Decks & Patios · Nashville, TN
The Nashville homeowner's guide to deck building
What the work involves, what drives the price, what your options are, and what a bad job looks like — written so you can judge any deck builder in Middle Tennessee, including us.
Estimate request
A new deck, or one that needs saving?
Straight to us, and a reply the same day.
By Michael Blair, owner, Nashville's Deck · who we are
Warning signs
How to know you need us
Recognize one? Have it looked at before it grows.
- Any bounce, sway or movement when you walk across it
- Soft or spongy boards, especially where they meet the house
- Rusted or missing fasteners at the ledger, or a ledger nailed rather than bolted
- Railing that moves when you lean on it
- Rot at post bases where they meet soil or concrete
- A patio that pools water or sends it toward the house
Your options
More than one right answer.
Pressure-treated pine, composite or a covered patio instead: each one fits a different yard and a different budget, and we will say which fits yours.
Pressure-treated pine deck
Lowest cost, and entirely reasonable when it is framed correctly and you accept the maintenance.
Composite decking on treated frame
The most common Middle Tennessee build now. No staining, and the frame is still wood, so the framing quality still matters.
Paver or flagstone patio
No structure to fail, and easy to extend. Base preparation is the whole job.
Covered porch or screened room
Adds usable months in a climate with hot summers and heavy insect pressure. It is a roof, so it is a structural project.
What it costs
What actually drives the price.
What a deck costs comes down to its height, its size, the boards you choose and the stairs and railings, and the footings depend on ground we have not seen yet. These move the price most.
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Height off the ground
A deck more than a few feet up needs deeper footings, larger posts, bracing and guardrail, and that changes the structure and the cost.
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Decking material
Pressure-treated pine, cedar and composite are three very different budgets, and composite shifts money from future maintenance to today.
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Framing and footings
The frame is the part nobody sees and the part that decides whether the deck is safe. Footing depth and ledger attachment are not places to save.
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Railing and stairs
Railing is priced per foot and stairs per tread, and both are more labor-intensive than the deck field.
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Permits
Decks over a certain height are permitted and inspected in Metro Nashville and most surrounding counties, and inspection is worth having.
Estimates are free, written and without obligation. Anything found only after starting is priced up front.
What happens
From your call to the finished job.
Design and permit
One to three weeks including drawings and permit where required.
Footings and frame
Footings inspected before they are covered, then the frame and the ledger detail.
Decking and rail
Boards, then railing and stairs, which is where the visible craftsmanship lives.
Final inspection
Permitted work gets signed off, which matters at resale as much as it does for safety.
Done badly
What goes wrong, and why it matters.
Shortcuts that cheapen the quote and cost you later. Ask anyone you are considering about them.
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Nailing the ledger
It is the connection the whole deck hangs from. It gets structural bolts and flashing, every time.
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No flashing behind the ledger
Water trapped between deck and house rots the rim joist, and by the time it shows inside it is a large repair.
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Footings too shallow
A footing above frost depth heaves, and the deck racks. It cannot be corrected later without lifting the structure.
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Wood in contact with soil
Even treated lumber fails where it sits in dirt. Post bases exist to keep it out of the ground.
Before you hire anyone
Six questions worth asking any deck builder.
Including us. If a deck builder cannot answer these easily, that is the answer.
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How will the ledger be attached and flashed?
Bolted through to the framing and flashed to the house, and the method named. The ledger is where decks come down.
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How deep are the footings going?
Below frost depth and to what this clay requires, in the quote. Shallow footings are why steps pull away from decks.
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Does this need a permit, and will you pull it?
Decks above a set height do, and the inspector checks the ledger and the footings. A builder who skips it skips the checks too.
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Is the whole scope — stairs, railings, lighting — in one number?
Yes, itemized, so the deck you are quoted is the deck you get. Railings added later are how the price doubles.
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Which material, and what does it need from me?
Pressure-treated, cedar or composite, with the maintenance stated honestly. A composite deck priced as wood is a different conversation.
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Are you licensed for the job value, and insured?
A Tennessee contractor’s license where the value requires it, and liability insurance for a crew building at height. Ask for the certificate.
FAQ
Choosing a deck builder in Nashville
How do I choose a deck builder in Nashville?
Every deck builder on our crews carries liability insurance on file with us and holds the Tennessee contractor’s license the job value requires; the crews have built to the local inspectors’ standards on jobs we know. Ask the six questions below of anyone, including us.
Should I get more than one quote for deck building?
Yes — and compare the scope, not the total. A Nashville deck is priced by the square foot for the frame and the decking, plus the stairs, the railing and the footings — and the material choice, wood or composite, moves the number more than anything else.
Is the cheapest deck building quote usually a bad idea?
Not automatically; a low number is information. It is bolted, with the flashing behind it; nails are how old decks separate from houses.
Do I need a permit for deck building in Nashville?
Metro Nashville and the surrounding counties permits decks above a set height and attached decks, and inspects the footings and the ledger; a deck built without one is the item that stops a sale.
How far in advance should I book deck building?
A deck estimate in Nashville is usually within a week or two; the build is one to three weeks once materials land, and spring slots fill months ahead.
Free estimate
Ready for a deck you can use all summer?
Tell Nashville's Deck what you want to build or fix, and how big. We come out, check the house wall and the ground, and price it on paper at no charge, stairs and railings counted in.