Decks built around your home
Blackridge Exteriors designs and constructs decks that combine durability, safety, and visual appeal, tailored to fit your lifestyle and home. Whether you want room for a grill and a couple of chairs or a bigger space for family and friends, each deck is built to withstand the elements.
A deck is a structure, not just a floor outside. What holds it up and how it connects to your house matter more than the boards you walk on, and that's where the planning starts.
Add-ons are part of the conversation too: lighting, pergolas, covered decks, and pool decks if there is a pool going in.
Planning your deck
A good deck starts with a few practical questions.
How you'll use it
Dining, grilling, lounging, or kids running around. How you use the space drives its size, its layout, and how heavy-duty the framing needs to be.
Where it goes
Sun, shade, privacy, and the view from inside the house all matter. So does how the deck connects to your doors and steps down into the yard.
Height and stairs
A deck one step off the ground and a second-story deck are very different projects, with different railing, stair, and support requirements.
Finishing details
Railings, stairs, skirting, and built-in seating shape how finished a deck feels. We'll go over what fits your plans and budget.
What makes a deck safe
Most serious deck problems start where you can't easily see them. A safe deck gets these details right:
- Footings set deep enough to resist frost heave, as local code requires
- A ledger board properly fastened to the house, with flashing that keeps water out of the house framing
- Joists and beams sized and spaced for the load the deck will carry
- Sturdy railings and stairs that meet code
- Hardware and fasteners rated for outdoor use
Decking materials in plain terms
Homeowners generally choose from a few types of decking, and many decks combine them, such as a treated wood frame under a different surface material.
We build with whatever suits you: pressure-treated wood, or a composite such as Trex. We also resurface and repair existing decks rather than insisting on a rebuild, and we put together design drawings so you can see the deck before it is built.
- Pressure-treated wood: a common, budget-friendly choice that needs regular sealing or staining to hold up
- Cedar and other naturally rot-resistant woods: attractive and lighter, but still need upkeep to keep their color
- Composite: a blend of wood fibers and plastic that doesn't need staining, though it still needs cleaning and can get hot in direct sun
- PVC decking: fully synthetic boards that shrug off moisture and are generally lighter than composite
Built for Ohio weather
Decks around Toledo deal with everything. Snow sits on the boards for weeks, freeze-thaw cycles shift footings that weren't set deep enough, spring brings long stretches of rain, and summer sun bakes the surface.
Water is the main enemy. It rots wood, corrodes fasteners, and damages house framing when it gets behind a ledger that wasn't flashed. Good drainage, proper board spacing, and correct flashing do a lot of quiet work over the life of a deck.
Resurface or rebuild?
An old deck isn't always a teardown. If the framing and footings are sound, new boards and railings can make it look and feel like a new deck.
A rebuild makes sense when you find soft or rotted joists, a ledger pulling away from the house, posts that have shifted or settled, railings that wobble, or rusted connectors. Those are safety problems, not cosmetic ones, and you'll hear that from us plainly if that's what we find.
What affects the cost of a deck
- Size and shape of the deck
- Height off the ground and the number of stairs
- Decking and railing materials
- Site conditions, such as a sloped yard
- Removing and hauling away an old deck
- Added features like built-in seating or skirting
- Permits and inspections required where you live
How your deck gets built
- Schedule your free estimate: call 419-233-1888 or request one online. Website requests get a response within 48 hours.
- Get a clear plan: we look at your yard and your house, talk through size, layout, and materials, and give you a straightforward quote with no pressure.
- We get to work: solid construction, quality materials, and clear communication about the schedule, with a respectful crew and a clean site.
- Final walkthrough: we walk the finished deck with you, check the details together, and answer any questions about care.