Something to consider when building a deck where it snows...

[DerbyDad03]

Everytime I shovel the snow off of my deck, I keep (mentally) kicking
myself for not including a removable section of railing. I swear that
if I ever replace the railing I will add that feature.

My deck is about 6 feet off the ground. Access to the deck from the
ground is via stairs to a landing, then a left hand turn onto the
deck.

To shovel the deck (for the dogs, for grilling, for access to the back
yard, etc.) I have to lift the snow and throw it over the railing. If
I had a removable section, or even a gate, I could just push the snow
off and eliminate the lifting.

The current design of the railing precludes the installation of a gate
or a removable section.

One of these days...one of these days.

[hrho...@sbcglobal.net]

Unless you have concrete for snow, can't you just push it over the
edge of the deck between the vertical railing supports. Railing
supports/stiles only have to be 4.00 inches apart or less where I live
(so little kids can't get their heads or other body parts through) and
the snow pushes between the stiles without a great amount of effort.

[chaniarts]

isn't there an opening where the stairs attach?

[jamesgang]

On Thursday, March 14, 2013 2:33:00 PM UTC-4, DerbyDad03 wrote:
> Everytime I shovel the snow off of my deck, I keep (mentally) kicking myself for not including a removable section of railing. I swear that if I ever replace the railing I will add that feature. My deck is about 6 feet off the ground. Access to the deck from the ground is via stairs to a landing, then a left hand turn onto the deck. To shovel the deck (for the dogs, for grilling, for access to the back yard, etc.) I have to lift the snow and throw it over the railing. If I had a removable section, or even a gate, I could just push the snow off and eliminate the lifting. The current design of the railing precludes the installation of a gate or a removable section. One of these days...one of these days.

Build your deck railing with both a bottom and top rail with the balusters between them and a gap of 4 inches or so under the bottom rail.

[Chomper]

"DerbyDad03" <teama...@eznet.net> wrote in message
news:48966ccf-993e-45df...@x15g2000vbj.googlegroups.com...

I thought about this when I built our deck 15+ years ago. Also built
several others with a rail system similar to mine. I looked through what I
have on the computer, and have some sorry photos. Could take a picture of
the built in hinged gate, which I made at the top of the upper deck, but
it's cold out there right now!

Anyways, here's a picture I took just a couple years ago to email someone
about the grass seed I was planting. You can get an idea on the rails.
Like Bob, our code is now no more than 4" openings, at the time I built
this, the code was 6" opening and I made them 5". As you can see, the
balusters do not run all the way down, there is a 5" opening at the bottom
to push the snow off.

http://picasaweb.google.com/Roofguy35/BackYardProject#slideshow/5361762965957696658

However, when snow gets as bad as the below link, you either wait till it
melts, or shovel over the railing.
http://picasaweb.google.com/Roofguy35/AfterTheSnow#5440098720615953506

A couple small decks/balconies I did.
http://picasaweb.google.com/Roofguy35/BrimfieldDecks#5363632414842674082

A small deck for a condo. Believe it or not, I had to get a variance for
this thing!
http://picasaweb.google.com/Roofguy35/SmallCondoDeck#5363967045594092914

Another deck with similar railing, but owner didn't want hand rails & code
didn't require them.
http://picasaweb.google.com/Roofguy35/AkronDeck#5364732347311889154

Added railing to existing concrete pad.
http://picasaweb.google.com/Roofguy35/ConcretePadWithRailing#5321710428076926834

Anyways, people seemed to like the idea.

[DerbyDad03]

On Mar 14, 3:04 pm, "hrhofm...@sbcglobal.net"

> the snow pushes between the stiles without a great amount of effort.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Have you ever tried to push 6" - 12" of snow through the openings
between the stiles of a deck railing? It's really not that
easy...trust me, I've been shoveling this deck for over 20 years.
Besides, not only are my balusters closer together than 4", my railing
has a horizontal 2 x 4 that sits 1.5 inches off of the deck. The
railing kind sits on the deck itself so there is even about an inch of
deck on the outside of the railing.

There's no way to efficiently push the snow through this railing.

[DerbyDad03]

That is kind of what I have, except I only have 1.5 inches under the
bottom rail.

[Jim Elbrecht]

DerbyDad03 <teama...@eznet.net> wrote:

>Everytime I shovel the snow off of my deck, I keep (mentally) kicking
>myself for not including a removable section of railing. I swear that
>if I ever replace the railing I will add that feature.

Shovels are for cavemen.<g> Get a little Toro 1800.

Jim

[DerbyDad03]

Nice!

Was the hinged gate you mentioned installed for the purpose of shoveling
snow?

I have a hinged gate by the landing to keep the dogs on the deck, but
shoveling snow onto the landing and then down the narrow stairs is as much
work as shoveling it over the railing.

What I'd like to do is put a gate or removable section in an area over the
open yard so the snow lands where it won't really block anything. Even if I
have to move it, the snowblower will make quick work of it once it's on the
ground.

[DerbyDad03]

I used to have a single stage thrower that I used on the deck a few times.
It was a pain to haul it up the 10 steps to the deck. SWMBO really frowned
upon my suggestion to drag it from the garage, through the kitchen and
family room to avoid the deck stairs.

I only used it on the deck a few times after really bad storms. First I
had to blow a path around the house to get it to the stairs, then shovel
the stairs and landing, then haul it up 10 steps, then haul it back down.
Too much work for not a lot of gain. Might as well just shovel.

Now that I have a two stage blower, blowing that path around the house is
much easier, but using it on the deck is out of the question.

[gregz]

I have no reason to use the deck if it gets snow. I let it melt.

