The floor outside
Decks & railings
Pressure-treated and composite decks with guards that meet the code’s height and load rules.
- Deck framing & spans
- Guard & stair design
- Composite or wood decking
- Lighting rough-in
Decks & Porches · Barrie
Decks & Porches in Barrie
Decks, porches and rear canopies for Barrie houses, designed, permitted and built by one team. We set footings from the survey, size beams and guards to the Building Code, check yard setbacks in By-law 2009-141 and file through APLI with the City of Barrie Building Services.
- Building
designs - 200+
- Years of
practice - 10
- Trusted
partners - 20+
- Recent project
- London · 570 sq ft porch
- Municipality
- Barrie, Ontario
- Permit office
- City of Barrie Building Services
- From our office
- Within an hour
What’s included
Scope: what we take on, and what each part includes.
Outdoor structures fail at the ground and at the house: footings that heave and ledgers that rot. We design both properly, then build what we drew. In Barrie the package goes to the City of Barrie Building Services, and it is drawn to that department’s checklist.
Front and back
Covered porches
Roofed porches tied into the house, with posts, beams and footings designed for the roof and its snow load.
- Roof framing & tie-in
- Posts & beams
- Footings below frost
- Ceiling & finishes
Shade without walls
Rear canopies
Freestanding or attached canopies over patios and decks, engineered for wind uplift as well as snow.
- Canopy structure
- Wind & snow loads
- Attachment to the house
- Drainage off the roof
Below the surface
Footings & structure
Footings sized for the load and dug below frost, with the ledger flashed and fastened so water stays out of the house.
- Footing size & depth
- Ledger & flashing
- Frost protection
- Utility locates
The package
When you need it, and what you get.
Find your situation below. If it’s there, this is the service, and the card underneath is everything you get from our one office.
You need this when
05 common situations
- Deck feels looseIt moves when you walk on it
- Covered porchKeep the front door out of the rain
- Shade over the patioWithout building a room
- Built without a permitThe city wants drawings
- One contractorDrawings, permit and build
- Not sure it applies?Tell us about it on a free call and we’ll say whether this is the right service.
What you get
07
items in your package, all from one P.Eng and BCIN team.
Drawn & stamped in-house
- Site visitMeasured on site
- Permit drawingsPlan, elevation, section, footings, guards
- Structural designP.Eng stamp where the span needs it
- Building permitFiled and followed to issue
- Utility locatesBefore anyone digs
- ConstructionOur crew, footings to finishes
- Inspections & close-outThe permit closed when it’s done
How it runs
Process: 4 steps from first call to sign-off.
Four steps, with the footing inspection setting the pace.
Site visit
We look at the grade, the wall the structure will attach to, the access for materials and how you want to use the space.
Design & permit
Drawings for the permit, with the structure sized in-house, filed with the city and answered at no extra charge.
Build
Locates, footings, framing, decking or roof, guards and stairs, inspected at the footing and framing stages.
Finish & close out
Railings, lighting and finishes, the final inspection, and the permit closed.
- Property address
- Photos of the yard and the wall the structure would attach to
- Rough size, and whether you want it covered
- A survey, if you have one
- Any city letter about an existing deck
Case files
Our Projects: real permits, real builds, real value added.
Open any file for the scope, the disciplines involved, what we delivered and what the owner came away with.
- Files
- 08
- Municipalities
- 07
A compact two-storey suite in a Toronto backyard. Architectural and structural drawings, zoning review and a framing package that makes every square foot count.
- Location
- Toronto
- Area
- 700 sq ft
- Sector
- Residential
- Disciplines
- Architectural · Structural
Delivered
- Architectural drawings
- Structural framing design
- Zoning review
- Building permit application
New living space on a lot the owners already had.
Start a project like this
Structural walls came out and rooms were added to open the plan. Beam and column design, permit drawings and renovation coordination through to final inspection.
