New Jersey home inspectors should understand proper deck and balcony guardrail and stair construction. Guardrails are an integral part of the safety system of a deck or a balcony.
A guardrail is simply a barrier to block a person from a fall from an elevated surface. The word guard in guardrail is known as a type of barrier.
Someone can easily fall off the deck that is raised over 30 inches off the ground. The basic rule is that if a structure is above 30 inches off the grade level a guardrail is required. Guardrails should be a minimum of 36 inches high and should not have any spacing that is wider than 4 inches. The 4-inch spacing requirement is there to prevent children from sliding through between the balusters.
One common defect when inspecting guardrails that home inspectors in New Jersey should look for is that guardrails have horizontal members, short height or have baluster spacing that is well in excess of 4 inches. Having horizontal members that can be climbed can allow for a child safety hazard. These horizontal members can be climbed by a child like a play ladder. Also, having a short rail top can encourage adults to sit on them creating a fall hazard if they were to lose their balance. Also, a person can lose their center of gravity and fall over a guardrail that is too short. New Jersey home inspectors should determine if the guard rail height meets modern requirements of 36 inches.
Guardrails will often work loose over time. The looseness may be actually caused by a loose railing post. New Jersey home inspectors should make sure that the guard rail doesn’t have excessive movement. Modern standard calls for no more than 4 inches of horizontal movement if 200 pounds of pressure is applied across the top rail of the guard. A support post should be installed every 6 feet along the length of railing and also at the corners. If posts are not installed this should be called out as a defect and it is likely that the home inspector will find that the rails exceed this four-inches of movement if pressure is applied along the top of the rail. If a guardrail is loose the NJ home inspector should recommend corrective measures to secure it in order to avoid injury.
Important aspects of deck guardrail safety
– The height of a guardrail is one of the most crucial factors and should be a minimum of 36 inches high measured from the deck surface to the top of the rail
– A guardrail should be fully stable and capable of resisting 200 pounds of force across its top rail.
– The spacing between balusters or vertical posts is also very important and should not the greater than 4 inches. Horizontal members are not allowed in the construction of a properly configured deck guardrail.
The majority of decks have a set of steps to a patio or the backyard. Modern building standards have requirements for height and width of staircases as well as their handrails. New Jersey home inspectors are not performing code compliance inspection however it is important for the home inspector to be familiar with some of the various codes used in the area of deck stair construction. The deck stairs should be safe and easy to use. Many older deck steps will have cracked or improperly secured stringers, improperly sized tread heights or depths, and undersized framing. These defects can create tripping hazards for people traversing up and down the set of deck steps.
Deck stairs should be at least 36 inches wide. The riser height which is the distance from one step up to the next should not exceed 7 3/4 inches. This stair tread depth should be no shallower than 10 inches. The most common problem that home inspectors in New Jersey will find are uneven riser heights. Modern standards require that stair tread height cannot vary more than 3/8 inch between the tallest in the shortest step. Anything more than this threshold can create a significant tripping hazard.
Another thing that a New Jersey home inspector should be on the lookout for is the throat of the staircase stringers being too shallow. Shallow throats can lead to a crack stringer and possibly failure of the staircase over time creating a significant safety hazard. The throat is the notch material in the stair stringer. If the notch material is too shallow cracking will develop.
All deck steps need to have a proper handrail if the set of steps is more than three steps in height. The deck walking surface counts as a step. The height of the staircase handrail should be between 34 and 38 inches high above the stair tread nosing. The nosing is the front portion of the step that sticks out slightly. If these set of steps does not have a handrail or if the handrail is too short this can allow a person to fall. Also, the handrail should be easily graspable. Many of the handrails that New Jersey home inspectors encounter will be flat and not easily graspable. These types of non-graspable handrails should be called out for correction.
Often home inspectors will find deck staircases that are not properly secured to the deck. Home inspectors in New Jersey should inspect this integral connection between the top of the stair stringers and the deck structure. Any movement or pulling out in this area should be called out for immediate repair to avoid injury. Cleats that are specific to this application should be used to secure the stair stringers to the deck structure.
The most important aspects of deck stairs safety are:
– Deck steps should rest on stable ground with a solid pad under the bottom of the stringers which will help prevent deck stair movement and settlement.
– Each step that makes up the set of steps should be uniform and consistent with a height of between 6 inches and 7.5 inches and a back to front spacing of 10 to 11 inches this will ensure a safe spacing and a proper walking surface.
– The treads on the deck step must provide adequate traction to prevent slips and fall. Nonslip material with nonslip properties should be used.
The steps should have a strong and properly built handrail. The handrail should be secure and be between 34 and 38 inches high allowing a firm and graspable grip for a person going up or down the set of steps.
New Jersey home inspectors should be familiar with the important aspects of guardrail and deck step safety. They should be informative and educate their clients regarding safe building practices of these two important safety aspects of the deck. Any deficiencies should be recommended for repair or replacement to avoid injury.
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