Decks, Porches & Fences

Weather is hard on decks here

Humid summers and freeze-thaw cycles work on fasteners and end grain. What starts as one soft board near a post becomes a spongy spot underfoot, then a railing you do not trust. Catching it at the board stage is the difference between a repair and a rebuild, and it usually gives you a couple of years of warning.

Decks and porches

Board replacement in wood or composite, railing and post connections, stair treads and stringers, porch flooring and skirting. Fasteners get upgraded while we are in there. The original nails on a twenty-year-old deck are usually the reason the boards are lifting, and structural screws hold where nails have given up.

Deck framing that has gone bad structurally is a bigger project than a repair. If that is what we find, you will hear it plainly rather than after the invoice.

Railings, steps and handrails

The two things that get checked on any railing are how the post is fixed to the rim joist and whether the handrail is graspable and continuous. Both are safety items, and both are the sort of thing that gets flagged in a home inspection when you come to sell.

Fences and gates

Gates sag because the post moved, the hinge screws pulled out, or the frame racked out of square. Each has a different fix, and re-hanging a gate without addressing the cause just buys a few months. Posts that have rotted at ground level get reset or replaced, and panels and pickets get swapped where they have gone.

Getting a price

Photos work well for decks: one wide shot showing the whole structure, one close on the damage, and one of the underside if you can get it. That is usually enough for a number without a visit.