Reimagine outdoor living
Decks & Covered Porches
A covered outdoor structure in the Southtowns is a snow-load problem before it is anything else. Plenty of decks around here were framed as decks and then had a roof added later, which is a different calculation entirely.
Framing for what February brings
When there is a roof over a deck, the framing below it has to carry the roof and everything that lands on it, not just the deck load. That means posts sized and carried down to footings below frost, beams sized for the actual span, and connections that are engineered rather than improvised. It is the part of the job that costs money and the part you will never see.
Timber as the finish
We cut and join Douglas fir and cedar so the structure is the finished look — no wrapping rough framing in trim boards afterwards. Tongue-and-groove pine goes up on the ceiling, and the whole thing reads as built rather than assembled.
Decking that stays put
Composite and PVC decking goes down with hidden fasteners, so there is no screw pattern to look at and nothing to back out over a few freeze cycles. Low-voltage lighting gets run before the boards close it in. Done right, the surface needs washing and nothing else — no sanding, no sealing, no annual weekend lost to it.
Related work
See what this looks like finished
Common questions
Decks & Porches- Do I need a permit for a deck?
- In most Erie County towns, yes — decks over a certain height, anything attached to the house, and anything with a roof generally require a permit and inspections. We handle or assist with the applications and coordinate the inspections with your building department.
- Composite or wood?
- Composite costs more up front and effectively nothing after that. Wood costs less to build and needs sealing or staining on a cycle, which around here is a real commitment. For most homeowners planning to stay in the house, composite wins on total cost within about seven years. We build either.
- Can you add a roof to my existing deck?
- Sometimes, but not usually as-is. The existing framing and footings were almost certainly sized for a deck rather than a deck plus a roof plus snow. We will look at what is there and tell you honestly whether it can carry it or whether the structure needs rebuilding first.
What else we build
- Kitchen RemodelsCustom cabinetry, open layouts, and warm natural materials shaped around how your family actually cooks.
- Custom BathroomsPrimary baths, curbless tile showers, and powder rooms built to be waterproof as an assembly, not a surface.
- Additions & SunroomsHome expansions and four-season rooms that tie into your existing rooflines instead of looking bolted onto them.
- Exterior RenovationsSiding, entry porticos and weather envelopes — fixing how the house sheds water, not just how it looks.
- Finish CarpentrySite-built stairs, built-ins and millwork — the work that takes a house from finished to finished well.