Deck Builder in Reisterstown, MD

Which county reviews a Reisterstown deck?

Check this before anything else. The 21136 ZIP code reaches into Carroll County, so a Reisterstown mailing address can belong to either county’s permit office. Your property tax record will show which. The rules on this page are Baltimore County’s; if your parcel is in Carroll County, we look up that county’s deck requirements for your project instead.

Baltimore County’s deck rules in Reisterstown

The county’s test is simple. A permit is required when the deck stands more than 16 inches above the lowest grade, or when it covers more than 120 square feet. A raised deck off a kitchen or a townhouse’s main floor will pass both lines.

The paperwork scales with size. Below 600 square feet, a site plan. At 600 square feet and above, construction plans along with the site plan. Over 3,000 square feet, the plans need a Maryland-licensed design professional’s seal. And on any parcel served by a well and septic system, the site plan must meet the county’s Ground Water Site Plan Requirements, so the drawing shows the well, tank and drain field and keeps footings away from them.

If you later want to screen in or enclose the deck, the county treats that as an addition with the same setbacks as the house, and it needs its own permit review.

Decks and porches in Glyndon

Glyndon, founded in 1871, became Baltimore County’s first local historic district in 1981. Its houses are mostly 2 1/2-story frame cottages with one- or two-story front porches, and the county’s historic rules treat those porches, their steps and any deck as exterior features worth protecting. Any new deck, and any repair or replacement of porches and steps, needs a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Landmarks Preservation Commission and a county building permit.

The commission meets the second Thursday of each month, except August and December, and wants applications two weeks before. For a porch or step repair, the goal is usually to fix failed framing while keeping the original look, posts, railings and trim. A new back deck should be designed so it reads as secondary to the house.

Decks on 1960s to 2000s Reisterstown houses

U.S. Census estimates show most of Reisterstown’s homes were built in two waves, the 1960s and ’70s and then the 1990s and 2000s, and their decks have aged on similar schedules. The older ones may already be on their second deck. The newer ones are reaching the age when boards, stairs and railings need replacing.

Not every deck needs to come down. When the footings and framing check out, we sand, replace damaged boards and stain. On one wood deck, we stained the boards and railings a reddish brown. When they don’t check out, we rebuild with new footings, framing, decking and composite or wood railings.

Composite and pressure-treated both work here. Composite skips the yearly staining and holds its color, which suits a deck in full sun. Pressure-treated lumber costs less to start and can be stained to match older wood trim on a 1960s house.

For front steps and landings, see our exterior stairs page. Planning inside work? Visit kitchen remodeling in Reisterstown or Reisterstown bathroom remodeling.