Decks
Decks built to last, and old decks brought up to code
Custom-built decks, repairs on decks that are already standing, and code upgrades with the permits pulled, plus the washing, sealing, staining, pergolas and awnings that keep them looking right.
Chapter 01
Is your deck up to code? Start where it meets the house
A deck that worries you usually fails in the same few places, and most of them are out of sight from the lawn. Start where the deck meets the house. A ledger board that is soft, stained or pulling away lets water run behind the siding and rot the framing it hangs from. Then check the posts at grade, the stair stringers where the treads bolt on, and any railing that moves when you lean on it. A deck that flexes underfoot is telling you something.
JMP brings existing decks up to code, and we'll pull the permits, so the paperwork is handled by the contractor instead of left on your kitchen table. Jay walks the deck with you first, shows you what he sees, and explains what has to change and what can stay. Call (978) 235-4746 and he will set a time to look at it in Leominster.
Elevated pressure-treated deck and stair at the rear of a yellow two-family house
Custom-built decks, with stairs and landings that sit true
A custom-built deck starts from your house, not from a catalogue drawing. The height off the ground, the door it serves, where the water leaves the yard and how your family actually uses the space decide the footprint. Stairs and landings are where a build shows its quality: stringers cut true, treads that match each other, a landing that sits level and stays that way after the first winter.
Fritz B hired JMP to replace the landing at the back of his house and wrote in a Google review that the new landing is “solid, perfectly level, and beautifully finished.” That is the standard Jay holds on a full deck, because the framing, the stair and the rail all have to agree with each other before any board goes down.
Chapter 03
Keeping a deck sound: washing, sealing, staining and shade
A deck lasts as long as the care it gets. JMP handles preexisting repairs, power washing, weather sealing, painting and staining, so a tired deck can be brought back instead of torn out. The order matters: wash off the gray and the mildew, let the wood dry through, repair any soft boards, then seal or stain so the finish bonds to clean wood and not to grime. Rushing the drying is how a finish peels in a season.
We also install pergolas and awnings when you want shade over the boards. And because painted rails and trim on older New England houses can carry lead paint, JMP is EPA lead-safe certified for renovation, repair and painting work. Licence #86440, Home Improvement Contractor #159480. If the deck you have is sound but weathered, say so when you call, because a good wash and a fresh finish is a smaller job than a rebuild.
Jay brings existing decks up to code and pulls the permits. Construction Supervisor License #86440, Home Improvement Contractor #159480, EPA lead-safe certified.
As JMP lists it
Residential deck services, line by line
- Custom-built decks
- Bringing decks up to code
- Preexisting repairs
- Power washing
- Weather sealing
- Painting
- Staining
- Pergola installations
- Awning installations
When a deck has to be brought up to code, JMP pulls the permits.
Work that goes with a deck
Have a deck in mind? Describe the job and Jay will get back to you.