What's involved in designing a custom frameless glass deck railing system for a Vancouver home

Before you can enjoy the fabulously unobstructed view of a stunning frameless glass deck railing, it needs to be designed exclusively for your Vancouver home.

While not a complex or complicated process, there are still some things that must be considered during the project design phase. Here’s a brief overview of some issues that will be addressed along the way.

Project design phase

• National Building Code of Canada, municipal by-laws
• Structural support
• Measurements to calculate the # of panels and # of supports
• Glass

National Building Code & municipal by-laws

The NBC code(pdf) sets design and construction standards for new or existing housing and small buildings. Municipal by-laws also set standards for homes and buildings in their jurisdiction. The purpose of these standards is to ensure deck railings are built to a high level of safety. Hire a professional glass deck railing design and install team that is up-to-date on these codes.

Structural Support

There are options for supporting a glass deck railing. For instance supports could be ground-mounted, affixed to the top of the deck. Or they could be vertically mounted, affixed to the outside edge of the deck. If there are no code requirements and all options are open, spigots, pins and base rails are chosen based on aesthetics and environment. For a Vancouver home, salt water spray might be a concern. We recommend stainless steel for its superior resistance to corrosion. It’s also very strong and has a beautiful finish as well.

Measurements

The cool thing about frameless glass deck railing design is that its shape is completely customizable. If your deck curves, then the railing can curve with it. All that needs to be done when designing is to measure the total length. From this number you can determine the number of glass panels you need and the number of supports to go with it.

Glass 

Glass railing panels need to be of a minimum thickness (decided by codes) but after that the decisions are all yours. Here is where you really bring your dream railing to life. There are so many choices! People find this part of the project design to be really fun. Pick the colour, opacity and texture of the glass panels to best compliment your supports and the surrounding environment or your chosen aesthetic. If you’re not sure, ask your glass railing contractor for samples to help you decide. They may also be able to introduce you to some ideas you haven’t considered yet.

Panorama Glass technicians have extensive knowledge of federal and local building codes and engineering expertise. We custom design your frameless glass railing to deliver safety without compromising functionality or beauty. Give us a call today for a glass deck railing design for your home. 604-862-8955