A Deck That Gets Used, Not Replaced
Georgia weather is hard on outdoor timber — wet summers, sun on the boards, and a freeze or two to open every joint. A deck built for that lasts. A deck built for a photograph lasts about six years and then starts feeling springy in the middle.
What It Covers
- Footings dug and poured to depth, sized to the load, not just to the post
- Ledger attachment done properly: through-bolted and flashed where the deck meets the house
- Framing, joist layout and blocking sized for the span and the decking material
- Decking, fascia and skirting with fasteners set consistently and gaps that suit the material
- Stairs and railing built to safe rise and run, with posts held by more than deck screws
- Rot repair on existing decks — replacing framing and boards rather than covering them over
Footings And Flashing Decide How Long It Lasts
Two details separate a deck that is still solid in fifteen years from one that is not, and both are buried. The first is the footing: dug to depth and poured properly, so the frame is not slowly leaning as the ground moves. The second is the ledger — the board bolting the deck to your house. Nailed on and left unflashed, it lets water run down the back of it straight into your rim joist, and that is the failure that rots the house rather than just the deck.
When we are called to a deck that has gone soft, the rot is almost always at the ledger, at the post bases, or where boards were fitted tight with nowhere for water to go. Repair means cutting back to sound timber and finding out why it happened. Skinning new boards over failing framing just hides the problem until someone heavy stands on it.
What It Costs
Decks span the full range of what we do — a repair, a stair rebuild or a section of rotten framing can be one of the smaller jobs, starting around $875, while a new build with railings and stairs sits at the upper end and can approach $18,750. Size, height off the ground, and decking material move the number more than anything else. Deposit is 25%, price fixed in writing, walkthrough free.
Get a ballpark in under a minute →Finished Work
French doors to the deck
Custom work fitted to the room, photographed after the tools were put away.
Questions
Can my old deck be repaired instead of replaced?
Often, and it is worth checking before you spend on a rebuild. If the footings and framing are sound and only the boards and rails have gone, replacing the surface is a fraction of the cost. If the ledger or post bases are rotten, repair is patching a structural problem and we will tell you straight.
How do I know if my deck is unsafe?
Bounce in the middle of a span, a railing that moves when you lean on it, dark staining or soft wood where the deck meets the house, and rust streaks at the bolts are the common signs. Any softness at the ledger is the one to take seriously — that is the connection holding the deck to the building.
Composite or wood?
Composite costs more up front and takes the maintenance off your hands; pressure-treated wood costs less and wants cleaning and sealing on a cycle. The framing underneath is wood either way, so it is a decision about the surface and about how much upkeep you want, not about how long the structure lasts.
Related work
We will walk the deck, tell you what is sound and what is not, and charge nothing for it.