Decks, porches and covered patios

When the old deck is done

• Boards that flex or feel soft underfoot.
• A railing that moves when you lean on it.
• Gray, splitting boards and nails working their way up.
• Rot where the deck meets the house, or at the bottom of the posts.
• Stairs that bounce.

Loose rails and a few bad boards are a repair. Soft framing, or rot where the deck is fastened to the house, means rebuilding it. That connection holds the deck up, so it's the first thing we look at.

What we build

Open decks off the back door. Front and back porches. Screened porches that keep the bugs out on summer evenings. Covered patios over an existing slab, or over a deck we build. Stairs and railings to go with all of them, and landings where the yard drops away.

A cover is roof work

This is where a roofer earns the job. A porch or patio roof that ties into the house has to meet your roof without letting water in: flashing tucked under the shingles above, the porch roof shingled to match, and gutters that drop the water away from the steps. The posts get wrapped so they look finished. Done wrong, that joint is where the leak starts, and it shows up as a stain on the ceiling inside, not on the porch.

Materials

The frame is pressure-treated lumber, rated for ground contact where it needs to be. The surface is your choice. Composite boards from the major makers cost more up front and skip the yearly stain. Pressure-treated wood costs less and needs sealing to stay good-looking. Railings come in wood, composite or metal. Porch roofs get the same shingles, underlayment and flashing as the main roof.

Permits

A deck needs a building permit in most places around here, and a covered porch almost always does. We check the rules for your address, draw what the permit office wants to see, and pull the permit. If you're in an HOA, the covenants may set materials and colors too, so find the review form early.

What moves the price

• Size, and how high off the ground the deck sits.
• Composite or wood boards, and the railing you pick.
• A roof over it, and how it ties into the house.
• Stairs, landings and screening.
• Tearing out an old deck first.

Your written price lists each part, so you can trade one off against another.

How long it takes, and the warranty

A plain deck goes up quickly once the permit is in hand. A covered porch takes longer, because the roof over it is a small roofing job of its own. The permit and the inspections set most of the calendar.

Composite boards, railings and shingles carry their makers' warranties. Ask for our written workmanship terms with your price. See roofs and exteriors from our crews on our projects page.