Building decks in Santa Monica

Santa Monica decks have a different set of problems from the hillside work. Salt air, small lots, a city building department with its own standards, and much of the city inside the Coastal Zone.

Salt is the one people underestimate. Fasteners, hangers and railing hardware corrode here in a way they simply don't in the Valley, and a deck built with standard galvanized hardware will tell you about it in five years. We run stainless throughout on coastal work. It costs more at the outset and it's the difference between a twenty-year deck and a ten-year one.

Lot sizes push the work upward and outward. Roof decks, second-story decks over living space, and balconies where the waterproofing assembly matters more than the boards. On anything built over occupied space we build the whole assembly rather than just the surface. Framing, plywood, waterproofing membrane and decking as one job, so there's one company responsible when water is involved.

Santa Monica runs its own building and safety department, and properties inside the Coastal Zone may need a coastal development permit alongside the city permit. Not always for a deck, but worth establishing early rather than mid-project.

Materials here lean toward hardwood and PVC. Ipe and Kayu Batu hold up in salt air, and PVC doesn't absorb moisture the way a wood-composite board can.

We've been building on this side of town since 1995. Call (818) 345-2866.