Decks & Outdoor Living

Outdoor space is the reason a lot of people move to this coast, and it is also the hardest part of the property to build well. A deck in Manatee County takes direct sun almost every day of the year, heavy rain for half of it, subterranean termites in the soil underneath, and salt in the air anywhere near the water. Wood that would last twenty five years further north gets nowhere near that here, which is why so much of what we are asked to replace is barely a decade old.

That changes what we recommend. Composite decking costs more at the start and is usually the cheaper deck by year twelve, because it does not cup, splinter or need sealing every other season. Where pressure treated pine is the right budget answer we build it in ground contact rated material, and anywhere near the Gulf or the bay every fastener, hanger and connector is stainless rather than galvanized. Galvanized hardware in salt air will bleed rust stains down a brand new deck inside a single season.

Shade matters more than square footage here. An enormous deck in full afternoon sun goes unused most of the year, so we would usually rather build a tighter footprint with a proper cover, a screened lanai or a pergola over part of it. Screen enclosures are their own conversation on this coast: they take the worst of a storm, and rebuilding one is as much about the anchors and the frame as it is about the screen. Anything structural outdoors needs a permit and wind rated connections, and in the master planned communities it needs the association to approve the design first. We handle both.