10 Best Seattle Deck Contractors

Living in the Pacific Northwest gives people a true appreciation for the beauty of the outdoors. Adding a deck, porch, or patio to your yard is a great way to take advantage of your outdoor space at home.

Here are the major things to think about when planning to build or repair your deck.

Design

A simple deck or patio may be all you need to enjoy those long Seattle summer days, but you don't have to settle for simple. Browse a few websites and you can get all kinds of ideas for integrating stonework and slate, creative planting areas, multiple levels, etc. Some of the higher end landscape construction companies will work with you to create something really special.

Material

This is an important thing to consider as you'll be living with your decision for (hopefully) many years! You'll need to balance durability and aesthetics against cost, while also considering the environmental impact of your choice.

• The default material here in the Pacific Northwest is locally grown tight-knot cedar. Carpenters who've been building decks for years will tell you that this type of wood has degraded in quality in recent years, but it's still a perfectly reasonable option. Count on a lot of maintenance and on fully replacing it within 15 years or so.
• Ipe is a Brazilian wood that is so hard, it requires special tools, and it can last 50 years or even longer. It's more expensive than cedar but similarly beautiful. Some ipe is irresponsibly harvested and sold on the black market before it reaches American lumber stores, which is not great as the Brazilian rainforest is...kind of important. You can find ipe which is FSC certified to be sustainably harvested.
• There are some "boutique" options like reclaimed teak and cumaru. These are quite expensive but if price is no object these exotic hardwoods can produce beautiful, unique decks.
• Finally there is composite, in which the decking is made from a combination of wood and plastic. This option is certainly very durable and requires little maintenance, and it can be made with recycled plastic to be more environmentally friendly. The aesthetics and feel of composite will never match up to natural wood.

Construction

The finest plan and materials won't get you far if you put them together with shoddy workmanship. Unless you are an experienced builder yourself, or an exceptionally careful, meticulous learner, you should have someone who knows what they are doing build your deck. It's best to get a personal recommendation for a contractor or landscaper, from someone who has seen their previous work!

Good luck with your new deck! And don't forget to enjoy it when it's done!