Building decks in Brentwood

Brentwood covers a lot of ground. Flat streets south of Sunset, then canyon and hillside lots climbing north toward the Santa Monica Mountains, with much of that upper band inside a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. Which half a property sits in changes the build considerably.

For anything in the fire zone, California's wildfire construction rules moved into the California Wildland-Urban Interface Code in January 2026, replacing Chapter 7A of the building code and Section R337 of the residential code. The code governs the walking surface, meaning deck boards and stair treads, and the standard is a California State Fire Marshal listing, tested with burning embers on the deck rather than flame spread across it.

TimberTech AZEK Vintage and Landmark are listed Class A with no conditions, and Kayu Batu is too. Ipe is listed through particular suppliers, and the ratings differ between them. Trex Transcend, Select, Transcend Lineage and Refuge are all listed but each needs the adjacent wall covering to be noncombustible or ignition-resistant. Trex Enhance isn't listed.

Permits run through LADBS. Hillside work off Mandeville, Kenter and Tigertail generally means elevated decks with engineered framing and footings, and the underside enclosed to grade. We've built several of these, including a 1,186 square foot Azek pool deck with a 21-step staircase off Tigertail, and the pattern is consistent. The framing is most of the job. The surface is what people see.

Call (818) 345-2866.