Cincinnati Custom Decks plans, permits and constructs outdoor living structures throughout Cincinnati, OH andGreater Cincinnati. This page explains how we approach a project and identifies the three items we refuse to strip from an estimate just to land the work.
What we do
Our work runs from composite and PVC decking through pressure treated pine and cedar, along with screened rooms, covered porches, railing systems, stairs, pergolas, under deck drainage and paver patios. Each structure is detailed before it is priced.
A good share of our jobs begin as somebody else's deck. Hillside lots around the Ohio River valley punish a frame that was set on shallow footings or drained toward the house, and working beneath dozens of failed builds teaches you which hidden details decide the outcome. That experience shapes how we frame our own.
How we work
Everything on paper before work begins
Brand and product line for every material, the framing schedule, fasteners, railing profile, number of steps, dates and the total. If the scope moves after we begin, the change is documented and signed before we act on it. A verbal agreement is what turns a good build into a dispute on the final afternoon.
Repair sometimes beats replacement
A frame with sound lumber deserves to stay. New boards over it usually costs near a third of a full rebuild, and it is frequently the honest recommendation, so we raise it first rather than waiting for you to ask.
Where the frame is past saving, we state that plainly and take you underneath to see the rot, the pulled hangers and the footing that has heaved, instead of asking you to accept our word from above.
Permits without exception
We file the application, supply the framing drawings and attend the inspection. Across Hamilton County and the counties beside it this means identifying the correct authority for your address, because Mason and Blue Ash operate their own building departments, West Chester issues through the township, Loveland touches three counties, and Anderson Township separates zoning from the county building permit.
A deck that was never inspected becomes a negotiating point when you sell, and settling it later costs several times what the original permit would have.
We will tell you what we would not build
Pressure treated lumber for a household that will never seal it. A dark composite board on a sun facing lot with no shade for years to come. A hot tub on a frame calculated for people and furniture alone. A fire pit on a combustible surface. Stating it before the build is cheaper for both sides than stating it after.
One crew, one job, start to finish
What frustrates homeowners most about a poor build is rarely the timber, it is the quiet. A crew is spread over three sites, yours waits a week, and the telephone stays silent. When your project begins, our crew stays on it until it is complete. If rain or an inspection shifts the plan, you hear from us before the day it was due to start.
We leave the site as we found it
Old boards, cut ends and wrapping leave in the trailer each evening rather than piling up until the end. Before we sign off we pass a magnet across the lawn and the ground where the previous structure stood, since a stray screw in the turf finds a mower or a bare foot months later.
What we will not cut
Footing width and depth, the spacing between joists and the way the guard posts are fastened to the frame. Those three decide whether a deck lasts a quarter of a century or needs repair within ten years, and none of them can be seen once the decking is laid. That is exactly why a low bid removes them first.
If you receive a cheaper number, ask that contractor to put those three items in writing. The gap between the two figures normally explains itself in a single line.
Where we work
We serve Cincinnati and Greater Cincinnati, including Mason, West Chester, Anderson Township, Blue Ash and Loveland. Those five sit across Hamilton, Warren, Butler and Clermont Counties, each with its own approval route, and we manage whichever one covers your address. The service areas page carries the specifics.
Why homeowners pick Cincinnati Custom Decks
Footings below the frost line
The Ohio River valley swings above and below freezing all winter. Every post we set lands on a poured footing below the local frost depth, which is what keeps a deck level through a decade of heave and thaw.
Permits and inspections handled
We work out which department your address answers to, pull the permit, meet the inspector and hand you the signed card. An unpermitted deck becomes your problem the day you sell the house.
Written scope before we start
Materials, framing spec, hardware, timeline and price in writing before anybody swings a hammer. No verbal change orders.