it just sits on the concrete. If you're reasonably handy, it's not hard at all to install the tiles yourself.

how about polished concrete. will not need to have too much height and will not feel like sandpaper.

Thanks enfuego, I think that is a similar product to the one I linked above, still create a high issue for me...my balcony looks exactly like this one, although not decked in the Ipe of course...

http://www.vifahwholesale.com/servlet/the-183/Pack-of-100-Tiles/Detail

I'd considered the concrete "conform to code" solution, if only because if you install a product that violates code, and someone falls off, your insurance company is going to use the code violation as a reason to not pay out.

ali r.
DG Neary Realty

"It is a small condo and I do not think the approval process would be an issue...."

If it's not to code, it's illegal. Period. There's no "approval process" that will change that.

Interesting. Is the code retroactive, or is there any grandfathering? I'm wonderng if my balcony railing (installed around 1970) is legal.

Ikea has snap-together decking that is 1" thick. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20165486.

What about using an outdoor carpet or rug?

astroturf!

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/40842?feat=902-CL1&productId=247883&attrValue_0=Green%20Heather%20Multi

actually my neighbor has a custom outdoor rug made that fits perfectly on their balcony(same size as mine)but it is just not a finished enough look for me....not to get to personal, but I like going onto my balcony in the AM with bare feet and I like the way a deck feels against my feet :)....and for what it is worth, It's a small condo, with good neighbors...the approval process goes like this..bump into the board president in the lobby and I say (hey, I'm going to put down some wood decking on my balcony...he says, sounds good,send me a plan for the file and invite me over for a glass of wine when its done so I can check it out"...on some other issues the board is a bit more stringent...

long leaf grasstroturf!

or maybe this is better:

http://swiftdeck.com/

see my first post....

Also, keep in mind that the "approval" process goes smoothly in CONDOS because their "boards" basically have no power.