Deck & Pergola Building

Most of what we build starts with a simple question. Do you want to be up at the level of the back door, or down on the ground with the yard? Elevated decks solve a walkout grade or a tall foundation and give you a view. Ground level patios with a pergola over them feel more connected to the yard and cost less to maintain over time.

Plenty of projects want both, with a compact deck landing at the door and steps down to a larger paved area. When that is the plan we build the two together so the stair run, the landing, and the paving all align instead of meeting at an awkward seam.

A pergola filters light. A pavilion, gazebo, or covered patio with a solid roof keeps rain off entirely, which is the difference between a space you use most evenings and one you use every evening. Roofed structures carry more load and need larger footings and posts, so it is worth deciding early rather than converting a pergola later.

Railing choice is worth thinking about early too, because it is the detail you look through every day. Cable and glass panel systems keep the view open on an elevated deck, while traditional balusters read better on older homes. Stair lighting and post cap lighting are cheap while the framing is open and expensive to retrofit once the decking is down, so we run the wire during construction whether or not you install the fixtures right away.

Structures are the part of a landscape most likely to need a permit. Elevated decks and anything attached to the house generally require review, and setback lines, easements, and HOA architectural approval all get checked before we build. We handle the paperwork, arrange utility locates, and build to code so an inspection is a formality rather than a surprise. It is a slower start and a much better finish than discovering a problem after the posts are set.

A structure also should not arrive as an island. The floor underneath it is usually patio construction, grade changes at the edge often want a retaining wall, and if you plan to cook out there the layout has to leave clearance for an outdoor kitchen run and for people to pass behind the cook.

We plan all of that at once, usually through landscape design, so you can see the whole yard before committing to any one piece of it. It is also how we make sure the beds, lighting, and lawn around a new structure look finished on day one instead of two seasons later.

Access is the last planning item, and on tight city lots it is the one that surprises people. If a machine cannot reach the back yard, every post hole, every bag of concrete, and every board is carried by hand through a gate. We look at that before quoting so the number on the estimate reflects the site you actually have rather than an ideal one, and so we can protect the lawn and existing beds along whatever route the crew is going to use all week.