1. What are the available materials?

2. How much does a deck cost?

3. Do you have a written contract?

4. Do you require a deposit?

5. How long will it take for you to build my deck?

6. What is your lead time?

7. What time do you start/finish?

8. Are there hidden costs or extras upon completion?

9. When is the best time to build a deck?

10. Do you handle the permits?

11. What is your warranty?

12. Do you use hidden screw system?

13. Are decks a good investment?

14. Are you competitively priced?

15. Any hard sell?

16. What composite decking is best?

17. Screws or nails?

18. Do you use sub-contractors?

19. How long do I have to wait until I stain the deck?

20. What do I need to do to prepare for instalation?

1. What are the available materials?
We use traditional lumbers such as treated lumber, cedar, and composite decking. For detailed information on all of these materials, please review our Info page.

2. How much does a deck cost?
The price of a deck will vary depending on size, access, elevation, type of materials used, accessories, etc. Since estimates are free, we recommend you schedule a free estimate or you can give us a call and we can discuss costs.

3. Do you have a written contract?
Yes, we will sign a written contract with you once the design is finalized, which gets you into our schedule.

4. Do you require a deposit?
No, we do not require a deposit unless the costs of the deck is over $7,500 or upgraded materials are used (ex. cedar or composite). The deposit would be ½ down in those cases. The balance is due upon completion of the project.

5. How long will it take for you to build my deck?
A typical deck will take a few days to a week to build.

6. What is your lead time?
Weather and permit delays make exact scheduling difficult. You will receive an approximate start date at contract, but we complete the decks in the order of the contract signing, barring permit delays. We will keep you informed of major schedule delays, or if we are available to complete your deck sooner.

7. What time do you start/finish?
We know everyone has a busy schedule, so we try to make ourselves as unobtrusive as possible. As such, we will arrive at your house anytime between 7:30 and 9:00 depending on the time of year and like to be finished around 3:30 to 5:00.

8. Are there hidden costs or extras upon completion?
Very rarely does the final price vary from the contract specified amount. Usually, only when the homeowner calls for a change midway thru the project is there ever a back charge. We are much happier sticking with the original contract price and plan.

9. When is the best time to build a deck?
March thru June are by far the busiest months of the year, as such we can offer some discounts to customers willing to wait until a slower season or be put into a "standby" pool that can be fit into our schedule when an opening develops. Further discounts or incentives are given in the winter months when we are normally the slowest.

10. Do you handle the permits?
Not all decks require permit, however when they are required, we will handle the permit process. You are only resonsible for the fee of the permit. Exceptions are when most of the deck will remain and we are just reviving or restoring the existing deck.

11. What is your warranty?
Two full years structural and workmanship issues.The only thing not covered is natural characteristics of lumber (ex. warping, cracking, shrinkage, etc.). Most of our materials are warranted by the manufacturer for lifetime. It is our policy to do the right thing even when a customer calls a few years out of warranty or about a board that has warped or split. We try and help out whenever we can, usually by replacing a bad or damaged board for free.

12. Do you use hidden screw system?
No, from experience we know that face or though screwing is simply the best and strongest method for outdoor deck projects. Common hidden fastener issues include cupping, shrinking form fastener, prong penetration cracking, boards not completely fastened flush or "trip hazards" or and even fastener loosening and failure. Not to mention initial expense (both materials and labor) make hidden systems not desirable. Also, most hidden systems force larger deck board spacing then desirable, large enough that a women's high heel may become lodged between boards. Reparability and deck pattern flexibility are also negated by use of hidden systems. The web is loaded with hidden fastener horror stories We would much rather see you spend the hidden fastener expense in a larger or nicer deck or just keep the savings.

13. Are decks a good investment?
In a recent study by remodeling magazine they noted that decks offer the highest resale value to cost ratio then any other home improvement.

14. Are you competitively priced?
Yes! Decks By Design of Indiana is well below the average for pressure treated and composite decks. We however do not skim on the quality. We offer a high quaility deck built stronger than current building codes and can keep our costs low by keeping our company small with little overhead.

15. Any hard sell?
No, we do not try to hard sell you, we feel our product sells itself. We will work with you to design and build you a deck that fits your budget. We will not try to sell you a bigger or more expensive deck then you need.

16. What composite decking is best?
There are many composite boards on the market maybe more then ever, good news is these newer boards are much better then the original composites. The look and feel and texture are varied and everyone has their favorites, we like and use most often Trex.

17. Screws or nails?
We have been exponents of using screws for fastening all of our top decking boards for years. We have never resorted to nail gunning decking no matter what the urgency of the completion. This helps the top board that you walk on resist the tendency to warp up or have the nail back out and become a triping hazard. Our rail systems and frame are installed using nails and/or lag bolts.

18. Do you use sub-contractors?
No, we build all our own decks! We do not farm out our decks, our installers take pride in our construction and we stand behind all our projects.

19. How long do I have to wait until I stain the deck?
Cedar decks can be stained right away. A pressure treated deck will have to dry out before stain should be applied. This can take anywere from 2 to 6 months depending on the time of year.

20. What do I need to do to prepare for instalation?
Just make sure you have the electricity on for the outside outlet and to have the water turned on to the outdoor water spicket. You should also call the free 1-800 number we provide you on the contract to have any public utiliy lines marked before we start the project. If yo have any privite lines (ex. sprinkler, sump pump, etc.) you will need to make arrangements to have those marked.