Building decks in Glendale

Glendale is hillier than people expect. The city runs from flat central neighborhoods up into the Verdugos and the San Rafael Hills, and a large share of the properties we work on sit somewhere on that climb.

Hillside lots here mean engineered post-and-beam framing, footings sized for the slope, and often a waterproofed assembly where the deck sits over living space. Stair systems get long on these properties. We recently rebuilt a fifteen-step staircase with a seven-layer waterproofing assembly across a porch and three landings in the area, which is a fairly typical Glendale job.

Parts of the hillside band fall inside fire hazard severity zones, particularly toward the Verdugo and San Rafael foothills. Where that applies, the walking surface has to carry a California State Fire Marshal listing under the Wildland-Urban Interface Code that replaced Chapter 7A and Section R337 in January 2026.

Glendale has its own building and safety department with its own requirements, separate from LADBS. Worth allowing for in the schedule.

Call (818) 345-2866.