Standard Heights Additionally, standard balcony railing heights are typically 42 inches above the balcony deck, meaning the railing must extend that high and be capped by a horizontal rail for easy gripping.
How tall should balcony railing be?
The International Residential Code requires balcony railings to be 36 inches high for homes. For business or fencing use, the railings should be 42 or 48 inches. Each community has different height requirements to determine if the porch or balcony requires railings.
What is standard railing height?
(a) A standard guardrail shall consist of top rail, midrail or equivalent protection, and posts, and shall have a vertical height within the range of 42 inches to 45 inches from the upper surface of the top rail to the floor, platform, runway, or ramp level.
How high is too high for a balcony?
Building codes require guards and railings for decks, balconies, and other surfaces that are more than 30 inches above the ground. Guards for residential decks and balconies need a height between 36 inches and 42 inches, depending on the height of the surface above grade.
What is the minimum height of a handrail?
The top rail must be at least 42 inches in height (§1910.29(f)(1)(ii)(B)) and the handrail must be 30 to 38 inches in height (§1910.29(f)(1)(i)) (as measured at the leading edge of the stair tread to the top surface of the rail).
Is 42 inch railing too high?
Deck stair railing should measure at least 34 inches high.
The IRC specifies that deck stair railing should measure between 34 and 38 inches high, so homeowners may wish to use railing that is even higher than 34 inches for their deck stairs.
What is a standard balcony size?
Generally speaking, the balcony should be a minimum of 4 ft (depth) by 9 ft (length) so you ideally have enough room for a small table and the ability to maneuver around.
How tall are deck railing posts?
42″
California is the one exception. The requirement there is 42″. There are a few additional minimum height and width requirements to keep in mind, especially if you’re interested in DIY-ing your railing.
What is the Australian standard for handrails?
Handrail height for stairs according to the Australian standards is the height of a handrail above the floor or the nosing of a stair tread, shall be no less than 865mm. On a landing where fall from height is significant the height of the guardrail must be at least 1000 mm.
What is the maximum distance between handrail posts?
OSHA requires guardrail posts to be spaced no more than 8-feet apart on center, no matter if it’s wood, pipe railing, or structural steel. If posts are spaced more than 8-feet on center, it will no longer be OSHA compliant.
How far can a balcony cantilever?
According to the new span tables and IRC provisions, cantilevers can extend up to one-fourth the backspan of the joist. This means that joists, such as southern pine 2x10s at 16 inches on-center, spanning 12 feet are allowed to cantilever up to an additional 3 feet (see illustration, below).
How do you measure a balcony?
Multiply the length of the first space by the width of the first space. To find the square footage — or the area — of the space, just multiply the length times the width, just as you would do with any rectangle. Measure the length and width of the second space.
What are the different types of balconies?
The Different Types of Balcony Structures
- Hung balconies. This type of balcony structure is made of stainless steel cables that are fixed on the edges of the balcony.
- Stacked balconies.
- Cantilever or projecting balconies.
- Balcony Decking.
What is a standard railing?
OSHA Standard 1910.23(e)(1) defines the standard railing:
A standard railing shall consist of top rail, intermediate rail, and posts, and shall have a vertical height of 42 inches nominal from upper surface of top rail to floor, platform, runway, or ramp level.
How tall should balusters be?
They can be between 34 and 38 inches tall, have a 1.5-inch space between the rail and the deck guard, if applicable, and the space between the balusters must be 4 inches or less.
What is the problem with cantilevered balconies?
The most difficult challenge of a cantilever balcony is maintaining a weather tight joint where the joists pass through the wall. Joists will move with changes in moisture and temperature, as the result of expansion and contraction. The result is unseen rot and water damage, with a great safety risk.
What is a cantilevered balcony?
A cantilevered balcony is a structure that extends outward away from a wall in a home or other building. It uses a cantilevered design — that is, the beams that hold up the balcony are secured only at one end, meaning the other end that extends outward from the structure is unsupported.
How far can a 2×6 cantilever?
Looking at the table below, we see that 2×6 floor joists can be cantilevered up to 2 feet and 6 inches (2′-6″) when the joists are spaced 16″ apart. The table also indicates that we need to keep the length of the joist that is not cantilevered between 4′-0″ and 6′-6″.