Deck railings are beautiful, elegant additions to your home, but their primary purpose is protection. Anyone on the deck



is protected against falling off the deck because the railing creates a safety barrier for them. A deck railing is a

necessary item on a deck. If a deck is built, and a railing is not included, it will be unsafe, and probably even be a violation of building codes. You are setting yourself up for a legal suit if you do not have a deck railing, especially if your local code calls for one. Bad enough that you created a dangerous situation, but if you did it against the law, you are really going to be sued. It is foolish to take such a risk, it is easier to just build the railing. You may want to build a railing that is lower than the height required by the code, but this is against the law.

The building codes for decks and railings differ from municipality to municipality, but most of them are in agreement that if

you have a deck that is more than three feet above the ground, you require a deck railing to prevent people from falling off.

A wall, built out of brick, cement, wood or even PVC is probably acceptable, but not usually the preferred solution. A wall

is more expensive to build and will block the view completely. For the fraction of the amount of weight on the deck, you can

have a railing which affords just as much protection as a wall.

There are many choices available for deck railings. Even though the primary purpose of a railing is safety, it can be used to

add a great deal of elegance and beauty to your home. You can even incorporate color in to the railing to make it more

interesting. Choices for railing materials are wood, PVC and aluminum. You can even combine all three, but this is unusual.

Certain requirements must usually be met when constructing railings. The height of the railing is very important. Every

building code will most certainly indicate the heights railings should be, and this code should be followed. Most building

codes will require a height of at least 30 inches. Construction requirements of railings will also be stipulated by the

code. Posts should be placed at certain minimum intervals. The post spacing required may depend upon the material you are using for the railing. The code in your town may have different spacing based on how strong the materials are. Deck railings have a bottom rail, a top rail, and verticals (posts and verticals). Verticals will always have to be spaced so that a child will not be able to slip through the railing. A bottom rail adds extra design to the rail and keeps costs down since verticals don't have to be attached to the deck. Top rails can be single or double. If a double rail is used, they are usually about 6 inches apart; double railings give extra strength to your railing.