Deck Construction Process

Scheduling an Appointment – The first step in building your deck involves scheduling an appointment for a deck & Door salesperson to visit your home to discuss your project.  Appointments may be made for most times during the week and weekends for your convenience. To schedule an appointment; call 651-322-4969 and select option 1. You will be asked to leave your contact information and your call will be returned for scheduling.

The Appointment – The appointment is a very important step in our process. At this point we are given the opportunity to develop a relationship with you at your home to discuss the project.  We will be interested in hearing all of your ideas and answering any of your questions. After walking through the site, we will discuss our design recommendations for your deck. When an agreement is reached on a plan for the project we will explain and complete a written contract.

Contract (Payment 1 Due) – The contract finalizes our agreement, providing us with the vital information necessary to move forward with your project. We will assign a start date for your project and collect the first of four payments at this time.

Your Responsibilities:

• Provide access to electricity and bathrooms, which you can get more info here, for carpenters.
• You will need to provide a 70” path for bobcat access to the work site free from obstacles.
• Clearly mark (remove/replace if necessary) any undisclosed utility lines (E.G. sprinkler lines)
• Remove excess dirt from the excavation. Do not place any gravel or concrete under deck until completion. You can learn more about this through the company website.
• Final sanding, staining, and finishing.
• You agree to make payments promptly as specified on the contract.
• Maintain Homeowners insurance.

The Deck & Door Co:

• All material is guaranteed as specified.
• All work will be completed in a workmanlike manner according to standard practices.
• Our workers are covered under workmen’s compensation insurance.
• Cleaning up all construction debris.

AutoCAD Drawings – Using the sketch from the contract we draft AutoCAD construction drawings and material list for your project. These drawings represent a key function during the rest of the deck building process.  We use a method of triangulated dimensioning to layout footing locations for your deck. These drawings are also submitted to your city for review as a requirement for building permits. It is necessary for us to be promptly informed of any design changes to accommodate revisions of the drawings as they will be used as a blueprint to build your deck. You may request copies of these drawings for your files.

Building Permits – Before we can begin construction on your deck we must apply for and receive a building permit from your city.  Applications are reviewed to meet standards for zoning, structure, and approved materials. In addition to submitting the AutoCAD drawings, we are required to produce a copy of your site plan or land survey to demonstrate compliance with local setback ordinances. Newer home surveys are usually on file at city hall, however, if you live in an older house we may ask you for a copy.  All cities operate differently, Occasionally we must revise our plans to move beyond this point.

Waiting / Weather Delays – The nature of the construction industry requires some patience and flexibility from all parties involved while working on a project. Bad weather and other variables often complicate our building schedule. We will try our best to keep you informed of our schedule.

Gopher State One Call 811 –  Approximately one week before we excavate the footings for your deck we will submit a utility location request from Gopher state one call. The appropriate utility companies will come to your property to mark all utility lines that may be affected by our excavation. The lines will be marked with paint and flags and are essential to the safety of our workers. It is necessary for Gopher State to have complete access to your property. If you have a locked gate or a dog you may need to make an arrangement for them to gain access to a location. GopherStateOneCall.com

Footing Excavation (Payment 2 due) – When we have finished the preliminary activities we will begin preparing the site for construction. We will call you a few days prior to our “Dig & Delivery,” allowing you time to mark sprinkler lines and provide access. As per Morrow Excavating company, on the day of the excavation, we will mark your footings with paint using our dimensioned drawings. We will then drive our bobcat to the deck location across your yard. This may not be possible under wet conditions as it will cause unnecessary damage to your yard. It is important to understand that we may inadvertently cause minor damage to your yard. Our footings are 42” deep as to penetrate the frost line.

We install 16” Sono-tubes to protect the holes from erosion until the project is finished. A footing inspection is then scheduled to approve the depth and size of each footing. If the holes fill with water as a result of a storm we may need to wait for them to dry or pump the water out prior to inspection.  Once the footings have passed inspection we will pour 12” of concrete to the bottom of the footing as a stabilizing platform for our support posts. Footings will remain open until the deck’s completion to allow us to accurately place the posts. We will backfill the footings with soil as a part of our cleanup.

Lumber Delivery – Building materials will be delivered to your house on the date of excavation.  We will set the lumber on the side of your driveway 1.5 car lengths from the garage to remain there until construction (usually a few days.) our lumber orders are very heavy and will damage your yard if placed on the grass. If this will be inconvenient to you, please make special arrangements with us for an alternative drop location. We are not responsible for tire marks or scuffs of your driveway. We will also place the job site folder with plans and permits besides the site for inspection signatures.

Construction – Following our preparatory work we will assign a carpenter crew to your project.  We will notify you of your planned start date the week before the tentative contract start date. We ask that you provide the crew access to electricity and bathrooms. You may want to stop by to meet the crew on their first day. Our crews typically work from 7:00 am until 4:00 pm. We work year round and through most weather conditions. The construction process will last from 2 days to a week depending on the size and complexity of your deck’s design. You can call 651-322-49 Ext. #3 to inquire about your start date.

Construction Process

1. Build frame on temporary supports
2. Center support posts on beam, backfill footings
3. Add stairs
4. Lay deck boards
5. Install railing
6. Add finishing (light posts, Glass Rails)

Final Inspection – Upon the completion of your deck we will schedule a final inspection with the city building department. Occasionally we will fail the final inspection requiring us to return to fix the problem and schedule a re-inspection.

Debris pick-up – When your project is complete we will send our workers to remove any extra lumber, scraps, and debris from your home. Pick-ups are scheduled within a few days of completion.

Final Payment – When we finish the project and have cleared the debris from your yard please complete your final payment within 2 weeks. Enjoy your new deck. Thank you for choosing The Deck & Door Company.