Install a Deck: Detroit Deck Builders

By name, Motor City may be all about motor vehicles, but Detroit homeowners know and covet a quiet and sedentary summer evening as much as anyone. Whether it's dining outdoors, entertaining friends and family, the old-fashioned barbecue, or any other number of recreational activities, a Detroit deck installation is sure to increase your enjoyment of your home. The best deck plans, particularly in two-story homes, may also facilitate more efficient foot traffic and maneuverability.

Designing a New Detroit Deck Installation
You probably have a decent idea of what you want your deck to look like, but naturally a lot more goes into a deck design than might be imagined from the final project. Along with the basic choice between wood and composite decking, your installation may include various bracing and joisting methods, attached or stand-alone dimensions, potential insets, and, of course, building codes and zoning laws. Fortunately, you don't need to understand every last post cap and pennyweight choice, but you should start thinking about your decking priorities before you talk to a contractor. Given your budgetary constraints, you may need to choose between a more pleasing wood finish and a life expectancy of 20 or 30 years, a more elaborate staircase or an outdoor misting system. In other words, know what you need and know what you want, and your budget and your contractor can help you determine the optimal deck design for your home.

The Cost of Detroit Deck Installation
Naturally, the cost of a new deck can range wildly depending on the scope and vision of the deck. A raised, wraparound deck with a pergola and winding stairs can cost upwards of $25,000. A simple deck that acts almost like a wooden patio can run well less than $5,000. Unsurprisingly, this leads to an overall average cost of right around $10,000. This will give you a substantial and quality deck, but you won't be able to run wild with the options or materials. There's little difference in resale value among the different options. A wise project will always perform better than one sloppily thrown together, but whether you spend $10,000 or $15,000, the immediate return on your investment is likely to be somewhere around 70 percent in additional property value.

Compare this with a bathroom addition or roof replacement, neither of which register even a 60 percent return and the fact that cement siding is the only project that hits 80 percent or better, and you can see you've got a solid home improvement project with a new deck. Plus, these figures can seemingly only go up as the economy and housing market rebounds years down the road when it's time to sell your home.

Detroit Deck Builders
The conventional wisdom of home improvement projects is that you should get at least three estimates. For a deck install in Detroit, though, you should stress the "at least." There are a ton of Detroit deck builders in the greater Motor City area, as most homeowners interested in decking actually live outside of the city. Just recently, we've had homeowners use ServiceMagic to facilitate their deck project in New Baltimore, West Bloomfield, and Monroe, just to name a few. Detroit deck builders know that to keep their business going they need to cover a fairly wide area.

Thus, you may be put in touch with five contractors, and unless you see immediate reasons not to, it's not a bad idea to try to meet with all of them. It may seem like a hassle, but ideally you'll be doing a lot more than conducting interviews and checking references. Talk to each contractor about your deck project, what you need, what you want, what the options, and, of course, what your budget is. Though every contractor you meet should be friendly and professional, chances are you'll meet one contractor whose specialty and experience meshes with your vision. By the time you've selected your Detroit deck builder, you can also be well on your way to hashing out the design, cost, and work schedule of your project.