New Braunfels' Trusted Deck Builders
Is your old wood deck failing, or is there room for a new one? We're deck builders in New Braunfels, Seguin, Canyon Lake and Bulverde. We'll show you if a low-maintenance composite deck can sit on your old frame. Ask us for a free quote.
Can a composite deck replace my old wood deck?
Most of the time it can, as long as the frame under it is sound or gets fixed first. If your old wood deck is failing, a low-maintenance composite deck can take its place. On a replacement, we'll tell you up front if the old frame can stay or has to go.
How do I get started on a new deck?
Start with a few notes about the yard and the deck you have in mind. A rough size, the height off the ground and a couple of photos tell us most of what we need. Say if it's a new deck or a replacement, since a replacement means we look at the old frame first. After that, pick up the phone or use the form.
Do you build decks outside the city?
Yes, we build in Seguin, Canyon Lake, Bulverde, Spring Branch and San Marcos as well as New Braunfels. Your town tells us what kind of ground the footings go into before we plan anything. Near a river, a creek or the lake, it also tells us how high the deck should sit.
Why does a composite deck start with the frame?
Because a composite deck is only as good as the frame under it. If you're replacing an old wood deck, its frame went in for wood boards. The decking material sets the maximum joist spacing, so that frame isn't automatically ready for composite. That's why we look hard at the old framing before any composite goes on.
How to tell an old wood deck is giving out
An old wood deck usually gives you warning before it fails. Walk it slowly and look for these:
- boards that feel soft or springy underfoot
- dark, crumbly wood at the post bases and joist ends
- a railing that gives when you push on it
- trouble at the ledger board, where the deck attaches to the house
We check the ledger first. It's a common source of deck failure, and you can't see much of it from the yard. Soft boards matter too. Once rot gets into the framing, new boards on top won't fix it.
Then there's the ground under it all. Around New Braunfels it runs from rock to expansive clay, and the east side of town is where that clay gives foundations the most trouble. So we plan the footings for your lot before we talk about board colors. You won't see them once the boards go down, but everything stands on them.
Our Deck Services
Most deck work comes down to one question: is the frame under the boards still sound? A tired-looking deck can be solid underneath. A good-looking one can hide trouble in the joists. So we check the joist spacing and the shape of the framing first, and that points you the right way.
- If the frame is sound, we can often replace worn boards and railings on their own.
- If it isn't, you're looking at a repair or a new deck, and that's when you pick wood or composite.
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Deck Builders
We build new decks from the footings up, with stairs and railings to match, in low-maintenance composite or wood. It gives you room to sit outside right off the back door.
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Deck Replacement
Replacement takes out the old deck, framing too where it can't stay, and builds a new one in the same spot, often in low-maintenance composite.
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Deck Resurfacing
Resurfacing keeps the frame you have and replaces what sits on it: the deck boards, the railings and the stair treads. Your deck feels new underfoot without tearing out a sound frame.
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Deck Inspection
An inspection is a close look at the parts that hold the deck up: the ledger board, the posts and the joists. You find out what's sound and what needs work before you spend on new boards.
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Deck Railing Installation
Railing installation sets new guards along the deck's edge and handrails on the stairs, on posts fastened to the frame, so the railing stays firm when someone leans on it.
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Deck Board Replacement
Board replacement swaps out single boards, or a run of them, and fastens new wood or composite boards to the joists already there. The rest of the deck stays as it is.
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Deck Repair
Repair fixes the part that's failing, a post, a joist or the ledger, and leaves the sound parts alone. It keeps a deck in use that doesn't need replacing.
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Deck Removal
Removal is the tear-out alone: the deck comes down, framing and all, and gets hauled away, leaving the yard clear for whatever comes next.
Where we build around New Braunfels
We build all over New Braunfels, Gruene included, since it's inside the city limits, and in the towns around it.
Inside the city limits, the permit comes first. The city requires one any time you or a contractor build, add on to or repair a structure, and a deck is one. Count on that step before building starts, and leave room for it when you pick a start date.
Outside the city, each town has its own page on what we run into there: Seguin, Canyon Lake, Bulverde, Spring Branch or San Marcos. We also build in Cibolo, Garden Ridge, Schertz, Selma, Kingsbury, Geronimo and Guadalupe County, so tell us where you are when you get in touch.
Three choices that shape a composite deck
A composite deck comes down to three choices, and each one moves the price. Think them through for your own deck:
- Can the frame carry composite, or does it need work first?
- Which boards do you want?
- Hidden clips, or face screws?
First, the frame. The joint that matters most is the ledger. We fasten it to the house with bolts or lag screws, not nails, and flash it so water runs out and away from the wall.
Then the boards. Besides composite decking, you can pick capped composite decking or PVC decking, and each one prices differently. Color counts too. Dark boards soak up the afternoon sun and get hot underfoot, so a deck facing that sun often goes a shade lighter.
Last, the fastening. Some hidden fastener clips set the gap between boards for you. With face screws, we measure and hold that gap by hand. Either way the gap matters, because it keeps the boards from buckling.
Frequently asked questions
Is composite a good choice for a deck near the water?
It can be. Near water, the posts, the footings and the flashing that sends water off the house matter as much as the boards. Composite changes what you walk on, not what holds it up. So we give the frame the same care as the decking.
What is the average cost to build a new deck?
A new deck runs from about $6,000 to $35,000 or more. Size, height, material, and the stairs and railings set where yours lands. Composite boards cost more than wood up front. A raised deck on sloped ground needs more framing. On a replacement, the tear-out adds to it, and so does any framing that can't stay under the new boards. The board color can wait until the size and the frame are settled.
How long does it take to build a composite deck?
The design and the permit set the schedule more than the boards do. A simple ground-level deck goes faster than a raised deck with stairs and railings. In the city, you'll wait on the permit before any building starts. Once the size, the frame and the permit are settled, the schedule comes clear.
Does it cost anything to ask for a deck estimate?
Calling or sending the form about your deck is free. When the estimate comes, make sure it covers what you asked for: the size, composite or wood, the railings and stairs, and if the old frame stays or goes. An estimate that skips one of those can look cheaper than it really is. Then it's your call whether to go ahead.
Ready to start on your deck?
Most first visits start the same way. We walk the yard, measure, and get under the deck if there is one, because the frame tells us more than the boards do. A few notes before you call save time:
- roughly how big the deck is, or will be
- how high it sits off the ground
- what's there now, if anything
- composite or wood, if you know
Call or use the form with those notes, and we'll call you back to talk over your home and the yard. The quote is free.