New Deck Building

A new deck in Ottawa starts with the permit question. The City says a permit is required, whatever the deck's area, when the deck is adjacent to or attached to the house and its walking surface is more than 600 mm (24 in.) above the adjacent grade, and for any elevated deck providing principal access to a building. A freestanding deck needs one when its walking surface is both greater than 10 square metres and more than 600 mm above grade. A deck that needs no permit must still comply with the Ontario Building Code and the Zoning By-law.

Pressure-treated lumber and cedar are the two common wood choices. The USDA Forest Products Laboratory says the service lives of naturally durable and preservative-treated woods are quite comparable for decking boards, and that wooden decks are most commonly replaced because of checking and splitting, not decay. Health Canada says treated wood for residential use may be ACQ or copper azole (CA-B); CCA is no longer available for residential construction.

The City inspects the footings before backfill, the framing and guards, and the finished deck. The permit fee is $12.75 per $1,000 of construction value, with a $117 minimum. Published Ottawa and Ontario builder prices run roughly $25 to $65 per square foot installed for pressure-treated and $45 to $80 for cedar. Some published packages leave out railings and steps, so check what each quote includes.