Deck Builder in Towson, MD

Building a deck behind a Rodgers Forge rowhouse

A Rodgers Forge deck has to satisfy two reviewers who work independently. The Rodgers Forge Community Association decides whether the deck fits the neighborhood; its approval requirement traces back to the original Keelty deeds, which called for written approval of exterior design. Baltimore County decides whether the structure needs a permit and inspections. Clearing one doesn’t clear the other.

So before we price lumber, we go through the RFCA Architectural Guidelines (the current edition dates from April 2024) with you. Then we draw the deck to fit them, covering footprint, height, railing style, stairs and materials. You submit the RFCA application with those details. When the deck crosses the county threshold, we supply the drawings and site-plan dimensions the county permit application asks for.

Small yards make the details matter

Behind a row of brick houses, a deck sits close to the neighbors on both sides and usually comes down to a short flight of stairs. That puts a premium on stairs that land where you actually walk, railing posts that are solid at every connection, and skirting that keeps the space underneath from collecting leaves. We’ve built pressure-treated decks and stairs with lattice skirting behind brick rowhouses, and new rear staircases up to existing decks.

A rowhouse deck is often the only route from the back door to the yard, so the stairs get as much thought as the platform. We keep riser heights consistent, add a landing when the run gets long, and run a graspable handrail from top to bottom.

Then there’s the ground. Accounts of the neighborhood’s construction say a hill north of Dunkirk Road was graded down to subsoil when that part of Rodgers Forge was built, so topsoil on some lots is thin. After the footings and posts are in, you may need to bring in soil if you want grass or planting beds back around the deck.

Decks in Stoneleigh, Anneslie and the post-war streets

Single-family lots in Stoneleigh, Anneslie and Towson’s 1950s and ’60s neighborhoods give you more room, and the questions shift to size, height and material. Composite keeps its color without staining. Pressure-treated wood costs less up front and can be stained to suit a brick, stone or stucco house. If the existing frame is sound, new boards or a sand-and-stain may be all a tired deck needs.

Stoneleigh and Anneslie are National Register districts, and that listing brings no county design review for a deck. The one exception inside Towson is the Wicks House in East Towson, a single-property county historic district, where a deck of any size would need Landmarks Preservation Commission review and a permit.

The county threshold in one line

Once a deck stands more than 16 inches off the lowest grade or spreads past 120 square feet, Baltimore County wants a permit, and most raised rear decks cross that line. Check your parcel in the county’s Permit Review Tool to confirm. For a typical rowhouse deck under 600 square feet, the application needs a site plan, and we supply the dimensions for it.

More on how we build: our main decks page and our exterior stairs work for steps and landings. Indoor projects in town are on our bathroom remodeling in Towson page.