East Lake-Orient Park Patios Services

Why the original slab isn't cutting it anymore

In a neighborhood like Brandon Hills Ext, where homes go back to 1959 and the median build year is 1965, it's common for the patio out back to be the same poured slab that went in with the house. Concrete that old has usually settled unevenly, cracked along old control joints, or just wasn't sized for how the property gets used today. A wood or composite deck built on proper footings gives you a flat, stable surface without depending on decades-old concrete holding its shape.

How we build the deck

Decking goes down first. Each board gets fastened to every joist with two ring-shank 8D nails or 2-1/2 inch wood screws, or the specific deck screws called for on that job. Railings and stairs go in after the deck surface is complete, not before, so the guardrail and stair components anchor into a finished, stable platform instead of getting worked around mid-build.

What it's built from and what it costs

We build most Brandon decks with composite deck boards rather than raw lumber, along with guardrail and stair components to match. For a full deck build, labor and install typically runs $8,100 to $12,100, depending on the size of the deck and the layout of the site. That range covers framing, decking, and rail work start to finish.

Built for Brandon's climate

Brandon runs about 433 heating degree days a year, which is low, meaning winters here are mild and short. That's part of why composite decking holds up better than raw wood in this area: the bigger factor most of the year is sun and humidity, not cold, and composite doesn't swell, gray, or splinter under that kind of exposure the way untreated lumber does over time.