How TWS Remodeling Builds a Deck, From Permit to Final Board
Most contractors want to skip straight to picking out deck boards. We don't. The first conversation is about site conditions: how high off the ground, what the soil is like, whether you need stairs, a railing system, built-in seating, or lighting. From there we draft a plan, pull the permit from the city of Minnesota, and schedule the footing inspection before we frame anything. Footings go 42 to 48 inches deep, no exceptions. Once the frame is up and inspected, decking goes down with proper gapping for drainage and expansion. We finish with railings that meet current code, which in Minnesota requires balusters spaced no more than 4 inches apart on decks 30 inches or more above grade. The whole process, start to finish, typically runs 1 to 3 weeks depending on scope. You'll know the timeline before we start.
Deck Materials That Actually Hold Up in Minnesota
Here's the honest truth: not every decking material is right for every homeowner. Pressure-treated lumber is still the most common choice in Minnesota because it's affordable and strong, but it needs to be sealed every couple of years or it'll crack and gray out fast. Composite decking costs more upfront, sometimes two to three times the lumber price, but it doesn't rot, doesn't splinter, and you won't spend a weekend every other spring maintaining it. That trade-off is worth it for a lot of people. Hardwood decking like Ipe or Cumaru is dense enough to resist most insects and moisture naturally, but it's heavy, harder to work with, and the most expensive option by a significant margin. We'll tell you which one fits your situation, not just which one has the best margin for us. We won't push composite on someone who's budget-conscious and willing to maintain their deck, that's not a service, that's an upsell.
What Deck Installation Costs in Minnesota, and What Drives the Price
Five factors move the price on a deck project more than anything else: square footage, material choice, elevation above grade, complexity of the design, and whether you need demolition of an old structure first. A ground-level 12x16 pressure-treated deck is a very different job than a two-level composite deck with stairs, built-in benches, and cable railing off a second-story door. The permit fee in Minnesota is separate from labor and materials, we include pulling the permit in our scope of work so nothing gets missed. Projects in our area generally run from $8,000 on the low end for a simple ground-level build to $35,000 or more for a large, elevated, fully-featured deck in premium materials. Every job is different, contact TWS Remodeling for an accurate estimate.
What Makes a Deck Safe, and What to Watch For on an Existing Structure
A deck collapse doesn't happen all at once. It happens gradually, through years of ignored ledger rot, corroded hardware, and footings that shifted just enough to stress the frame. If you have an existing deck that's more than 10 years old and hasn't been inspected, have someone look at the ledger board connection to your house first. That's the most common failure point. The ledger needs proper flashing and approved fasteners, lag bolts or structural screws at the right spacing. Loose railings are a second red flag. Current code requires railings to withstand 200 pounds of lateral force. If your rail wobbles when you grab it, it won't pass that test. We inspect existing decks as part of any project conversation, and we'll tell you honestly whether a repair makes sense or whether you're better off replacing the whole structure.
Key Facts About Deck Installation in Minnesota
Here's what you need to know before you commit to a deck project:
- Minnesota frost depth requires footings at 42–48 inches, shallower footings will shift and fail.
- Minnesota requires a building permit for any deck attached to the home or over 200 square feet.
- Composite decking lasts 25–30 years with minimal maintenance; pressure-treated lumber needs sealing every 2–3 years.
- Railings are required by code on any deck 30 inches or more above grade.
- Ledger board rot is the leading cause of deck failure, proper flashing prevents it from the start.
- TWS Remodeling has been licensed and operating in Minnesota for 25 years, with over 1,000 verified Google reviews.
Why Minnesota Homeowners Call TWS Remodeling for Deck Work
Twenty-five years in this trade means we've seen what works and what doesn't, across hundreds of projects in Minnesota, Maple Grove, Plymouth, and the surrounding communities. Tyler Ganz built this company on the idea that a homeowner deserves a straight answer, a clean job site, and a finished product that holds up without callbacks. We're BBB-accredited, licensed in Minnesota, and we don't subcontract the structural work. The crew that frames your deck is the same crew that was on the last deck we built. If something isn't right, we come back and fix it. That's not a policy, it's just how the work gets done.
