What Actually Happens Between Calling Us and Breaking Ground

People ask what the process looks like more than almost anything else, and it's a fair question, because most of what makes a deck build stressful happens before any building starts: not knowing what something will cost, not knowing what it will look like, not knowing how long it'll be before anyone shows up. Here's the actual sequence, the way it runs for real projects.

The first call

We answer or call back fast. Our stated response promise is 24 hours on any call or email, and in practice that's usually much sooner during the work week. We're open Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm, with Saturday and Sunday available by appointment for people whose schedules don't leave room for a weekday visit. That first conversation is mostly us asking what you're picturing and what the space looks like now, not us trying to sell you anything yet.

The estimate itself

We do free on-site estimates. Someone comes out, walks the yard, looks at where the house meets the ground, checks for slope, drainage, and anything that'll affect how the structure gets built. If getting someone out isn't practical, whether that's scheduling or distance, we also do the estimate over Zoom or FaceTime. It's not as thorough as standing in the yard, but for a lot of projects it's enough to get real numbers moving, and we follow it up with a proper site visit once the project gets closer to design.

The 3D design, and why we don't skip it

This is the part that separates a real design process from a verbal agreement and a handshake. Before we start construction, we build a 3D design of the deck, porch, pergola, or whatever the project is, so you can actually see it: the footprint, the rail style, where the stairs land, how it sits against the house. We don't start construction until you're sure you love it. That's not a slogan, it's a practical decision, because changing a design on paper costs nothing and changing it after lumber's already been cut costs real money and real time. If something about the layout feels wrong once you see it rendered, that's exactly the moment to say so.

What it costs, and how people pay for it

We don't quote a single number here because every deck is different, from the four-by-four landing we built when the company started in 2010 up to a 2,000 square foot custom composite build. What we can tell you is how people pay for the larger ones. We offer financing through EnerBank USA at 7.99% APR over five years, which spreads a bigger project into payments instead of one lump sum. We also take American Express, cash, checks, Discover, MasterCard and Visa for people who'd rather not finance at all. Neither route is the right one across the board. It depends on whether you'd rather pay it off over time or be done with it in one transaction.

What backs the design once it's built

None of this matters if the build itself doesn't hold up, so every job we do carries a one-year warranty on the workmanship, and on select products, our specialist rating with certain manufacturers gets you a better material warranty than a standard installer could offer. We're licensed, bonded and insured, and we carry an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. That combination, a real warranty plus real credentials, is part of what should make the estimate and design conversation feel low-risk. You're not committing to a mystery. You're approving a specific design, from a company that's been doing this since 2010 for over 600 customers, with a warranty behind the result.

Then we build it

Once the design's approved and the financing or payment is sorted, the crew shows up and builds what you signed off on in the 3D render. Our crews carry more than 50 years of combined general and commercial construction experience across the company, plus another 30 years of combined customer service experience on top of that, which shows up less in the framing and more in how the job gets communicated to you while it's happening. That's the whole sequence: a fast first response, a free estimate whether in person or over video, a design you approve before a single board is cut, and a build that matches what you actually saw ahead of time, backed by a warranty once it's done.