Hillside decks and flat balconies in Pasadena, repaired, flashed and coated by one licensed, insured general contractor, with the framing fixed under the same City of Pasadena Permit Center permit and one fixed written price.
Professional, licensed & insuredFixed-price proposalsPermits pulled & closedSB 721 / SB 326 repairs
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Call now · (818) 210-4544Deck and balcony waterproofing in Pasadena, CA: Right Image Builders (CSLB #1021284, licensed and insured since 2016) repairs and waterproofs walking decks, balconies, exterior stairs and shared walkways on Craftsman bungalows and 1920s Spanish houses in the central districts, 1950s ranches in Hastings Ranch and east Pasadena, hillside houses along the Arroyo across Bungalow Heaven, Madison Heights, the Arroyo and Hastings Ranch, with the dry rot and framing under the old coating repaired by the same crew on the same City of Pasadena Permit Center permit.
ICC-ES-evaluated, Class A pedestrian coating systems over plywood or concrete, flashed at every door, wall and post; SB 721 and SB 326 inspection reports turned into permitted repair scopes. Most single decks take days once the permit is issued; one fixed written price after a free on-site inspection. Office in Valley Glen, about 35 minutes from Pasadena.
Updated October 2026 · Right Image Builders project team · CSLB #1021284 · 5.0★ Google (45 reviews) · 4.9★ Angi (103 reviews)
Pasadena has two deck problems, and they fail in different places. On the hillside streets it is post-supported and cantilevered decks hung off the back of the house, where water runs toward the house, the ledger takes the damage, and the access is a stair, a slope and a wheelbarrow.
On the flatter streets, across Bungalow Heaven, Madison Heights, the Arroyo and Hastings Ranch, the houses are Craftsman bungalows and 1920s Spanish houses in the central districts, 1950s ranches in Hastings Ranch and east Pasadena, hillside houses along the Arroyo, and their decks and balconies are flat: water sits in the low corner, the coating gives up at a seam, and the plywood beneath goes soft over a few winters.
Then there are the apartment and condominium buildings along Colorado Boulevard: shared walkways, open stairs and stacked balconies that stay in use while we repair them, and the elements SB 721 and SB 326 now require inspected. Those are the jobs that most often come to us with a report attached.
Either way we open it up before we price it. A re-coat over sound, dry framing is a small job. A re-coat over wet framing is the same job done twice, and the second time costs more.
Almost never in the middle of the deck. Always at an edge, a transition or a low spot. This is what we open and look at before we price.
A licensed, insured general contractor, not a coating applicator: the flashing, the framing behind it and the coating, under one permit and one contract.
Walking decks over living space and open decks over framing: failed coating off, plywood and framing repaired, new flashing at the walls, doors and edges, slope corrected, and an ICC-ES-evaluated coating system applied to the manufacturer's spec.
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Cantilevered and post-supported balconies on houses, duplexes and apartment buildings: ledger, joists and post bases exposed and repaired where rot is found, then flashed, sloped and coated so the next inspection passes.
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Exterior stairs, landings and shared walkways on multi-unit buildings: slip-resistant, Class A fire-rated systems with stair nosings, drip edges and scuppers detailed, phased so tenants keep access.
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Cracked magnesite walkways and leaking tile decks replaced with a bonded, sloped, waterproof system under a new walking surface; tile reinstalled over a proper membrane where you want tile back.
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Because we are a general contractor, the rotted joist, failed ledger, soft post base or loose railing anchor we uncover is repaired under the same permit and the same contract, not referred to someone else.
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Your inspection report becomes a repair scope: we price the exact elements the report flags, pull the permit, make the repairs and close it, so the building has the record the law requires.
Book a free inspectionProfessional, licensed and insured, and we put that in writing at every step, because a deck repair is a trust decision before it is a construction decision.
California general contractor license CSLB #1021284 (General Building B), active since 2016, with general liability and workers' compensation insurance. Check the license yourself at cslb.ca.gov before you sign anything, with us or anyone else.
The proposal lists what comes off, what gets repaired, what gets flashed, which system goes on and which permit covers it. If it is not written down, it is not in the job.
When the old coating comes off we photograph the plywood and framing and send you the pictures. Anything beyond the scope is priced in writing before the crew continues. You never find out from the invoice.
California law caps a home-improvement deposit at $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract, whichever is less. We follow it. Progress payments follow the work, and the final payment comes after your walkthrough.
We submit, meet the inspector and close the permit. You get the closed-permit record, which is what a buyer, an insurer or an SB 721 / SB 326 file will ask for.
The people who inspect the deck are the people who repair it. No subcontractor hand-offs, no call center; your project lead answers the phone during the job and after it.
Every manufacturer-listed system we install is built the same way from the framing up, to the manufacturer’s written specification and the ICC-ES evaluation report. Skip a layer and the warranty means nothing.
BeforeAfter
A hillside deck: failed, ponding coating and a rusted edge to a flashed, sloped, sand-textured walking surface with new edge metal. Drag the handle.
