Every job below is one we do ourselves across Memphis.
We frame with pressure-treated pine joists on 16-inch centers, or 12-inch centers for composite decking, since it requires tighter support underneath. Footings go below the frost line and get inspected before we back-fill, so the deck doesn't heave or settle in year two. Ledger boards get flashed and lag-bolted into the rim joist, not just nailed, because that connection is the first thing to fail in a bad build.
Loose railings, spongy boards, and joists gone soft from years of standing water all fall under this. We pull the bad boards, check the joists underneath for rot before capping over anything, and match new decking as close as we can to what's already down. Sometimes a repair turns into a rebuild once we get the old boards up and see what's really going on underneath.
Memphis humidity is hard on wood. We pressure wash first, let the deck dry out a couple of days, then apply a penetrating stain and sealer that keeps water out of the grain. Do this every one to two years and you'll keep the boards from cupping, splitting, and going gray.
Multi-level decks, built-in benches, picture-frame borders, whatever the yard calls for. We draw it out and walk you through the layout before any wood gets cut, so you're not guessing at how it'll actually feel to stand on it.
Trex, TimberTech, whatever brand you want, composite costs more up front and skips the yearly staining wood requires. It still requires joists spaced tighter than standard wood decking, and it still grows mildew in this humid climate if nobody hoses it off.
Code calls for balusters spaced so a 4-inch sphere can't pass through, and a top rail built to take real weight, not just look good. We install wood, cable, and aluminum railing systems and set the posts into the framing itself, not just screwed to the fascia board where they'll wiggle loose in a year.
If the frame underneath is solid but the boards are shot, we pull the decking and leave the substructure alone. It costs less than a full tear-out and gets you new boards without touching what's still doing its job.
We frame it off an existing deck or build it fresh, then run screen panels and a door that actually latches. Keeps the bugs out without losing the covered space you already use.
Old deck's rotten, leaning, or just in the way of what you want to build next. We tear it out, haul the lumber off, and pull every nail and lag bolt out of the house band board so the next build starts on clean wood.
Shade structure over an existing deck, or built as part of a new one. We size the rafters for wind and snow load same as we would a roof, because a pergola that wasn't sized for it will rack in a bad storm.
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.
Deck jobs we take on throughout the Memphis area.
Questions that come up once a deck project is underway.
Describe the problem and we will tell you what it probably is. No obligation.
