West Penn Exteriors
Decks in Pittsburgh, PA
New wood deck and railing construction built level, solid, and up to code for everyday outdoor use.
A deck starts underground, with footings dug below the frost line so the structure does not heave when the ground freezes and thaws each winter. Once those are set, framing goes in, ledger board bolted and flashed where it meets the house, joists hung level and on proper spacing, and then the decking surface itself. Railings and stairs come last, built to the height and baluster spacing the code requires, not just what looks right.
The two failure points that show up most often on older decks are the ledger board and the footings. If the ledger was never flashed where it attaches to the house, water gets behind it and rots both the ledger and the house rim joist, sometimes for years before anyone notices a soft spot. Footings poured too shallow will heave with frost, which shows up as a deck that has gone slightly uneven or a set of stairs that no longer lines up with the yard.
Ask how deep the footings are going and whether the ledger will be flashed, not just bolted. Ask about railing height and baluster spacing too, since those numbers are set by code for a reason and are not something to guess at.
How it runs
- Layout and footings Post locations are marked and footings are dug and poured below the frost line so the structure stays put through winter.
- Framing The ledger board is bolted and flashed at the house, then posts, beams, and joists go up to carry the deck surface.
- Decking Boards go down across the joists, spaced to allow for drainage and material movement.
- Railings and stairs Railings, balusters, and stairs are built to code height and spacing.
- Final check Fasteners, connections, and railing stability are checked before the deck is called finished.