Decks Kitchener: If you are planning on installing a new deck or making structural changes to an existing deck then this guide is for you.

We’ve been serving the tri-cities residential and commercial properties with fence and deck building, post hole digging, commercial snow removal, and ice control since 2008 and we’d love to put our expertise to work for you.

We’ll explain what you need to know if you are building a deck in Kitchener such as getting permits, approved materials, and we’ll give you some amazing deck design ideas. So let’s get started.

Decks Kitchener: Find out everything you need to know before you build

Decks Kitchener

Do You Need a Permit?

There are a couple of cases when you will need a building permit for a deck in Kitchener. They include:

• If your deck is 24″ high or greater above the finished grade of your property – this applies to both a new or replacement deck
• If you will be making structural renovations to an existing deck

How to Get a Deck Building Permit

You have 2 options for getting a deck building permit from the city of Kitchener. You can either:

• Apply online https://onlinepermits.kitchener.ca/portal/sfjsp?interviewID=SignOn
• Apply in person at City Hall located at 200 King St. W. Kitchener, ON.

*Note: During the COVID-19 Pandemic, City Hall is closed so the Kitchener Building Division is accepting new building permit applications only online. Check the city of Kitchener’s website for updated COVID-19 information and to see when City Hall will be opening again.

You can apply for a permit at city hall when it is open – Image Source: Illustratedjc, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Decks Kitchener: Permit Payments

The City of Kitchener will let you pay for your deck permit with either cash, cheque, or debit. You payment covers:

• Reviewing your drawings
• The building permit itself
• Building inspections

Click here to see the current payment fee schedule. The posted fee at time of posting this article was $95.00.

Deck Inspections:

You need to either book your deck building inspections online or through the city of Kitchener’s automated phone system (519-741-2761). It is a good idea to book ahead of time. If you want a same-day inspection, then it needs to be booked before 8:00am of that day.

You will need to have 3 separate inspections including:

An Inspection of Your Excavation and Footing: This needs to be done when you have dug your holes but before you pour your concrete

An Inspection of Your Structural Wood Frame:This needs to be completed when your framing is complete – your posts, beams, and joists.

A Final Inspection: This takes place when your deck and guards/railings are finished.

Decks Kitchener: You will need 3 different inspections

Decks Kitchener: Approved Materials

If you are constructing a deck that is 24″ or higher above the grade of your property, the city of Kitchener requires you to use one of the following types of material:

• Eon Composite Decking System
• Baleboard Poly Decking
• FORMADECK vinyl deck boards
• NCP euroboard, enviroboard, Northern Lite Decking
• Gorilla Deck PVC Deck Boards

Decks Kitchener: Approved Guards/Railings

If your deck is 24″ or more above the grade of your property, then you can only install guards or railings that are made from wood as outlined in the Ontario Building Code. You are not allowed to use hollow plastic or vinyl guards or railings. if you want to use a type of material other than wood, you will need to include a copy of the Pre-Engineering guard/railing details with your building permit.

Your guards and railings need to be made of wood

Deck Building Permit Process

Here is a step-by-step breakdown of Kitchener’s deck building permit process:

Step 1: Submit your building permit application and drawings online or in person at Kitchener City Hall.

Step 2: Your application will be reviewed by the plans examiner. This initial review will take up to 10 business days. If your plans are approved, you will receive your permit. If they aren’t approved you will receive a letter outlining any building code and law deficiencies. You will need to submit revised plans or documents to get your permit approved.

Step 3: Start construction and schedule your required inspections. If you decide to make any changes to your design, then you need to contact your building inspector and provide revised drawings to be reviewed by the plans examiner. Additional fees will apply.

Step 4: Continue construction and have your scheduled inspections.

Step 5: Once your deck has passed the final building inspection, you will be sent a final clearance letter and your permit will be closed.

Decks Kitchener: Design Ideas

If you are planning to build a deck, here are some great design ideas to get you started. Click on the images to go to the next one.

Remember that the best time to start to build is late spring, summer, or fall. It is difficult to dig your post holes in the winter when the ground is frozen or in the early spring when it is still wet and soggy.

Citywide can build you a beautiful custom deck

Decks Kitchener: How Citywide Can Help

We Can Build Your Deck for You

We can design and build any size or style of custom deck for you from small sitting areas to large multi-level decks. You won’t have to worry about your deck meeting the regulations of the city of Kitchener. We are a local deck-building company with years of experience in deck building in Kitchener, so we know what the requirements are and we will ensure that they are properly met.

We Can Dig Your Post Holes

One of the most difficult parts of building a deck is digging the holes for your posts. This is because:

• If not done correctly, your posts may heave due to frost.
• It requires precision and expertise to do it right.
• It takes an incredible amount of physical strength if you are using a handheld digger.
• If you are working with digging machinery that you aren’t used to using, you could get injured or you could damage your property if you dig your holes in the wrong place.
• It can take a lot of time to dig your fence posts right especially if you are doing it by hand or if you make a mistake that you need to fix.
• It requires the right tools to do the job properly, so you may either have to rent, purchase or borrow these tools.

If you still want to build your own deck, we can do the difficult work of digging your post holes for you.

Citywide uses a game-changing auger for digging post holes

Wide Range of Other Services

At Citywide we also provide a wide range of other services. In addition to digging post holes we also do: