Deck Builder in Lutherville-Timonium, MD

Is my deck inside the Lutherville historic district?

Find that out first, because the answer changes the whole process. Old Lutherville became a Baltimore County Historic District in 1987, covering about 104 acres. The National Register district that overlaps it runs roughly north of I-695, west of York Road, south of Ridgely Road and east of Riderwood-Lutherville Drive. The county boundary is the one that counts, so look up your address on the county’s district map or in its Permit Review Tool.

Outside the district, which covers most of Lutherville and all of Timonium, a deck follows the county’s ordinary rules. Inside it, a deck of any size goes to the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

How a deck gets approved in Old Lutherville

The commission reviews exterior changes against the county’s Historic Preservation Design Guidelines and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards, and approves them with a Certificate of Appropriateness. We put together the application with a site plan, dimensioned drawings, photos of the house and the exact decking and railing products, so the reviewers see what’s actually proposed.

Timing matters here. Applications go to the county’s historic preservation staff, preferably by email, two weeks before the second-Thursday meeting. There’s no meeting in August or December. Missing a deadline can cost a month, or more around those breaks, so we work backward from the build window you want.

Old Lutherville’s large lots usually leave plenty of room for a deck. The constraint is the review, not the yard.

Replacing an aging deck on a post-war house

Many decks behind Lutherville and Timonium’s 1950s and ’60s houses were added decades after the house and have been patched since. When we inspect one, we start where decks usually fail: the ledger board against the house, posts where they meet the ground, and joist ends. Railing posts get a hard push, since a loose one is a safety problem whatever the boards look like.

If the frame holds up, new boards or a sand-and-stain may be the right call. If it doesn’t, we take the deck down and build again from new footings.

Choosing composite or wood for a Lutherville deck

Outside the district, it’s mostly a question of upkeep and budget. Composite boards don’t need stain and resist splintering, which suits a busy family deck. Pressure-treated lumber is cheaper to start with and easy to repair board by board, but it wants cleaning and a fresh coat of stain every few years. Inside Old Lutherville, add a third factor: what the commission will approve for your house.

County thresholds outside the district

Baltimore County requires a permit once a deck rises more than 16 inches above the lowest grade or covers more than 120 square feet. Below 600 square feet, a site plan is enough paperwork. Confirm for your address before work starts.

See our main decks page for materials and our exterior stairs work for steps and landings. In Old Lutherville, a new fence of any height goes through the same commission review. Inside work is covered under kitchen remodeling in Lutherville-Timonium.