This is Biwa (aka Biwako-of-abi) again. Your thinking about these things show that you are a good cat owner. I personally would never trust my cats on a balcony, or high-up deck, again, unless it was on the first floor, and then there would be the problem of their escaping into the yard and perhaps getting run over. Don't be fooled by the fact that your cats have been all right so far on the 3rd floor deck. I am sure they like it, but even the cats in the same family can playfully do something that could lead to one or more of them falling. There is a first time for everything, and depending on what they land on, they could get killed. Suggestions about what you can do: (1) You could always keep the door to your deck shut so the cats can't get out there. They do not have to be able to go out on a deck to be happy. You probably know there are many types of toys for cats to entertain them inside the house. (2) If you own the house and can do what you like to it, you could put strong chicken wire or some other barrier anywhere on the deck where a cat might try to get out, or even build a large cage-like area on part of the deck if it is big enough. (In such a case, even the top of that area should be covered with strong wire fencing.) Alternatively, you could just have some sort of strong screen door where you go out on the deck--I mean, one that a cat's claws would not tear if it climbed up as if the door were a tree. I do think a cat would be miserable if it had to be kept in a small cage in the house much of the time, but that could be a temporary solution for times, for example, when you have guests who might unthinkingly leave the door to the deck open. (3) Climbing is also not necessary for a cat's happiness, although you are right that a 4-month-old kitten, especially, is going to want to climb and jump. For that, you can buy, or get someone to make, a pole for the cats that has 3 or 4 little platforms along it, so they can climb up and rest. (Cats, as you probably know, just looove to be up high and gaze down on everyone else.) We never wanted to spend money on something like that, but you can get the same effect using pieces of furniture that are different heights. You could even provide the kitten with fun and exercise by running around trailing a piece of string for him to chase. Just don't leave the string around where he could swallow it and necessitate an expensive visit to the animal ER. (4) I wouldn't rely on the following trick to keep your cats from jumping up on the railing of a deck, nor would it work to keep them off the deck, now that they know it is a fun place, but I did succeed by using noise to give my cats an aversion to climbing up window screens. You know that cats hate unexpected loud noises. We had moved from a place where our cats had had an outdoor cage-like area (about 6x6x6 feet) right outside a window so they could go in and out at will, to an older house where we couldn't do that, and I was afraid they might try to climb up the screen on an open window. The very day we moved in, I took the time to sit and be on the alert to catch any hint that the cats were interested in those open windows, and if a cat so much as stood on its hind legs to peer out through the screen, I briefly pressed the alarm signal on one of those devices a woman might carry to scare away an attacker. I didn't have to do it many times. My four cats very quickly caught on that something awful happened when they touched a window or its frame, and very soon I no longer ever had to worry about open windows and screening. You could probably get the same effect by clashing metal pots against their lids. However, the noise has to be something that the cats will not realize has a human source. Yelling at them and clapping your hands will only teach them to be naughty when you are out of sight. I hope you will find a good solution for your problem. Anyway, I commend you for your concern for your cats' happiness and their welfare. It's always nice to meet a fellow cat lover. Just for fun, here is a site I love to look at for the pictures of all the things one cat owner did with his house. How I wished we could imitate him, but I am sure my husband would never have agreed, lol. (So I am NOT saying you should fix up your house like his, either! But enjoy looking.)

This is all over the place ghesssssssssss Let me get this straight, second story deck with a roof,like a torch down modified, stringers laying on the roof,decking fastened to the stringers. How am I doing so far. Dont use hardy plank or alum decking. There is no web site that will solve your problems. J.

If you're going to use tiles at the edge to form a water resistant barrier, I see no need to fill in behind them. The tiles you install are unlikely to be as thick as the old baseboard. How will you address the gap between the floor and the new tile base? Perhaps a better choice would be to install PVC baseboard and seal the edges with a sanded caulk to match the tile grout color. Unless you have a drain in the floor, making the room a drip pan will only work until there's a leak big enough to flow out the door.

People can often give the best design advice when they know something about the context: why are you trying to accomplish something, what is going on in the area, etc. People may also be trying to save you from costly mistakes they or someone they know have made. Advice is something you may request, not demand. To ask some information isn't trolling anyone. This is an advice board. It is kind of like a buffet: take what you like and leave the rest. The person who will know how much it will cost will be a general contractor. You will need an architect and possibly a structural engineer for plans before a contract can give you a price. Those plans may depend on whether you have (or your city has) your original building plans on file. If yes, it will save some time so they will know how to tie the structures together. If not, they may have to do some targeted investigative demolition to see how the structure that is there is put together. That's more money. (Keep in mind that you may have to completely change the roof design for that portion of the house if you choose to have the new area a covered deck. It looks like it would be difficult to tie the old roof and the new roof together. That is a lot of additional work and expense. Both on the exterior and possibly interior.) How much labor costs, how long permits take, whether you can build in the wet season, etc. are all locally dependent and all greatly increase your costs. Do you want lighting? Do you have extra capacity in your panel or will you need an upgrade to that? Lots of pieces. Talk to a couple of local general contractors and see if any can give you an idea of the work involved. (You will probably have to pay them a consulting or design fee for this because if they are giving you advice, they're not working for another client.) My guess would be close to $100K, maybe more. Remodels and additions always cost more than new construction and there are tons of variables here. You will likely need foundation work, electrical, framing, roofing, drainage, finish, etc. Good luck! It is one of the things that I would dream about and my husband would talk me out of because of the labor and expense. Can it be done? Sure. Almost anything can be done. Should it be done? Well, only you can answer that.