Every job below is one we do ourselves across Tucson.
We set posts on poured concrete footings and frame with pressure treated joists at 16 inches on center, or 12 for composite that needs the extra support. Ledger boards get flashed and bolted to the house rim joist, not just nailed, so water can't get behind it and rot the band board.
Soft spots in the decking usually mean a joist has rotted underneath, not just the board on top. We pull boards to check the frame, replace what's compromised, and match new lumber or composite to what's already there where we can.
Tucson sun bleaches and dries out wood fast, so a deck that isn't sealed every year or two starts to check and split. We strip the old finish, sand, and put down a stain built for UV, not just water resistance.
We'll draw up multi-level decks, built-in bench seating, or a layout that steps around an existing tree or slope in the yard. Every design gets checked against span tables before we cut a single board.
Composite boards expand and contract more than wood in Tucson's heat swings, so we gap them wider and use hidden fasteners built for that movement. It costs more up front than pressure treated pine, but there's no staining, no splinters, and no re-sealing every summer.
Loose railings and wobbly balusters are usually a sign the posts were never through-bolted to the frame. We rebuild railing to code, 36 inches high with no gap wider than 4 inches, so it passes inspection and holds up to someone leaning on it.
If the frame underneath is solid but the decking is cupped, gray, or splintering, we can replace just the boards and railing without touching the structure below. That's usually half the cost of a full rebuild.
Caliche soil around Tucson makes footings shift if they weren't poured deep enough or wide enough to start with. We dig out undersized or cracked footings, pour new ones, and sister new joists next to any that have sagged or split.
Some decks are past saving, ledger rot, footings heaving, framing that was never sized right for the load. We tear it out down to bare dirt and start over instead of patching something that'll fail again in two years.
A deck in full Tucson sun is unusable by June without some kind of shade. We build pergolas and shade structures tied into the deck framing, sized to actual rafter spans instead of guessed.
Four steps, and no surprises in any of them.
You tell us what you want doing, we look at what is actually there, and we ask the awkward questions early.
In writing, itemised, free. If something might add cost later we flag it now rather than at the end.
Same crew throughout. We cover your floors, keep the dust down and tidy up before we leave each day.
You point out anything you are not happy with and we fix it before the invoice, not after.
We bring the same crew and equipment to every town on this list.
Questions that come up once a deck project is actually underway.
Describe the problem and we will tell you what it probably is. No obligation.