- Location
- Richmond Hill
- Area
- 2,700 sq ft
- Sector
- Residential
- Disciplines
- Structural · Architectural
Delivered
- Load-bearing wall removal
- Beam & column design
- Permit drawings
- Renovation coordination
An open layout where the load-bearing walls used to be.
Start a project like this
A code-compliant second unit with its own entrance, fire separations between the units, HVAC design and the full permit package.
- Location
- Vaughan
- Area
- 1,100 sq ft
- Sector
- Residential
- Disciplines
- Architectural · Mechanical · Fire safety
Delivered
- Separate entrance
- Fire separations
- HVAC design
- Full permit package
A legal second unit that brings in rent and adds property value.
Start a project like this
A new build taken from the client’s sketch to occupancy, with the architectural, structural and mechanical design done by one team.
- Location
- Haldimand County
- Area
- 1,750 sq ft
- Sector
- Residential
- Disciplines
- Architectural · Structural · Mechanical
Delivered
- Architectural design
- Structural design
- Mechanical design
- Permit drawings
Built to the client’s own plan, with one team answering for every discipline.
Start a project like this
A two-storey garden suite laid out to get the most usable space from the footprint, designed and permitted as a rentable unit.
- Location
- Richmond Hill
- Area
- 1,250 sq ft
- Sector
- Residential
- Disciplines
- Architectural · Structural
Delivered
- Layout planning
- Architectural drawings
- Structural design
- Permit application
Rental income and a higher property value.
Start a project like this
A dental office converted into a supermarket. Interior renovation, a new plumbing system and fire separations upgraded to the Ontario Fire Code.
- Location
- Kitchener
- Area
- Dental → grocery
- Sector
- Commercial
- Disciplines
- Architectural · Plumbing · Fire safety
Delivered
- Change-of-use permit
- Interior renovation drawings
- New plumbing design
- Upgraded fire separations
A dental office reopened as a supermarket, compliant with the Ontario Fire Code.
Start a project like thisA custom covered porch that turns the front of the house into usable outdoor space. Addition design and structural drawings for the permit.
- Location
- London
- Area
- 570 sq ft
- Sector
- Residential
- Disciplines
- Architectural · Structural
Delivered
- Addition design
- Structural drawings
- Permit application
More usable outdoor space and added home value.
Start a project like this
Site grading to manage drainage and prepare the land for a new driveway, drawn as a grading plan for the site alteration permit.
- Location
- Guelph
- Area
- 11,700 sq ft
- Sector
- Site
- Disciplines
- Site engineering
Delivered
- Grading plan
- Drainage design
- Driveway extension layout
- Site alteration permit
Drainage handled and the land ready for a new driveway.
Start a project like thisPhoto plates
Project Gallery: from the framing to the finished room.
Additions, basements, kitchens, new builds and commercial fit-outs. Drag a row to scrub through it, or open any photo full size.Tap any photo to see it full size.
21 platesResidential, commercial & new build
The drawing set
Drawing Samples: sheets from real permit sets.
Framing schedules, wall assemblies, dimensions and a city review stamp, as issued. Client title blocks are trimmed off to protect the people we drew them for.
- Sector
- Residential
- Discipline
- Architectural · Structural
- Location
- London, ON
- Scale
- —
Drawing set
Sheets in this set
Sheet title
Existing basement plan
The existing house recorded before any design: beams, joists and bearing walls.
Drawing no.
2 of 5
Service area
Where We Work: within 90 minutes of Richmond Hill.
From the office we cover the whole GTA, north to Barrie and Orillia, east to Peterborough and Cobourg, west to Kitchener and Brantford, and down through Niagara.
