Private roof decks, the envy of the neighborhood when the weather is nice, are a trendy accessory in newly built townhouses in town-center-style communities in the suburbs. Adding a roof deck to an existing home is a bit trickier. It might be tempting to just slide open a tall window and shimmy out onto a flat roof, but to be safe and to have a truly functional roof deck, you’ll need to spend time and money.
“Most roofs weren’t designed to have people walk on them, much less put furniture on them and entertain up there,” said Ethan Landis, co-owner of Landis Architects/Builders in the District. “Adding a roof deck is like creating a great outdoor room, which is especially nice if there’s no good backyard. But you have to evaluate the condition of the existing roof first.”
Hiring a designer with experience adding roof decks to other homes in your neighborhood can make the project easier and result in a deck that’s not only attractive but also structurally sound and compliant with zoning and fire codes.
“Each roof deck project is one of a kind,” Landis said. “They all have logistical challenges, and many of the ones we’ve built are on homes in a historical neighborhood, which means they need to be invisible from the street.”
Other issues include skylights, chimneys and air conditioners that might need to be moved or built around.
“Roof decks are particularly successful when they can be easily accessed from the interior living space, especially if you can do it from a true staircase, not a ladder or a spiral staircase,” Landis said. “The best ones not only have direct access, but they also have a kitchenette or a wet bar nearby to make it easier to entertain.”
Adding a roof deck can be costly, particularly in comparison with the size of the project, Landis said.
“We originally hired a contractor for the roof deck who was doing an interior renovation for our condo,” said Betsy Karmin, who owns a home with her husband, Manny Strauss, in the Northwest Washington neighborhood of Kalorama. “Contractors often tell you that they know how to do something even if they don’t. They assume they’ll hire the right subcontractors.”
After three years of wrangling over permits and discussing the project with the condo association, Karmin and Strauss switched contractors and finally got the roof deck they wanted.
“We use the roof deck far more than we used the backyard at our old house,” Karmin said. “When we’re on the roof, we’re up so high that there are nice breezes and, even better, no bugs.”
Capital views
Every time Chris Ernesto crawled onto the roof of his circa 1895 rowhouse on Capitol Hill to make a repair or check on the air conditioner, he gazed at the view of the Capitol dome and longed to add usable space above the treetops. Ernesto, a building contractor, said he and his wife, Marianne Huber, spend as much time as possible outside in every season. Now that they have their roof deck, they even use it in winter.
Source: https://wapo.st/2PPOmZR
