Hi

I am looking to extend our deck. Local bylaws state that I will need a permit if the deck is in excess of 600mm above grade. Does anyone know what the definition of grade is ? Is it the floor level of first floor, is it above or below this ?

We are in Calgary. Does anyone know where the legal definition of the above is ? I have spent hours this morning trying to find this out online with no success. The City website doesn't appear to have anything on this but I might be missing the obvious.

Many thanks for any assitance

To the best of my knowledge "grade" is the ground around your home.

So basically if your deck is going to be higher than two feet above ground you will need a permit.

Cheers
Steve

I believe 'grade' is 'ground level'. So 600mm above grade would be 600mm above the soles of your shoes if you're standing on the ground where you are planning to build your deck.

http://www.realestatemanitoba.com/glossary.htm

Thanks to both of you.

That's what I thought but, as the ground around a house is virtually always sloping ( to some extent) I didn't know if there was a datum point that was always referred to.

Guess I will be applying for a permit then

HI

In engineering terms in the UK, grade is groundlevel, so that would suggest if any of the sloping ground was in excess of 600mm you would need the permit.

Of course things could be different in Calgary

Gryphea

Hellooo!

Are you planning to have the deck extended across the back of the house, the same as the deck already there, at the same height etc?

If you just have a "floating" deck then I thought you didn't need planning permission. That said, if you are extending the existing deck then p'rhaps you do!

That probably didn't help, did it! I'm on the Bacardi, that's my excuse!

Grade = Ground Level.

Here in Winnipeg, we need a permit for a deck, and it now has to be set onto piles, which adds to the cost, and if you are within 250' of a river you need to get a permit from Waterways too.

What everyone else said. If your deck is going to be above the ground by more than 60 cm at any point, you need a permit. (Because they want to make sure that you put the proper railing in place to avoid people/kids falling off the edge).

Many thanks for all the replies.

We already have a deck but it only is as wide as half the house - we want to extend it somewhat but at a lower level than the current deck. Our real property report shows the current deck at a height of 600mm although it is way higher off the ground than 600mm - it is about 2 inches below the level of the ground floor inside the house which is why I thought that maybe there was another datum point for "grade".

Woodstock - I haven't perfected the art of levitation yet - what the hell is a "floating" deck - or was the alcohol affecting your senses