Hiring a Deck Builder in St. Paul, MN? Ask These 7 Questions
Here’s something most people don’t think about until it’s too late: the deck you build this spring will spend half its life under snow. That’s just Minnesota. It’s also why the contractor matters more than the boards. Type deck builders in St. Paul, MN into Google and you’ll get pages of results. Some of those companies build decks that last decades. Others build decks that start leaning by year three. We’ve torn out plenty of the second kind. So we wrote down the questions we’d ask if we were the ones hiring. Bring them to every estimate. The answers will tell you a lot. Why Choosing the Right Deck Builder in St. Paul, MN Matters Our winters are rough on anything built outside. Snow sits on the boards for months. Then the ground freezes, thaws, and freezes again, pushing on every post in the yard. A deck built with shortcuts won’t fail right away. That’s the tricky part. It looks great the first summer. Then a stair starts pulling away from the house, a few boards cup, or the railing wobbles when the kids lean on it. An experienced deck builder in St. Paul, MN plans for all of that before the first hole gets dug. 7 Questions to Ask Before You Hire 1. Are you licensed and insured in Minnesota? Start here. Minnesota requires residential building contractors to hold a state license, and you can look up any number on the Department of Labor and Industry website in about a minute. Do it. Then ask for a certificate of insurance. If someone gets hurt on your property and the crew isn’t covered, that’s a headache you don’t need. (For the record, ours is MN LIC# BC773540.) 2. Will you pull permits and dig footings to 42 inches? This is the one that separates the pros. Minnesota’s frost line sits at 42 inches. Footings that stop short get lifted a little every winter until the whole deck is visibly off. It’s the most common cause of sagging decks we see around town. Your builder should pull the permit, too. Not you. If someone says you can skip it to save a few weeks, keep looking. 3. Should I go with composite or cedar? Honestly? It depends. A good deck builder in St. Paul, MN will tell you that instead of pushing whatever they like to sell. Cedar looks and smells great, and it’s cheaper up front. You’ll be staining it every couple of years, though. Composite costs more on day one and then mostly leaves you alone. We once steered a customer away from brown-treated wood and toward cedar, and they’re still glad we did. You can browse some of our custom deck options, including aluminum rails and pergolas. 4. Can I see drawings, samples, and past projects? You should not have to picture the deck. Always ask for a drawing at least, so that you know where the stairs terminate and how high the railing is. Get samples of the materials and hold them up beside your home. Colors look different in sunlight than under kitchen lights. And read the reviews. Not just the star rating. The actual words. 5. What’s in the estimate, and how long will it take? Get it in writing, then go through it slowly. Is tearing out the old deck included? Hauling it away? Stairs? Permits? Cleanup? If it’s not on the paper, assume it’ll cost extra later. On timing, a lot of decks wrap up in about a week once materials arrive. Bigger or oddly shaped ones take longer. 6. Do you offer financing, and what if something goes wrong later? New decks aren’t cheap. Financing can be the difference between the deck you want and the one you settle for, so it’s worth asking. Then ask the less fun question. What happens if a board pops up next spring? You want someone who picks up the phone. One of our clients found something wrong with it after the work was done, and we were back there the very next day to fix it for them. 7. Are you able to do the rest of the house too? Many people start with the deck and then realize their roof needs some work or that their gutters are coming loose. It’s simpler when one crew handles everything. So ask if your deck builder is also a licensed roofing contractor in St. Paul, MN. If you’re hunting for the best roofing company in St. Paul, look for manufacturer certification and real experience with hail claims. We’re a Malarkey Certified installer, and we do roofing, siding, and gutters on top of decks. Is Aluminum Deck Flooring Worth It? Aluminum decking doesn’t get talked about much, but it deserves a look. It won’t rot or warp. Bugs leave it alone, and it doesn’t burn. Most decking boards come with a texture to ensure that they do not slip. Some decking systems will even prevent water leakage, making the area underneath the second-story deck a dry patio. The downside is that it is expensive and may cost more than cedar or composite. Also, it does not suit all houses. Still, if you want a deck you’ll barely ever maintain, ask your deck builder in St. Paul, MN whether it makes sense for your home. FAQs It depends on size, height, materials, and extras. Cedar costs the least; composite and aluminum cost more. A free on-site estimate gets you a real number. Usually, yes, especially if it attaches to the house or sits off the ground. The City of St. Paul handles permits, and we take care of it for you. Building runs late spring through fall, but plan now. Spring schedules fill up over winter. About a week for most decks once permits and materials are in. Bigger builds take longer. Yes, us. JoNick Construction does decks, roofing, siding, gutters, and storm repair, with one person to text when you have a question. Conclusion Ask these seven
