Every job below is one we do ourselves across Ottawa.
We frame and build new decks from the footings up, sized and positioned for how you'll actually use the space. Footings go below the frost line so the structure doesn't heave when the ground freezes and thaws through an Illinois winter. We build in pressure-treated lumber, cedar, or composite decking depending on your budget and how much maintenance you want to do later.
Soft spots, bouncy stairs, and loose railings usually mean a joist, post, or hanger underneath has failed, not just the board on top. We replace the damaged framing member, not just the visible piece, so the fix actually holds. Most repairs we see trace back to a ledger board that was never flashed properly when the deck was built.
Wood decks want a fresh coat of sealant every one to three years depending on sun exposure and foot traffic, or the boards start graying and splintering. We pressure wash first, let the wood dry fully, then apply stain or sealant so it actually penetrates instead of sitting on top. Skipping the dry time is the most common reason a stain job peels within a year.
Some decks are a straight rectangle off the back door. Others have multiple levels, built-in benches, a pergola, or a layout that works around an existing tree or slope. We design around your lot and how you use it, then build to match.
Composite boards don't need staining, don't splinter, and hold up better than wood against Illinois humidity and freeze-thaw cycles. They cost more upfront than pressure-treated lumber, but most homeowners make that back in skipped maintenance within five or six years. We still frame the substructure underneath in real lumber.
Illinois building code sets minimum baluster spacing and railing height for any deck more than 30 inches off the ground, and a lot of older decks don't meet it. We build railings to code and bolt posts through the rim joist instead of just screwing them to the decking. A railing that wobbles when you lean on it means the post attachment failed, and we fix that first.
If the framing underneath is still solid but the boards are cupped, cracked, or splintering, we can replace just the decking and railings without rebuilding the structure. It's a faster, cheaper way to get a new-looking deck when the bones are still good. We check every joist while the old boards are off, since that's the only time you can really see them.
We also build covered porches and screened-in porches that tie into a deck or stand on their own. Roof framing and drainage take more planning than an open deck, since water has to go somewhere besides straight down between the boards. We coordinate that with the rest of the structure so it doesn't leak at the tie-in.
A pergola or shade structure attached to an existing deck requires its own posts and footings, it can't just lean on the deck framing. We size the posts for the span and anchor them properly so the structure doesn't rack in high wind.
Sometimes the cheapest path to a new deck is tearing out the old one rather than trying to save pieces of it. We demo and haul away the old structure, including old concrete footings if they're in the way of the new layout.
Four steps, and no surprises in any of them.
You tell us what you want doing, we look at what is actually there, and we ask the awkward questions early.
In writing, itemised, free. If something might add cost later we flag it now rather than at the end.
Same crew throughout. We cover your floors, keep the dust down and tidy up before we leave each day.
You point out anything you are not happy with and we fix it before the invoice, not after.
These are the towns where we build and repair decks most often.
Questions that come up once a project is actually underway.
Describe the problem and we will tell you what it probably is. No obligation.