Multi-Level Hillside Cable Guard Above Malibu
About This Project
This Malibu hillside property has four deck levels stepping down the slope, connected by short flights. Treated as four separate railings it would have looked like four separate railings — different post positions, different cable heights, visible junctions at every transition.
We set it out as one system. Cable heights carry through from level to level, post positions align vertically where levels overlap, and the transitions at each short flight use a continuous raked run rather than terminating and restarting. From the house it reads as a single guard following the terrain, which is what makes a stepped deck look designed rather than assembled.
What the Homeowner Needed
One visually continuous guard across four stepped hillside deck levels.
Challenges on Site
Hillside decks move. The lower two levels are on posts into the slope and have a different settlement profile to the upper levels tied to the structure. Cable runs crossing between the two needed slotted post connections to absorb differential movement without losing tension.
How We Solved It
Unified setting-out with carried-through cable heights, aligned posts, and slotted connections where the run crosses between differently-founded structures.
Project Highlights
- ✓ Four levels read as one system
- ✓ Slotted connections for differential settlement
- ✓ Continuous raked transitions
Common Questions
Do multi-level decks need separate railing systems?
Structurally they can be separate; visually they should not be. Carrying cable heights and post alignment through the levels is what makes a stepped deck read as one design. Where levels have different foundations, slotted connections let them move independently without breaking the visual line.
Project Overview
Four connected deck levels stepping down a hillside, guarded as one continuous cable system rather than four separate railings.
Materials & Details
- 316 Stainless Cable
- Powder-Coated Steel Posts
- Slotted Movement Connections
Every other quote treated it as four jobs. This is the only one that looked at it as one.
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