What separates a ten-year deck from a thirty-year deck
- Footings below frost. Ontario's Code requires foundations for unheated structures to bear below frost penetration; shallow deck footings are why decks heave, rack and pull away from houses by their second winter.
- The ledger connection. The single most common deck failure point is where it bolts to the house. Ours are flashed and fastened to the framing, never just lagged into brick veneer.
- Spans from the tables, not from feel. Joist and beam sizes come from span tables, which is why our decks do not bounce.
- Railing loads. Guards are the life-safety component and are built to resist Code loads, not just to look straight on day one.
"A deck is the one project where everyone knows a guy. The guy's decks look identical to mine for about three years. Then his footings start walking with the frost, the ledger starts pulling, and I get the call. Build it as a structure the first time; it costs less than building it twice."
Mitch Fraser, owner, Ontario Contracting Co.
Decks rarely travel alone: many of ours go up alongside a new garage or shop or as the finishing move of a full exterior update.
Does your deck need a permit?
In Brantford and the County of Brant, a permit is required for any deck attached to the building, and for detached decks that are over 10 square metres and more than 200 mm above grade. Small, low, detached platforms are typically exempt. The full thresholds are in our permit trigger list, and where a permit applies we pull it in our name through Cloudpermit, verifiable by you. In the county, decks are covered by Brant's Small Residential Projects permit package, described in the county's own permit process.
What we build
- Pressure-treated, cedar and composite decks (with the honest talk about composite heat and cost)
- Covered porches and verandas, including on century homes where the detailing has to match
- Multi-level decks, privacy screens, pergolas and benches
- Deck rebuilds on existing footings where they check out, full rebuilds where they do not
- Railings: aluminum, glass and wood, to Code loads
Every project follows the same discipline as our renovations: a written itemized quote protected by Ontario's estimate rules, staged payments, and a final walkthrough. If the deck is part of a bigger outdoor or addition plan, that conversation belongs with our additions service.