Deck permit HELP... (insurance, house, inspector)

[hollatjagirl]

I am building a deck and trying to avoid getting a land survey done to get the permit. I am told drawing up the site plan is easy. Can anyone give detailed instructions or tips?!? THANKS so much!

[arbyunc]

Have you contacted the city's Inspections Division? They can tell you everything you need to know.

I'm not sure why you'd need a survey to build a deck. A survey is about property lines, so as long as the deck is on your property I don't see what a survey gets you. Did someone tell you a survey is required?

[cohaagen]

You shouldn't need a survey unless there's a possibility of crossing into setbacks or over property lines . Just good old fashioned geometry should do. If Inspections requires a site plan, then I can't imagine that they'd require it to be some professionally-surveyed and drafted site plan. I'd give them a simple sketch with measurements. When I rebuilt my deck, they said I didn't need permits because I was replacing one that was already there.

[hollatjagirl]

I am replacing mine and adding 4 feet. We do not need a survey, just a sketch. Hubby doesn't know what to measure and include in his sketch though. LOL Yeah, my brother is building it...but he lives in Virginia!

[arbyunc]

Okay, you should be fine then. Just draw up a sketch, as accurate as possible with respect to measurements, support structure, etc., and set up a meeting with the inspections dept. They will be concerned about only a few things--there are rules about railing height, space between the rail pickets, joist spans and distance between them, and possibly a few other things depending on your design. Footings will also be an issue, especially if the deck has a lot of structure above as opposed to sitting close to the ground. Good luck!

[WFW&P]

Personally I wouldn't bother with a permit, but that's just me. Since you are going the permit route I strongly suggest you obtain in print what is required by code and any anmendments to the code. Reason being is one inspector will say one thing & if a different one inspects the project he/she may tell you something different; and they will do that.

[arbyunc]

^ No offense, wfw&p, but "not bothering with a permit" could be a costly, and very dangerous mistake. I'm not intimately familiar with Forsyth County permit rules regarding decks, but in places I've lived before a permit may not be needed if the deck meets certain requirements--like not attached to the house, or below a certain size. However, if your deck is required to have a permit, you should get one. The trouble comes if something happens, like someone falls off of the deck because the rail didn't meet code, or if the deck is attached to the house improperly and falls down. If you don't have a permit, your insurance company won't cover the costs, which could be significant if someone is hurt or if it damages your home. So the small amount of money you save by not getting a permit could cost you lots more. That's not a risk I'd be willing to take.

But as I said, you may not need a permit depending on the design, but you should find out for sure. Better safe than sorry, I'd say.

[hollatjagirl]

I agree. I plan on selling this home and do want to go by the books. The whole problem is, how to we draw it "to scale"?

[bljonesrr]

Ok, one of these will work, and let me know if you need more explanation on any of these:

1. Do you have an original survey of the home? If so, you should have the original deck on that survey. Just make a copy, and draw a short line out in the direction you are extending it, then up and back down. Put a dimension line that says 4'-0" out from the original deck. That should get you all you need.

Typically, the survey will show a dimension from corners of the home to the property line. You can then show the difference to the property line. I do not think you need to worry about being so accurate though. The jurisdiction is just looking for a representation.

2. If you want to be real accurate, find the scale on the original survey. The survey will show a line at the bottom with numbers. There will be a solid line, and then an open box. The first two numbers are the scale: 0______20 means 1" = 20'. 0_____50 means 1" = 50' etc. Now, take a piece of paper and estimate along this line where 4'-0" would fall (if 0____20, go to the midpoint of '0' & '20', then the midpoint of that, and you are at 5') Now project that distance of 5' to the paper. Move the paper over to the edge of where you are adding the addition, and draw out your line to that point. Then dimension it as 4'-0". It will be close enough at that scale.

3. If you do not have a survey, go to google maps. Put in your address and select 'satellite' view of your property. Zoom in close, and at the bottom left you will see a scale pop up as stated above. Here, it will say '20', or '50'. This means 1" = 20' or 1" = 50'. Same principal as above, take a tape measure and go to 1/4", and that will be 5' if you are zoomed in at '20'. Print this, draw a rectangle off the existing deck to represent the 4'-0" extension. Dimension it as stated above and take it to the permitting department. This gets a little tricky if you have alot of trees, and is not as good since it does not show property lines.

4. Final suggestion: Go to the Forsyth County website. Left hand bottom side is says 'Quick links' in a green box. Go to 'Tax, Property, and Deed' link. Go under 'Services' and then 'Geo-Data Explorer'. Now go to 'Launch Geo-Data Explorer'. Type in your address and/ or name. When the information pulls up. The top box says 'Views'. Select 'Zoom to parcel' and you will see an site plan view showing your home, deck, and property lines. Top left of the picture has a + & - sign on arrows. This allows you to zoom in and out. Notice the scale at the bottom left. (see above for explanation)Print that out and follow #1 or #2 above.

Now you know the tricks of the trade! Good luck, and let me know if you have any other questions.

[hollatjagirl]

OMG You were so informative!! Wow. That's what we were looking for!! We thank you SOOOO much!! WOW!! They don't offer much advice at the permit office..that's for sure! Thanks again!!!