Decks & Patios in Pasadena, CA
Fired clay brick patios and ember-aware decks beside older Pasadena houses, with the wall behind them kept dry and the paving laid to drain.
Fired clay brick is the surface we raise first for a Pasadena patio beside an older house. It cannot catch an ember, it keeps its color through harsh light and thirsty air, and it can echo any brick steps or chimney already on the property. Mapped fire hazard zones cover part of the city, so ember-resistance rules can reach a given lot, and a patio floor that cannot burn starts well inside them.
Laying brick so it drains
Brick goes down on a compacted crushed-stone base with a gentle fall away from the house, and joints are filled with stone dust that locks the pieces together. Salvaged brick gets tapped and inspected first, since soft-cored or flaking pieces crumble after a few winters. A steel or concrete edge holds the border so the field cannot creep. At the wall, the top of the paving is kept under the weep screed or the base of the siding, so runoff has an exit that is not the foundation.
Keeping fuel away from the wall
Where ember rules may apply, the strip of ground touching the house is the part worth hardening. We keep that apron to brick, stone or concrete, hold any wood farther out, and screen vents and underdeck openings with fine metal mesh, around 1/8 inch. If a wood deck is wanted, the underside can be boxed in with noncombustible material so blown embers find nothing to settle on. The reviewer sees these choices drawn on the plan, not left to the field.
About our Decks & Patios serviceEverything we do in Pasadena
Decks & Patios in Pasadena: common questions
We open the siding along the line, check the rim joist with a moisture meter, lap a membrane up the sheathing and finish with a metal flashing that tucks under the course above, all before the ledger is bolted on. On a stucco wall, the cut is patched and sealed around every fastener.
Often, yes. Porch rot concentrates at post feet, step treads and the lowest rail, and those parts can be replaced individually while original columns and brackets stay. If the porch is rebuilt, a review may ask for fire-rated or noncombustible parts where the parcel is mapped for fire hazard, so we check that early.
Expect one for any raised deck or attached cover, reviewed by the City of Pasadena. Where the parcel is mapped for fire hazard, ember-resistance items can join the set. Our office draws and files it all. Whether a ground-level patio is exempt gets settled on the first visit.
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