FAQs

Once you sign a contract with us, we will determine the number of days, not including rain, heat or snow days, it will take to complete your deck once the framing begins. If we take longer then we said we would, you will receive a 5% credit on the full price of the project.

At Deco Decks, we offer a 3 year limited warranty on our workmanship which covers you against defects in workmanship and we also maintain comprehensive liability insurance that will cover you in case of any major mishap.

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In addition for our workmanship warranty, depending on the decking you choose, each composite and PVC decking manufacturer offers a material warranty of between 25 and 50 years against material defects. 

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And finally, our helical pile footings are covered by a 30 year material and workmanship warranty.

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Please find additional details about all of our warranties here.

As I am sure you can appreciate, every deck project is unique. This uniqueness comes about due to factors such as the deck square footage, the length and width of the stairs, and whether the deck will be skirted (covered up) to the ground. Other factors that will also cause the price of a deck to vary significantly include the type of decking, where the prices can range as much as $25 a square foot between pressure treated decking and the best composite and PVC decking, as well as the type of railing system to be installed. As a custom deck builder, it is impossible for us to give an "average" price of a deck therefore it's best to reach out to us with basic details about your project and we can provide with a free estimate. For a more comprehensive discussion of the question, you can refer to our article, "How Much Does It Really Cost to Build a Deck?"

This is another question that doesn't have a straight forward answer. There are a few factors to keep in mind when considering whether to install new decking onto an old deck. 

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Firstly, the obvious question will be what condition is the old structure in? While this may be an obvious question, even if the old structure looks to be in great condition, the more important question will be, how old is the existing structure? There are a couple points to keep in mind here. The lower the existing structure is to the ground and the more closed in it is, the more likely you will find rot on at least some of the structure and conversely, the higher the structure is from the ground and the more airflow there is under the existing structure, the better shape the existing structure will be in. Each of these issues needs to be considered in order to determine how many years of life are remaining on the existing structure. Once that determination is made, then the next issue needs to be considered.

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The final consideration is what type of new decking is to be installed? If considering composite or PVC decking, one must keep in mind that these materials have 25-50 year warranties. Do you want to install a product that is going to last 50 years onto a structure that may only have, at best, 10 years of life remaining? 

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In summary, the older the deck, the less likely you want to install new decking on it. The lower the deck is to the ground, the less likely you want to install new decking on it. With a younger and higher deck you still want to consider carefully the longevity of the existing structure in relation to the longevity of the new decking. 

Please refer to our article "5 Key Differences Between Composite and PVC Decking" 

You will require a building permit for your deck if any one of the following conditions applies: The deck is more than 24 inches above ground; The deck will be attached to the house; The deck will have a covered roof. 

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More importantly, one needs to keep in mind that the building permit covers two things: Structural safety and City/Town Zoning By-Laws. So while you may not need a permit from a structural standpoint, compliance with the Zoning Bylaw is required. Zoning bylaws vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, even within Ontario, and can be extremely complex. But there are two main issues to consider when thinking about compliance with zoning and that is how far from the property lines will the deck be and how big will the deck be in relation to the entire property. While we can provide some guidance in this area, unfortunately, in most cases it's almost impossible to know whether your new deck will fully comply with zoning unless you seek a building permit, and for this reason alone, we always recommend a homeowner applies for one. 

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While it is the homeowners responsibility to obtain a building permit, we at Deco Decks offer full building permit services and as such can handle the entire process for you. 

While many composite and PVC decking manufacturers offer warranties of anywhere from 25 years to a Lifetime, the life of a deck is limited by the life of its underlying structure which is typically pressure treated wood framing.  Having said that, under the right setting, pressure treated framing can last up to 30 years and in some cases up to 40 years. But there are certain settings that will reduce the longevity of your pressure treated framing. For example, the closer the deck is to the ground, the shorter will be the life of the framing. Also, the more closed in is the underside of the deck (with skirting, for example), thus reducing airflow under the deck, the less longevity the framing will have. All things considered, a deck that is very low to the ground with skirting all the way around it, will last about 20 years before starting to rot while a deck this is let's say, 9 feet above ground with full air flow underneath it, should last almost 40 years. 

Again, every deck is unique and the time it takes to build will depend not only on the size of the deck but also on factors such as whether skirting will be installed, how high the deck is, how low the deck is, the type of railing to be installed and whether the deck will include intricate decking patterns. Keeping in mind these factors, an "average" deck of "average" size will take approximately 7 to 10 days to build.