Our office
Service area
Completed project
Drive time, off-peak
Municipalities we serve
46 across 8 regions
York Region
- Richmond Hill (completed project)Office
- Vaughan (completed project)
- Markham (completed project)
- Aurora
- Newmarket
- King
- Whitchurch-Stouffville
- East Gwillimbury
- Georgina
Toronto & Peel
- Toronto (completed project)
- Mississauga
- Brampton
- Caledon
Halton
- Oakville
- Burlington
- Milton
- Halton Hills
Durham
- Pickering
- Ajax
- Whitby
- Oshawa
- Clarington
- Uxbridge
- Scugog
Simcoe & Dufferin
- Barrie (completed project)
- Innisfil
- Bradford
- New Tecumseth
- Orillia
- Wasaga Beach
- Collingwood
- Orangeville
Waterloo, Wellington & Brant
Hamilton, Niagara & Haldimand
- Hamilton
- Grimsby
- St. Catharines
- Niagara Falls
- Haldimand County (completed project)
Kawarthas & Northumberland
- Peterborough
- Kawartha Lakes
- Port Hope
- Cobourg
Past the 90-minute line
We've also completed projects in London and Strathroy. Farther out than that? Call (416) 990-9179 and ask.
Permits filed with municipalities including
Before you call
FAQ: decks & porches in Barrie, answered.
Anything we haven’t answered here, we’ll answer on a call. The first consultation is free.
(416) 990-9179Possibly. Barrie has a site alteration by-law of its own, and we confirm with the City of Barrie Building Services whether it reaches a house lot before the deck is drawn. As a single-tier city, Barrie has no regional by-law to check on top of it.
If the lot is inside the regulated area of the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA), yes. Ontario Regulation 41/24 counts building or enlarging a structure as development activity, so a deck near a watercourse, a wetland or a valley in Barrie can need an LSRCA permit before the City of Barrie Building Services issues the building permit. On the west side of Barrie the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority takes that role instead, so we find out from the survey which of the two maps the lot.
Yes. We take on decks & porches across Barrie, including Allandale and Painswick, within an hour of our Richmond Hill office. The first consultation is free, by phone or on site.
Three things to start: property address; photos of the yard and the wall the structure would attach to; and rough size, and whether you want it covered. Send those and we tell you what the City of Barrie Building Services will ask for before we quote.
The zoning on your lot sets that, not the Building Code. For most of Barrie the yard setbacks come from Comprehensive Zoning By-law 2009-141, and inside the Allandale Major Transit Station Area from the Community Planning Permit System, so we measure against the right one on your survey before the deck is sized. The City of Barrie Building Services reviews the zoning as well as the structure before it issues the permit.
Usually, and on a typical lot without a tree permit, since By-law 2014-115 only regulates trees that belong to a woodlot of half an acre or more. The footings then go outside the main roots, and the framing leaves an opening around the trunk with room for it to grow. If the yard does include woodlot trees, we raise them with the City before the drawings go to the City of Barrie Building Services.
The deck as built, against the drawings the City of Barrie Building Services approved: footing size and depth, beam and joist sizes and spans, the ledger if the deck fastens to the house, and the guards and stairs. We call for each inspection the permit requires as the work reaches it, and you can see the file’s status in APLI between visits.
Yes. On a house in one of Barrie’s established suburban neighbourhoods we first look at what the old porch stands on and at the front wall it ties into. A rebuild that changes the porch’s size or adds a roof is checked against the front-yard setback in By-law 2009-141, and the new footings, framing and guards go on drawings for the City of Barrie Building Services.
Yes. Barrie takes residential building permit applications online through APLI, and a deck goes in that way, with its drawings, for the City of Barrie Building Services. When we prepare the deck we make the application too, so we are the ones who answer the examiner, and APLI’s email notices keep you posted as the review moves.
Usually. We measure the deck, open the ground beside a footing or two to see what it stands on, and draw it as built with whatever has to change to meet the Building Code. The City of Barrie Building Services decides what it needs to see uncovered at inspection, and we file the application through APLI.
Searched & answered
People Also Ask: what Barrie searches about decks & porches.
Short answers to the decks & porches questions people search most, and the broader topics they lead to.
