Every job below is one we do ourselves across Poway.
We set footings below grade to bearing soil, not just down to decomposed granite that looks solid but shifts after a wet winter. Joists get hung on galvanized hangers, and ledger boards get flashed and bolted into the rim instead of just lag-screwed into stucco. Most new builds run two to three weeks from footings to final board.
Some lots in Poway slope hard enough that a flat deck means a ten-foot drop on one side, so we work out multi-level framing before we pour a single footing. We draw it so the stairs land where you actually walk, not where it's easiest to frame. If you want built-in bench seating or a sunken hot tub pad, that gets planned into the joist layout from day one.
Soft spots in the decking usually mean a joist underneath has rotted from water sitting against it, not the board you're standing on. We pull the bad joists and ledger connections, check for termite damage while we're in there, and replace board by board instead of covering it over. A deck that bounces when you walk across it is a framing problem, not a cosmetic one.
Redwood and cedar gray out fast under San Diego sun if the sealer isn't reapplied every year or two. We pressure wash first, let the boards dry out for a couple of days, then stain, because sealing over trapped moisture just blisters. Composite boards don't need stain, but the hardware and railings still do.
Composite boards don't rot or splinter, but they do expand and contract more than wood, so the gap spacing at install matters more than people think. We leave the manufacturer's recommended gap at every butt joint and around posts, so the deck doesn't buckle in August heat. It costs more up front than pressure-treated pine, but there's no restaining every spring.
A wobbly railing post usually means the bolts into the rim joist have backed out or the wood around them has split. We re-anchor posts with through-bolts and backer blocks instead of toe-screwing them in, because that's the connection that actually holds under someone leaning on it. Cable rail, wood baluster, or aluminum, we'll size the spacing to pass current code.
If the framing underneath is still sound, there's no reason to tear the whole deck down just because the boards are cupped or splintering. We pull the old decking, check every joist for rot while it's exposed, and lay new boards on the existing structure. It's faster than a full rebuild and usually half the cost.
Stairs between levels need consistent rise and run or people trip on the one step that's different, so we lay those out before framing starts. Each level gets its own footings sized to what it's carrying, a lower deck under a hot tub needs more than one holding a couple of chairs. These jobs take longer than a single-level deck, usually three to five weeks depending on how many stair runs are involved.
Old decks built on buried posts instead of poured footings come apart in pieces, not all at once, so we work section by section and check for anything load-bearing we didn't expect. We haul away the lumber and the hardware, including any old nails left where the next crew would step on them. If you're planning a rebuild, we can usually start new footings within the same week.
A pergola attached to the house needs its own ledger flashing, same as a deck, so water doesn't find its way behind the siding. Snow load isn't the concern here, wind uplift is, especially on an open structure catching a Santa Ana gust, so we anchor the posts accordingly. Shade cloth, louvered covers, or just open rafters for afternoon dapple, that's mostly a budget conversation.
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.
Deck work covered across these cities and the towns in between.
Questions that tend to come up once a deck project actually gets underway.
Describe the problem and we will tell you what it probably is. No obligation.