Pasadena issues its own permits: deck and balcony waterproofing in Pasadena goes through the City of Pasadena Permit Center at 175 N Garfield Ave, not LADBS. Pasadena asks for a city business license and reviews work in its landmark districts separately; both are handled. Replacing the waterproofing system is permitted work, and the plywood, ledger, joist or railing repair found under the old coating is inspected under the same permit.
We submit, schedule the inspections, meet the inspector and close the permit before the final payment. Owners of apartment and condominium buildings get the closed-permit record their SB 721 or SB 326 file needs.
California now requires periodic inspections of wood-supported balconies, decks, walkways and stairs more than six feet above grade. The inspection is the inspector’s job. The repairs are ours.
Rental buildings with three or more units. First inspection was due January 1, 2026; non-emergency repairs the report calls for are due within 120 days unless the city extends it.
Associations with three or more units. First inspection was due January 1, 2025, performed by a licensed structural engineer or architect and folded into the reserve study.
Send us the report. We price the exact elements it flags, in writing, pull the permit, make the repairs with a phasing plan that keeps residents’ access, and close the permit so the building has the record the law requires.
Sources: Health and Safety Code §17973 (SB 721, as amended by AB 2579); Civil Code §5551 (SB 326); City of San Mateo and City of San Ramon building-department summaries, checked October 2026. Confirm the deadlines for your building with your inspector or the city.
Honest, straightforward, and clear. The team was so professional, respectful, and clean. Everything was as planned and within the timeline.Zachary R. · Google
The fixed-price contract was exactly what we needed. No surprise invoices, no scope creep. The owner personally showed up to every major milestone.David & Sarah K. · Houzz
Prompt, thorough, and responsive. The price was very fair unlike three other contractors I requested bids from.Sherry C. · Yelp
CSLB #1021284, licensed and insured since 2016. Framing repair and waterproofing on one license, one permit, one contract.
One itemized price after the inspection. Hidden conditions photographed and priced in writing before the crew continues.
In the contract, handed over with the closed permit. Manufacturer warranties registered in your name where offered.
On site in Pasadena, with a test section of the old coating opened, not a quote from the driveway.
Also serving: Glendale, Burbank, Beverly Hills, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Encino, Van Nuys, Valley Glen, Woodland Hills, Reseda, Pacoima, Winnetka, Sun Valley, West Hollywood, Santa Monica, Culver City, Calabasas, Malibu, North Hollywood, Toluca Lake, Tarzana, Valley Village, Northridge, Granada Hills, Hollywood Hills, Lake Balboa
Deck & balcony waterproofing across Los Angeles →
Plain answers on the balcony laws, materials, timing and hiring, written for Los Angeles buildings and kept current.
The ten steps from the free inspection to the closed permit, which layers keep the deck dry, and the seven questions to ask any contractor.
Read the guide → Decision guideApartments versus condos, deadlines, cycles, who inspects, what happens after the report.
Read the guide → Decision guideWhen a re-coat is enough, when the plywood goes, where tile fits, and when the deck comes off.
Read the guide → AnswersPermits, the balcony laws, re-coat or tear-off, where decks leak, what a proposal must include.
Read the answers →Yes. A hillside deck fails at the ledger and the post connections, hidden under the deck, and the access adds a carry to every load of material. A flat deck or balcony fails at the low corner where water sits and at the door threshold. The free inspection tells us which failure we are looking at, and the fixed price reflects the access.
The City of Pasadena Permit Center, not LADBS. Pasadena issues its own permits on its own schedule; we submit, meet the inspections and close the permit before the final payment.
SB 721 (Health and Safety Code 17973) applies to rental buildings with three or more units: the first inspection was due January 1, 2026 and repeats every six years, with non-emergency repairs due within 120 days. SB 326 (Civil Code 5551) applies to condominium associations with three or more units: first inspection by January 1, 2025, then every nine years. Both cover wood-supported balconies, decks, walkways and stairs more than six feet above grade. A licensed inspector performs the inspection; we make the repairs the report calls for and close the permit. Single-family houses are not covered, though the same construction standards apply to their decks.
Yes. Right Image Builders, Inc. holds California general contractor license CSLB #1021284 (General Building B), active since 2016, with general liability and workers' compensation insurance. Verify the license at cslb.ca.gov and ask us for the insurance certificates; we expect you to.
Only when a test section shows the old system bonded and dry over sound plywood and flashing. On most decks that have leaked, the old coating comes off, the plywood and framing are repaired, the transitions are re-flashed, and a new system goes on. A re-coat over wet framing is the same job done twice.
A single deck or balcony is usually days of work once the permit is issued, plus cure time between coats. Apartment and condominium walkway programs are phased over weeks so residents keep access, with the schedule published before the first day.
Everything the inspection scoped: tear-off, the repairs we can see, flashing, slope, the coating system, the permit and the inspections. Anything uncovered at tear-off is photographed and priced in writing before the crew continues, and the final payment comes after your walkthrough. No surprise invoices.
Yes. Multi-unit walkways, stairs and stacked balconies are a large part of the work, usually with an SB 721 or SB 326 report attached. We price from the report, phase the work so residents keep access, and hand the association or owner a closed permit for the file.
Protect the deck before the next rain. One licensed, insured crew, one fixed written price, the permit closed.
