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Your Informative Guide to Rooftop Decks

Kevin Marshall
November 20, 2015

While many homeowners desire outdoor decks, sometimes homes have small backyards and are unable to fit decks. Despite this, there are still options for homeowners. One of the best options is to build a rooftop deck to your home. In this way, homeowners can still enjoy the benefits of having a deck while saving room. However, a rooftop deck might not be the right option for everyone. Here are a few advantages of rooftop decks  and some ways you can give your home an initial survey to see if your home is right for a rooftop deck. 

The first thing you should do is make sure that there is no extensive damage on your roof. You should look for signs of water damage as well as cracked materials such as brick, roofing materials that have been peeled off, deteriorating caulk as well as areas that seem to dip. If this is the case, you may need to have a new roof installed before it is safe to add a rooftop deck. Your roof must also be able to hold the weight of a deck. In order to do this, you should get an engineer to tell you how strong your roof is and whether or not it will be able to meet your deck needs. Another thing to consider is whether or not your roof is waterproofed. If your roof incurs water damage on it once the deck is already installed, it will be extremely difficult to fix. This is why it will be important that the roof be waterproofed. There are also additional things you can do such as adding membranes that help water to roll off surfaces in order to help protect your roof. 

A rooftop deck can be a great way to use space, especially if your property has a smaller yard. This is especially helpful if you live in a more urban setting where lots tend to be smaller. Rooftop decks can be used for a variety of reasons from simply having a place to lounge to having a hot tub. The last thing to consider before getting a rooftop deck is that you will need a permit to start building. Contact your local building department for more information. Once you have, contact West Coast Deck Waterproofing to get a quote to resurface your roof into a rooftop deck.