New Guide Identifies Best Practices for Wood Balcony and Deck Construction
Home Innovation Research Labs and the USDA Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory recently released a new guide to help identify design principles and construction practices to improve the moisture performance of wood-framed balconies and decks.
The Durable Solutions for Balconies and Decks illustrated guide covers all phases of the construction of wood-framed balconies and decks, including building code considerations, design, building material selection, and ongoing maintenance.
The guide focuses on cantilevered balcony designs, which have suffered catastrophic structural failures, such as the 2015 balcony collapse in Berkeley. The guide provides detailed illustrations of best practices and checklists for inspection and maintenance to ensure the safety of home owners and users of balconies and decks.
A critical area for any cantilevered balcony design is the interface between the cantilevered members and the exterior walls of the building. In addition to sloping of the walking surface and waterproofing membrane, flashing of the balcony and any doors providing access to and from the building must be carefully integrated with the water-resistive barrier on the exterior wall and the waterproofing membrane of the balcony to keep water out of the building envelope and promote drying of any components that get wet.
The guide includes best practices and construction details for this interface where low-height thresholds are required at balcony doors to meet Fair Housing Act accessibility or Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements.
A technical advisory group — which included practicing architects and engineers, wood industry representatives, and building science experts — provided input on the creation of the guide. In addition to funding from the Forest Products Laboratory, AGS Stainless, Inc. provided steel railing products for the mockups constructed at Home Innovation’s facilities.
Download the guide. For questions, contact Gary Ehrlich, who participated on the advisory group, at [email protected] or 800-368-5242 ext. 8545.
Latest from NAHBNow
Economics
May 06, 2026
Mortgage Rates, Inflation and Yields All Rise in AprilMortgage rates continued to increase in April as ceasefire negotiations remain inconclusive. According to Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.34% in April, 16 basis points (bps) higher than March.
Workforce Development
May 05, 2026
Philadelphia BIA Member Shifts How Local Community Views the TradesFor Jordan Parisse-Ferrarini, a member of the Building Industry Association of Philadelphia, a career that began with his family’s small business and tools from a pawn shop has flourished into multiple companies, numerous advisory roles and a passion for developing the next generation of skilled trades professionals.
Latest Economic News
Economics
May 04, 2026
Mortgage Rates Climb as Inflation Rebounds and Yields RiseMortgage rates continued to increase in April as ceasefire negotiations remain inconclusive. According to Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.34% in April, 16 basis points (bps) higher than March. The average 15-year rate also increased by 13 bps to 5.69%. Despite the recent increase, both rates remain lower than a year ago by 39 bps and 21 bps, respectively.
Economics
May 01, 2026
Student Housing Construction Investment Holds Steady in the First Quarter of 2026Private fixed investment in student dormitories edged up 0.1% in the first quarter of 2026, holding at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of $3.9 billion. This modest gain marked a third consecutive quarterly increase, despite continued pressures from elevated interest rates. However, on a year-over-year basis, investments in dorms remained almost unchanged.
Economics
Apr 30, 2026
Housing’s Share of GDP Dips Below 16% for First Time Since 2019Housing’s share of the economy was 15.9% in the first quarter of 2026, according to the latest estimates of GDP produced by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. This share is down from 16.0% in the fourth quarter and is lower than 16.5% registered just one year ago.