The Rewards of Building a Deck onto Your Home

Decks are one of the most popular features of a home today. A deck can provide an inviting transition between the house and yard, and creates additional space for entertaining, relaxing and outdoor living. A deck can also enhance the usability of your yard, especially if your house is situated on hill.

Because activities such as backyard barbequing and entertaining have become so popular, a deck is considered a necessity by the majority of home buyers. Adding a deck to your home can greatly enhance the resale value of your home by providing an extension of the living room, dining room or kitchen. Decks can also add architectural interest and style to your home, helping to sell it more quickly.

What To Look For When Hiring A Deck Builder

As with any project, you want to be sure of a few things when hiring a deck builder or patio builder. If you don’t have any recommendation from your friends or family, then the best place to search for a contractor would be the internet. Just type something like “deck builders near me” on Google to start your search. You want the best project possible, so the following are some things to look into when doing so.

Licensed and Insured Deck Builder

First of all, you will definitely want to use a licensed and insured builder. Be sure to obtain the license number along with a certificate of insurance for your records. If anything should happen during construction, you will be grateful that you did so.

Deck Building Requirements

Next, you should be sure the construction methods meet or exceed local building requirements. This can be conquered by making sure that your contractor obtains a permit along with all the necessary inspections, i.e. post hole, final building, etc. If your new deck fails to meet these requirements, you will be in for a much longer process in the long run. So save yourself the time and frustration, make sure your contractor gets those permits!

Know What You’re Getting

Third, make sure you know what you are getting before the construction begins. This would include a written contract detailing the pricing, designs with dimensions, materials to be used, payment terms based on progress and time frame for completion along with any other details you have agreed upon. Having this all in writing will help protect you should anything unforeseen arise.

Get It In Writing

After that you will want to obtain a written copy of both the labor warranty (which typically covers between 1 and 2 years) and the manufacturers warranty (which covers the materials being used). You should make sure that you understand what is actually covered and what isn’t, just in case.

Know Their References

Finally, be sure to get the names and numbers of several references for your contractor. Ask for some recent customers along with some that are several years old so that you have a variety. At minimum, contact them via phone and if possible, visit them so you can see the project firsthand. This way you can get a good look up close and personal at just what your contractor can do. They should have no problem giving you this information, as a good contractor will love to show off their work.

After you’ve done all these things, you can rest assured that you have done everything possible to protect yourself and your investment.