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Instant fence & deck estimate
01 / 09Licensed deck builders serving Toronto and the GTA. Cedar, composite and PVC decks built to Ontario code, with a written quote before any work starts.
A deck is a structure, not a surface. The part of the job you end up looking at, the boards, is the last and smallest decision. Before that comes the footing layout, the beam and joist spans, the ledger connection to the house if the deck attaches to one, and the guard and stair geometry the municipality will inspect. Those are the parts that decide whether a deck is still level in ten years. Most of what separates deck builders is how seriously they treat the work that gets buried.
In the GTA there is a second constraint that catches people: clay soil and frost. Footings have to reach below the frost line or the deck will lift through the winter and settle unevenly in the spring, and no amount of good decking hides a frame that has moved.
Quotes from different deck contractors are rarely comparing the same build, which is why the cheapest number is often the least informative one. Worth checking on each quote:
We measure on site, confirm what your municipality requires for the deck you want, and issue a fixed written price before any work starts. If something about the yard changes the build, you hear it at the quote stage rather than halfway through the framing.
Decking surfaces behave differently once they are down, and the difference is mostly about upkeep.
| Decking surface | How it behaves | What it asks of you |
|---|---|---|
| Pressure-treated softwood | Treated to resist rot and insects, strong enough for framing, the most economical surface | Boards cup, check and twist as they dry, so it needs fastening well and re-sealing periodically |
| Western red cedar | Dimensionally more stable, natural oils resist decay, stays cooler underfoot | Costs more, and holds its look best with periodic re-sealing |
| Composite | No refinishing at all | A higher price on installation day |
Whichever surface you pick, lifespan comes down to keeping end-grain and the underside ventilated and out of standing water.
A deck is priced on its footprint, its height off the ground, and what it is built from, and those three interact. Height is the one people underestimate: once a deck sits above a certain height it needs guards, and the framing, footings and stair runs all grow, so a raised deck costs considerably more per square foot than a ground-level platform of the same size. Material sets the next band, from pressure-treated framing and decking at the accessible end through cedar to composite and PVC surfaces.
Railing is effectively its own budget line, especially in aluminum or glass. Then site conditions: footings in GTA clay have to reach below the frost line, and difficult access or a sloped yard adds crew time. We measure, confirm what the municipality requires, and quote a fixed written price.
For a Canadian climate the practical shortlist is pressure-treated softwood and western red cedar. Pressure-treated lumber is the workhorse — treated to resist rot and insects, strong enough for framing, and the most economical decking surface. Its drawback is movement: boards cup, check and twist as they dry, so it needs fastening well and re-sealing periodically. Western red cedar is dimensionally more stable, has natural oils that resist decay, stays cooler underfoot and simply looks better, at a higher cost.
A common and sensible combination is pressure-treated framing below with a cedar walking surface above, since the frame is not what you look at. Whichever you choose, the detail that decides lifespan is keeping end-grain and the underside ventilated and out of standing water. Composite is the alternative when you want no refinishing at all.
It is the quickest way to confirm a corner is square, and it comes from the right-angle triangle. Measure three units along one edge, four units along the adjoining edge, and if the diagonal between those two points measures exactly five units, the corner is a true ninety degrees. Any consistent unit works — three, four and five feet on a small layout, or six, eight and ten on a larger one for better accuracy.
Deck builders use it when setting out footings and again when squaring the frame, because an out-of-square frame shows up later as tapering board gaps and a railing that does not line up. On a rectangular deck the other check is that both diagonals measure the same. It takes a minute at layout and saves a day of correction.
There is no single number, because footing count comes out of the structural design rather than the square footage. What determines it is the beam and joist span for the lumber size being used, the height of the deck, the load it has to carry, and whether anything heavy such as a hot tub or an outdoor kitchen is planned. A larger beam spans further and needs fewer footings; a smaller one needs more.
On a twenty by twenty deck you are typically looking at multiple beam lines rather than one. What is not negotiable in this region is depth: every footing has to bear below the frost line on undisturbed soil, or the deck will move with the seasons. We size the framing and footing layout to the Ontario Building Code for your specific deck and submit it with the permit application where one is required.
The failures we are asked to repair are consistent:
None of these show up in the first month, which is exactly why they get made. We build to code, flash the ledger properly, and handle the permit.
A deck is priced on its footprint, its height off the ground, and what it is built from, and those three interact. Height is the one people underestimate: once a deck sits above a certain height it needs guards, and the framing, footings and stair runs all grow, so a raised deck costs considerably more per square foot than a ground-level platform of the same size. Material sets the next band, from pressure-treated framing and decking at the accessible end through cedar to composite and PVC surfaces. Railing is effectively its own budget line, especially in aluminum or glass. Then site conditions: footings in GTA clay have to reach below the frost line, and difficult access or a sloped yard adds crew time. We measure, confirm what the municipality requires, and quote a fixed written price.
For a Canadian climate the practical shortlist is pressure-treated softwood and western red cedar. Pressure-treated lumber is the workhorse — treated to resist rot and insects, strong enough for framing, and the most economical decking surface. Its drawback is movement: boards cup, check and twist as they dry, so it needs fastening well and re-sealing periodically. Western red cedar is dimensionally more stable, has natural oils that resist decay, stays cooler underfoot and simply looks better, at a higher cost. A common and sensible combination is pressure-treated framing below with a cedar walking surface above, since the frame is not what you look at. Whichever you choose, the detail that decides lifespan is keeping end-grain and the underside ventilated and out of standing water. Composite is the alternative when you want no refinishing at all.
It is the quickest way to confirm a corner is square, and it comes from the right-angle triangle. Measure three units along one edge, four units along the adjoining edge, and if the diagonal between those two points measures exactly five units, the corner is a true ninety degrees. Any consistent unit works — three, four and five feet on a small layout, or six, eight and ten on a larger one for better accuracy. Deck builders use it when setting out footings and again when squaring the frame, because an out-of-square frame shows up later as tapering board gaps and a railing that does not line up. On a rectangular deck the other check is that both diagonals measure the same. It takes a minute at layout and saves a day of correction.
There is no single number, because footing count comes out of the structural design rather than the square footage. What determines it is the beam and joist span for the lumber size being used, the height of the deck, the load it has to carry, and whether anything heavy such as a hot tub or an outdoor kitchen is planned. A larger beam spans further and needs fewer footings; a smaller one needs more. On a twenty by twenty deck you are typically looking at multiple beam lines rather than one. What is not negotiable in this region is depth: every footing has to bear below the frost line on undisturbed soil, or the deck will move with the seasons. We size the framing and footing layout to the Ontario Building Code for your specific deck and submit it with the permit application where one is required.
The failures we are asked to repair are consistent. Footings too shallow for the frost line, so the deck lifts and racks over a winter. Ledger attachment to the house done without proper flashing, which lets water behind the cladding and rots the rim joist — this is the one that causes real structural damage. Guards built without checking the height at which they become mandatory, or with spacing that fails inspection. Interior-grade screws and hangers that rust and stain within a season. Boards butted tight with no gap for drainage and expansion. And no permit where the municipality required one, which becomes a problem at resale. None of these show up in the first month, which is exactly why they get made. We build to code, flash the ledger properly, and handle the permit.
