1. What are the available materials?

2. How much does a deck or fence cost?

3. Do you have a written contract?

4. Do you require a deposit?

5. How long will it take for you to build my deck or fence?

6. What is your lead time?

7. What time do you start/finish?

8. Are there hidden costs or extras upon completion?

9. When is the best time to build a deck or fence?

10. Do you handle the permits?

11. What is your warranty?

12. Do you use hidden screw system?

13. Are decks a good investment?

14. Are you competitively priced?

15. Any hard sell?

16. What composite decking is best?

17. Screws or nails?

18. Do you use sub-contractors?

19. How long do I have to wait until I stain the deck or fence & do you stain?

20. What do I need to do to prepare for installation?

1. What are the available materials?
We use traditional lumbers such as treated lumber, cedar, and composite decking. For detailed information on all of these materials, please review our Info page.

2. How much does a deck or fence cost?
The price of a deck or fence will vary depending on size, access, elevation, type of materials used, accessories, etc. Since estimates are free, we recommend you schedule a free estimate or you can give us a call and we can discuss costs.

3. Do you have a written contract?
Yes, we will sign a written contract with you once the design is finalized, which gets you into our schedule.

4. Do you require a deposit?
No, we do not require a deposit unless the costs of the project is over $7,000 or upgraded materials are used (ex. cedar or composite). The deposit would be ½ down in those cases. The balance is due upon completion of the project.

5. How long will it take for you to build my deck or pergola?
It will depend on size, however the average deck or pergola will take a 2-3 days to build.

6. What is your lead time?
Weather and permit delays make exact scheduling difficult. You will receive an approximate start date at contract, but we complete the decks in the order of the contract signing, barring permit delays. We will keep you informed of major schedule delays, or if we are available to complete your deck sooner.

7. What time do you start/finish?
We know everyone has a busy schedule, so we try to make ourselves as unobtrusive as possible. As such, we will arrive at your house anytime between 7:30 and 9:00 depending on the time of year and like to be finished around 3:30 to 5:00.

8. Are there hidden costs or extras upon completion?
Very rarely does the final price vary from the contract specified amount. Usually, only when the homeowner calls for a change midway thru the project is there ever a back charge. We are much happier sticking with the original contract price and plan.

9. When is the best time to build a deck?
March thru June are by far the busiest months of the year, as such we can offer some discounts to customers willing to wait until a slower season or be put into a "standby" pool that can be fit into our schedule when an opening develops. Further discounts or incentives are given in the winter months when we are normally the slowest.

10. Do you handle the permits?
Not all decks or fences require permit, however when they are required, we will handle the permit process. You are only responsible for the fee of the permit. Exceptions are when most of the deck will remain and we are just reviving or restoring the existing deck.

11. What is your warranty?
Two full years structural and workmanship issues.The only thing not covered is natural characteristics of lumber (ex. warping, cracking, shrinkage, etc.). Most of our materials are warranted by the manufacturer for lifetime for rot & decay. It is our policy to do the right thing even when a customer calls a few years out of warranty or about a board that has warped or split. We try and help out whenever we can, usually by replacing a bad or damaged board. Any Trex decks will have a 25 year manufacturers warranty that we will automatically register you for as a Trex Pro installer. This 25 year warranty includes a fade & stain guarantee.

12. Do you use hidden screw system?
We offer hidden fasteners on Trex composite decking boards but do not on wooden decking boards. From experience we know that face or though screwing is simply the best and strongest method for outdoor deck projects. Common hidden fastener issues for wood boards include cupping, shrinking form fastener, prong penetration cracking, boards not completely fastened flush or "trip hazards" or and even fastener loosening and failure. Reparability and deck pattern flexibility are also negated by use of hidden systems.

13. Are decks a good investment?
In a recent study by remodeling magazine they noted that decks offer the highest resale value to cost ratio then any other home improvement.

14. Are you competitively priced?
Yes! Decks By Design is well below the average for pressure treated and composite decks. We however do not skim on the quality. We offer a high quality deck built stronger than current building codes and can keep our costs low by keeping our company small with little overhead.

15. Any hard sell?
No, we do not try to hard sell you, we feel our product sells itself. We will work with you to design and build you a deck that fits your budget. We will not try to sell you a bigger or more expensive deck then you need.

16. What composite decking is best?
There are many composite boards on the market maybe more then ever, good news is these newer boards are much better then the original composites. The look and feel and texture are varied and everyone has their favorites, we like and use most often Trex. Trex switched to a poly coated plastic coating on their composite materials a few years ago and have had superior weather resistance compared to other brands.

17. Screws or nails?
We have been exponents of using screws for fastening all of our top decking boards for years. We have never resorted to nail gunning decking no matter what the urgency of the completion. This helps the top board that you walk on resist the tendency to warp up or have the nail back out and become a tripping hazard. Our rail systems and frame are installed using nails and/or lag bolts.

18. Do you use sub-contractors?
No, we build all our own decks! We do not farm out our decks, our installers take pride in our construction and we stand behind all our projects.

19. How long do I have to wait until I stain the deck or fence & do you stain?
Cedar decks or fences can be stained right away. A pressure treated deck or fence will have to dry out before stain should be applied. This can take anywhere from 1 to 6 months depending on the time of year. We do not offer staining of decks or fences directly from Decks By Design, however if you have a deck or pergola and want to have it stained, our Crew Leader (Job Foreman) does all of our staining as a side business. He has been with us for many years and has stained hundreds of decks & pergola. If you would like to get his information or send him a staining estimate request, click here.

20. What do I need to do to prepare for installation?
Just make sure you have the electricity on for the outside outlet and to have the water turned on to the outdoor water spicket. Decks By Design will call and have all public utilities located for you. Unfortunately private auxiliary lines are never located. If you have any private lines (ex. sprinkler, sump pump, etc.) you will need to make arrangements to have those marked. Decks By Design is not responsible for damage done to unmarked underground obstructions including but not limited to: sprinkler systems, sump pump lines, drain pipes, septic systems, satellite lines, auxiliary power to lights, buildings, landscaping and pool or hot tub lines. If you are having a fence installed, you will be responsible for having the property lines located and marked before installation.