Deck construction and repair in Garland County
Deck Building and Repair in Hot Springs and Hot Springs Village
We build a new deck from the ground up, and a deck already standing gets solid framing repairs and fresh stain. Every job goes up strong and finishes right.
The structure underneath
Footings, frame and finish
The footings go in first and the posts stand plumb on top of them. Pressure-treated joists hang off a rim beam. A ledger board bolts flat to the wall of the house.
Composite decking goes on next, or treated lumber where you want wood. The boards go square to the house and the ends cut clean along the edge. Black metal railing closes every open side.
The framing under a deck already standing is the same framing we build new. The work starts in the same place either way. Call for a free estimate and a site visit.
The work itself
What we do outside
A new deck off the house
Composite decking goes over a pressure-treated frame and ties into the house at a bolted ledger board. Black metal railing goes down the open sides.
A covered or screened porch
A roof framed into the house above the deck below it. Screened openings enclose a porch you sit on after dark.
An elevated walkway
A level composite walkway on posts goes from the drive to a side entry door at the height of the floor inside.
Stairs and steps
Treads go over pressure-treated stringers, down to a landing on solid ground. Black metal railing goes all the way down the run.
Deck repair
New boards in treated lumber or composite decking go over framing that is still good. Pressure-treated lumber replaces worn stair stringers and landings.
Deck staining
Bare boards washed, dried and sanded, then two coats over the floor and the steps. The black metal railing goes back on at the end.
Checking the framework
Where a deck fails first
On a deck out here the framing gives out before the boards do. Our crew puts weight on the joists and the posts before anyone looks at the surface, and the ledger gets checked where it bolts to the house. On a new build we look at how the yard falls and at what the siding hides behind it before a footing goes in.
A trained crew knows the common problems to look for in the early stages of a job. A deck turns out to be new boards and color over sound framing, or the frame rebuilt from the footings up. You hear which one you have before we quote it, while a change is still cheap. The wall a ledger bolts to is the wall we re-side.
Project stages and steps
The order of the work
A new deck starts with the footings and the posts. The frame and the ledger go up next. The decking goes on once the structure is square, and the black metal railing and the stairs finish the outside edges. A deck and a room addition share one framing crew, so a bigger project stays on one schedule.
An existing deck gets lumber first where the frame or the stairs need it, then the new boards go on. The whole surface gets a wash and a sanding, and the wood has to dry before any color goes on. Two coats cover the floor and the steps last.
Looking at the finish
From bare framing to color
A lake house rear elevation has a lower storage bay closed in behind barn doors. Both porch levels came back in composite decking with black metal railing. On the upper porch of that same house, bare deck framing under house wrap took composite decking with black metal railing down the open side.
A covered patio deck came off the pressure washer and dried. It went deep brown, with two wide steps down to the concrete pad in the same color. A two-level deck sanded back to bare wood came out dark, from the upper balcony railing down to the bottom stair tread. One even coat covers the floor and you can still see the grain through the stain. The line at the wall stays straight. More finished decks are on the before and after page.
BeforeAfter
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BeforeAfterProject cost factors
What moves the price
Four parts of the project change the final cost.
The square footage
The floor of the deck, plus every step down off it.
Height off the ground
A deck a full story up needs more framing under it, and it takes longer to reach underneath and along the rim.
The decking material
Treated lumber and composite decking cost different amounts, in material and in labor.
The framing condition
On a new build it is the ground the footings go into, and on a deck already standing good framing keeps the work on top while a failed frame means new lumber underneath first.
One written number follows a site visit, the schedule is on it, and the price stays the same unless you change the job.
Central Arkansas service area
Decks around Hot Springs
We work out of Hot Springs and handle projects in Hot Springs Village and the Garland County towns around the lake. Stain is a weather job, so the week a deck gets booked depends on the forecast.
A short drive means we can come back. A board that needs a screw two summers from now gets the same phone number.
Straight answers
Questions about deck work
Composite or wood?
Composite needs a wash with a hose. Wood needs a fresh coat of stain on a schedule. Both go over the same pressure-treated frame underneath.
Can you tie a new deck into the house I already have?
Yes, and the wall is the hard part. The siding comes off in a strip where the ledger goes, so the bolts reach real framing, and the joint gets sealed before a board goes down.
Can you build a deck with no step up?
A level walkway or a deck set flush with your floor brings a side door to grade. Where the yard falls away, an entry ramp keeps that same height all the way across the drop.
Can you stain a deck that has never been stained?
Yes. Gray weathered wood will not soak up color evenly, so a wash and a sanding take that layer off before any stain touches the wood.
Do you replace just the boards and keep the frame?
Yes, where the framing is still good. The boards are out in the weather and they give out first. Where one joist or one post has gone, pressure-treated lumber replaces that one piece and the rest stays put.
How soon can the furniture go back on?
The stain has to dry first and you get the date before we leave. Chair legs and table feet mark a floor that is still soft.
Do you stain the stairs and the railing too?
Yes. The stair treads and the landing take the same color as the deck floor, and the black metal railing goes back on once the boards are dry.
What does a deck cost?
The estimate is free and the number comes off a real look at your deck. Call 501-276-4770 and we set a time.
Tell us about your deck
Get a free estimate
One call handles your entire project from start to finish. Tell us about the deck and the visit costs you nothing.
