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#11
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jojo wrote: In my city, horizontal railing and bullwire railing is against code for the very reason that it forms a ladder. International residential Code says, vertical railing with no part of the railing that a 4" sphere can pass through. Not saying you have to follow code, but it is a huge safety hazard. jojo I'd like to add that if you do not follow local code, you may have trouble selling the house when it comes time for that (esp. if the prospective buyer has an inspection done). Call the local building department for help. Annette "Stephanie" wrote in message ... DH is building us a new deck out the back of our house. We live in a raised ranch on a hill. So the deck is about 8' off the ground. To save money, DH wants to use horizontal rails. What spacing would be safe to ensure little toddleheads have no risk of getting through? While nothing supplants supervision, I would rather be safe. *My* reaction to the horizontal railing was that the spacing would be so small as to eliminate the cost benefit to going horizonatal, and would be terribly ugly. What do you all think? Stephanie |
#12
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Ericka Kammerer wrote:
Stephanie wrote: DH is building us a new deck out the back of our house. We live in a raised ranch on a hill. So the deck is about 8' off the ground. To save money, DH wants to use horizontal rails. What spacing would be safe to ensure little toddleheads have no risk of getting through? While nothing supplants supervision, I would rather be safe. *My* reaction to the horizontal railing was that the spacing would be so small as to eliminate the cost benefit to going horizonatal, and would be terribly ugly. What do you all think? I think no way in heck would I have deck rails that form a ladder... ;-) My kids climbed even though the rails were vertical and even though they couldn't get their feet through the spaces. Personally I'd put whatever spacing you wanted, and then put chicken wire or plastic sheeting on the inside of it until the kids grew out of that stage. grandma Rosalie |
#13
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I have strong opinions on this one.
When our youngest was 18 months old, we drove our oldest son (then 8) to his first day at summer camp. We were all sitting on built in seats on the deck of the main dining hall, talking to the camp nurse when our daughter who was sitting between her brothers somehow managed to skootch backwards bum first and go between the horizonal rails - they were probably a foot apart. It happened in a heartbeat, and due to the the way the ground sloped at the side of the building, she fell at least 10 feet, just missing a pile of rocks. She had the wind knocked out of her, so when we all ran around the edge of the deck, she was lying still in the leaves and dirt - and I had one of those out of body moments when I thought we'd lost her - or at least she'd never be okay again. An ambulence was called, and off we went to the hospital with her strapped to a spinal board (she wailed all the way since she wanted to be picked up). Turned out, probably because she landed in the leaves and she was so small, she had no serious injuries. When we went back to pick up our son two weeks later, the camp had changed out their railing - and put in vertical slats. If you had seen the original railing, you would never have thought a toddler could get between those slats, and like I said, she was through there in two seconds flat - three adults were within grabbing distance of her and none of us even saw her starting to wiggle backwards. It was like one second she was sitting there and the next she was gone. Most safety experts will tell you - horizontal slats facilitate climbing - and if a kid can climb the railing, they will. There should be no horizontal slats that form a ladder up the railing. Railings should be at least a meter high (i.e. 3 feet), with a closely spaced vertical slats bet - usually 4" centers. Don't try to save money on this one. Its been 6 years since she fell and I still think about it all the time - and I can't tell you how many dangerous decks I've seen since then that give me a sick feeling. Mary |
#14
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#15
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Most building codes in the US require spacing such that a 4" sphere
can't fit through, and that it not allow climbing. Irene the architect |
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