A deck looks finished the day it is built. Whether it was built properly shows up three summers later.
1. How deep are the footings?
They go below the frost line, which on a Georgia slope is deeper than most people expect. Ask for the number. A contractor who has not thought about it will not have one.
2. How is the ledger attached and flashed?
The ledger is the beam bolted to the house. Water getting behind it is the most common cause of deck failure, and flashing is what stops that. Ask specifically about the flashing.
3. What spacing are the joists at?
Wider spacing uses less timber and gives a deck that flexes underfoot. It is invisible once the boards are down and impossible to change afterwards.
4. Who pulls the permit?
Over thirty inches high, or over two hundred square feet, needs one in Cherokee County. The inspection happens while the frame is open, so it has to be scheduled into the build rather than remembered afterwards.
An unpermitted deck surfaces when the house is sold, with the work already covered and no way to inspect it.
5. What happens if it rains?
Not a trick question. It tells you whether they have thought about sequencing, and whether framing timber is going to sit wet under boards that get fitted on schedule regardless.
Deck construction covers how we work. Finished work is on our Facebook page.
