Closing off deck

[G-ZUS]

Hey guys, i have a 11x14 deck in my backyard. Can i safely put up walls and a roof on it to close it off from the elements? Or would i need to get an engineer and strengthen it up?

[killramos]

Pretty sure that becomes a permit requiring situation in a hurry

[schurchill39]

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Hey guys, i have a 11x14 deck in my backyard. Can i safely put up walls and a roof on it to close it off from the elements? Or would i need to get an engineer and strengthen it up?

Totally depends on how the deck was built and what materials you plan to use. Are you going to essentially turn it into an addition with wall, floor and roof, insulation, or just a 3 season room to block wind and rain? How high is the deck? What do the footings, posts, beams etc look like and are they to code? First thing would be to consult the City of Calgary development permit document to see if you need a development permit for what ever it is you have in your mind and from there decide. Then would be to look at building code to see if how its currently built meets the requirements to see what you would need to change or add. If you aren't sure how to do any of those things then you are probably best to get an engineer for the $500-1000 range to come and evelauate it and let you know.

Where I am, I can put up a wooden structure on my deck as long as the deck meets code and I only build it to be a 3 season room. If I insulate the walls like a pseudo addition, or go with an aluminum structure attached to the house, even if its just a roof, I'll need a development permit and engineered drawings.

EDIT: Development permits are very different from building permits FYI. They are a much bigger pain in the ass.

[vengie]

Anything >100sqft requires a permit.