Nearly a decade ago, I designed
and built a whole-house
remodel that was located just
a little too far back from the
waterfront to enjoy an unobstructed
ocean view. When I suggested a rooftop
deck, to my pleasure, the owners
jumped. I’d stuck my chin out a little,
not having built a rooftop structure
before — I knew there were a couple of
unique problems to solve. I wasn’t too
worried about the structural issues; we’d
retained only about 10% of the original
building (to satisfy zoning requirements),
so it was wide open for modifications. I
figured a structural ridge beam and some
ganged rafters would handle any point
loads imposed on the roof by the deck
and