Every deck failure you've read about started in the parts you can't see: footings that are too shallow, a ledger board bolted wrong, joists spaced for the wrong decking. We build decks from the dirt up so those parts are boring, which is exactly what you want.
The frame is the deck
Deck boards are replaceable. The structure isn't, not without redoing the whole thing. So that's where the money and attention go:
- Footings poured below the frost line and sized for the actual load, not just "a bag of concrete in a hole."
- The ledger connection, where the deck meets your house, through-bolted and flashed. This is the joint that fails in every deck-collapse story, and it's the one we're pickiest about.
- Joists crowned, spaced for your decking material (composite needs tighter spacing than wood), and hung with the right hangers and fasteners, not deck screws through the end grain.
- Hardware rated for treated lumber. Modern treatment chemicals eat cheap galvanized fasteners.
Surface and railing options
On top of that frame, your choices are mostly about looks and maintenance:
- Pressure-treated pine: the affordable classic. Wants a season to dry, then stain or seal.
- Composite decking: no sanding, no staining, color throughout. Costs more up front, saves weekends forever.
- Railings: wood pickets, metal balusters, or cable rail, all built to take a 200-pound lean, because the code number is there for a reason.
- Stairs, landings, benches, planters: framed into the structure, not screwed on as an afterthought.
What drives the price
Size and height, first. A ground-level 12x16 is a very different job than a second-story deck with a stair run. Then surface material (composite roughly doubles the board cost over treated pine) and finally features like railings, built-ins, and angles. We itemize every line in the quote so you can trade features against budget with real numbers.
Decks that work with the rest of the yard
A deck rarely stands alone. We regularly pair them with a pergola for filtered shade, a pavilion when you want a real roof over the outdoor table, a covered porch tie-in at the house, or a privacy fence that turns the deck into a room. If the bigger picture includes any of those, tell us up front, because building them together is cheaper than building them in sequence.