Greg

[nestork]

DerbyDad03;3030169 Wrote:
>
> Access to the deck from the ground is via stairs to a landing, then a
> left hand turn onto the deck.

What's the area of the landing? Is it big enough to turn a small
snowblower 90 degrees in?

You see, I keep my 5 hp Ariens snow blower in the basement boiler room
of my building. I purchased it because it's design allowed me to
install larger wheels on it without those larger wheels interfering with
the scoop or anything. I can put up to 18 inch wheels on it without the
wheels hitting either the scoop or the oil drain pipe on the side of the
engine.

So, I have two pair of wheels for it; the regular 10 inch wheels that I
use when blowing snow, and a pair of 14 inch diameter wheels I use for
pulling that snow blower up the stairs to the main floor front lobby.
Those 14 inch wheels make an otherwise impossible task not only doable,
but actually quite easy if a tenant comes along and helps by pushing
from below, even a female tenant. I just do one step at a time, and the
stairs are wide enough to rest the snow blower on for a second before I
do the next step. I have 7 steps that rise a total of about 4 1/2 feet
in height.

So, if you're snow blower will allow it, consider purchasing a pair of
larger wheels for it, and using them to pull your snow blower up the
steps to the deck. Obviously, if you have a 13 hp snowblower that
weighs 400 pounds, that option isn't available to you. Or, if the
design of your snowblower doesn't allow putting larger wheels on it,
you're up the creek too.

But, if you have a single stage or small two stage snow blower, look
under "Wheels" in your Yellow Pages directory and phone around to find
out who sells small wheels and casters. That place will carry a huge
assortment of solid rubber and pneumatic wheels in all sizes. My 14
inch wheels have solid rubber tires on steel rims with 3/4 inch
bearings. The bearings on the kind of wheels I have can be replaced to
accomodate anything from a 1/2 inch to about a 1 inch diameter shaft,
and most small wheels will come with replacable bearings for different
size shafts.

And, I've been pulling first a (I'm guessing at least) 160 pound snow
blower up that flight of stairs since I bought a Noma snow blower about
20 years ago, and the Ariens (at about 140 pounds) since I bought it
about 5 years ago.

Also, what a lot of people here in Winnipeg do is buy a small electric
single stage snow thrower. Yardworks makes a 12 amp unit that only
weighs 46 pounds that's very popular up here. It's certainly
underpowered if you want to clear a driveway, but if you're just doing a
deck or a sidewalk, people find that they're good enough.

Check out the Yardworks 12 amp 20 inch electric single stage snow blower
at the bottom of this web site:

'Snow Throwers | Canadian Tire' (http://tinyurl.com/brn8tmf)

Read the reviews. Most people think it's OK for what it is; an electric
snow blower. Also, they should be going on sale in another few weeks
once the snow starts to melt.




--
nestork

[Jim Elbrecht]

The 1800 is an electric that weighs less than the standard shovelful
of snow.

I love mine for cutting down snowbanks, blowing steps clear, getting
into places where the 2 stage won't go-- and for doing the garage roof
if needed. [about every 5 years or so]

Jim

[Chomper]

"DerbyDad03" <teama...@eznet.net> wrote in message

news:1138857459385000391.462...@nntp.aioe.org...

> Was the hinged gate you mentioned installed for the purpose of shoveling
> snow?
>
> I have a hinged gate by the landing to keep the dogs on the deck, but
> shoveling snow onto the landing and then down the narrow stairs is as
> much
> work as shoveling it over the railing.
>
> What I'd like to do is put a gate or removable section in an area over
> the
> open yard so the snow lands where it won't really block anything. Even if
> I
> have to move it, the snowblower will make quick work of it once it's on
> the
> ground.

Ahhh, now I get the idea what you're after. My gate is at the top of the
stairs to keep the dog on the deck. But, you could put another anywhere
the way I built the railing. I actually built the railing solid first, and
cut through after I got the stairs built to the lower deck. I cut through
and added hinges afterwards. I really need to get a picture to show how I
did it.

This picture on one of the other decks shows the idea, but the details are
not shown.
http://picasaweb.google.com/Roofguy35/SmallCondoDeck#5363967051372975778

[DerbyDad03]

I'd like to see the finished gate. My deck was my first big DIY project and
I basically followed the advice of a friend who drew up the design. The
railing is actually on top of the deck but every year I keep promising
myself that I'm going to replace it with one similar to yours. When I do,
I'm going to design in a "snow removal" feature.

Here's my railing as it is today.

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/qq121/DerbyDad03/photobucket-54378-1363388945352_zps16831e67.jpg

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

Wet snow won't go through - and is heavy to throw. I have an
electric snowthrower that only gets used on the deck.

[cl...@snyder.on.ca]

Still pretty hard to remove 10 inches of wet snow.

[gen...@internet.com]

Why dont you just make a removable section. It's either put together
with decking screws or nails. Remove the screws, or pull the nails. If
the nails cant be removed without damaging the wood, get a sawsall with
a metal cutting blade and cut the nails where the railing section
attaches to the posts. Then put a strip of wood on each side of the
railing (on the posts), so you can lift the section out, or just lift it
enough to allow pushing the snow under it. and/or use L-brackets with a
few lag bolts, or hinges, etc. Nothing made of wood is permanent, and
modifying it should not be all that hard.

I know a bar and community center building that has a large deck in
back, where people sit at tables under a canopy. Every summer, they
have a weekend concert. The bands play on that deck, and they put
benches made from straw bales and 2x10 planks for seating on the lawn.
They did exactly what I'm telling you. They have the railings with a
wood strip on each side (attached to the posts). The railings are
lifted up and removed when they use that deck as a stage. The whole
concept is very simple.