Not covered here? Book a free consultationUsually, yes. Each municipality sets its own line. The GTA rules we work with go by the deck’s height above the ground, and some also count any deck fastened to the house. A roofed porch fastened to the house needs one under each of them. Cities word the rule differently, so Fine Engineering checks your municipality’s own wording before a deck is drawn.
Start with drawings and, in most cases, a permit, then build from the ground up. Once the permit is issued, call for utility locates, dig the footings to the depth your soil needs and call in each inspection the permit lists as that stage is reached. Then come the framing, the decking, the guards and stairs, and the final inspection. Fine Engineering draws and builds decks across the GTA.
As part of the deck, on the same permit drawings. The stringers are cut to the drawing and fastened to the deck framing, and the guard rule that applies to the deck applies to the open sides of the stair too. Fine Engineering draws the stair, its stringers and its guard on the permit set.
Either the main roof carries down over the porch, or a lower shed roof hangs off the house wall. Both put new roof and snow load on the house, so the join needs flashing and the existing wall and roof framing has to carry it. Fine Engineering checks that framing before the porch roof is drawn.
For a permit, the zoning by-law decides. Zoning is applicable law, so a permit is only issued for work that complies with it. If a covered porch would take the lot past what its by-law allows, the owner makes the porch smaller or gets a minor variance first. Fine Engineering reads the by-law for your lot, including how it treats a roofed porch, before the porch is drawn.
Most often because water crosses a property line, the ground slopes too gently away from the house, or the swales and elevations do not tie into the survey. Reviewers also return plans that lack erosion control, or an engineer’s stamp where one is required. Fine Engineering designs grading to each municipality’s own criteria and revises the plan to answer the reviewer’s comments.
Good to know
Deck permits in Barrie
In Barrie the reviewer is the City of Barrie Building Services. Every Barrie lot sets its own terms: the height above grade, the wall the deck fastens to and the soil under the footings decide the design before anything is dug.
We walk the site with the survey on a scheduled visit before anything is drawn, then file the decks & porches package to the City of Barrie Building Services’s own checklist.
Deck building across Allandale and Painswick
Housing in Barrie runs to high-density waterfront condos built since the 1980s beside established suburban neighbourhoods. Our deck work there is on the houses: rear decks and porches with their own footings and guards.
Our Barrie deck project
The 230 sq ft rear deck in our gallery is a Barrie project: a compact upgrade framed in pressure-treated lumber, with a pergola over it. Ontario’s Building Code Act counts the extension and material alteration of a building as construction, so upgrading a deck can need a permit as much as building a new one.
Upgrading an existing deck in Barrie
Before an upgrade is drawn, we look at what it changes, such as the footings, the footprint or the height, and confirm with the City of Barrie Building Services whether it needs a permit. A pergola added in the same job is part of that check, because a frame fastened to the house or carrying a roof puts load on the structure that an open freestanding one does not.
Decks on land that joined Barrie in 2009 and 2026
Not every Barrie lot is zoned under By-law 2009-141. Some Secondary Plan land transferred from Innisfil in 2009 is still governed by Innisfil Zoning By-law 054-04, and the boundary land added on January 1, 2026 by Springwater By-law 5000 or Oro-Medonte By-law 97-95. A deck there is placed to that by-law’s yard setbacks, while the permit itself comes from the City of Barrie Building Services.
Decks and stairs that serve an added unit
Barrie lets a lot hold up to three additional units, and the way into one can cross a deck: a landing outside a basement door, stairs up to a unit over a garage, a porch at a coach house. Where that structure is part of the unit’s exit, we draw it with the unit’s permit rather than as a separate deck.
The Code’s guard heights for decks assume a single house, or a house with a secondary suite: 900 mm up to a walking surface 1,800 mm above the ground, and 1,070 mm higher than that. Where a deck serves more homes than that, we check which Code rules apply before detailing the guards for the City of Barrie Building Services.
Contact us
Footings deep. Ledger flashed. A deck that stays put.
Send us a few photos of the yard and we’ll tell you what the permit needs, on a free first call.
First consultation free(416) 990-9179