Deck Builder in Owings Mills, MD

Why so many Owings Mills townhouse decks are due for replacement

Age and exposure. U.S. Census estimates show a quarter of Owings Mills homes are townhouses, and most of the housing went up in the 1990s and 2000s. A deck built with one of those houses and never replaced is now somewhere between 17 and 36 years old. Boards split and cup, railing posts work loose, stairs sag, and the connections between the deck and the house are often the weakest part.

On a raised townhouse deck, those connections matter more than the boards. We inspect the ledger where the deck meets the house, the posts and the footings before quoting. If they’re sound, new boards and railings may be enough. If not, the deck comes down and is rebuilt from new footings up.

How the HOA and county approvals fit together

Much of Owings Mills is organized into homeowner and condo associations. The county’s community association list includes Ballard Green, Lyonswood, Lyonswood South, Velvet Valley and Rosemary Ridge, among others. Exterior changes in these communities typically need architectural approval, and the county permit is a separate process. One doesn’t replace the other.

The order that works best:

1. Measure and design at the estimate, matching your association’s standards for size, materials and railing style.
2. HOA application, filed by you, with the dimensions, specs and drawing we provide.
3. County permit, applied for once the design is settled, with the drawings we prepare. Under 600 square feet the county wants a site plan; at 600 square feet and up, construction plans as well.
4. Build and inspect, with the permit and approved plans kept on site for each county inspection.

Filing with the association first avoids paying for county drawings that then have to change.

Matching the neighbors in a townhouse row

In rows where every unit has the same deck, associations often want replacements to keep the same footprint, height and general look. That rules out some ideas, like a much deeper deck or a different stair direction, but leaves plenty of choice in boards and railings. Composite decking with white or black railings is one option where the association allows it. We also re-deck balconies and second-story decks in composite when the framing below is in good shape.

Building in a tight townhouse yard

Townhouse yards are small, and the deck usually sits above a patio or a walkout door. Lumber has to come through a gate or around the end of the row. We stage materials so the neighbors can still get in and out, keep cutting in one spot, and clean up at the end of each day.

Decks on valley properties and historic parcels

Outside the townhouse communities, Owings Mills has farms and estates in the Green Spring, Caves and Worthington valleys. Some of these are on well and septic, and Baltimore County then requires the deck application’s site plan to meet its Ground Water Site Plan Requirements. The Caves Valley Historic District is on the National Register, which by itself doesn’t trigger county design review.

Enclosing an existing deck to make a sunroom or screened porch is treated as an addition in Baltimore County, held to the same setbacks as the house.

For other work on the same house, see Owings Mills kitchen remodeling, bathroom remodeling in Owings Mills, or our exterior stairs page for stairs and landings.