Karnage Construction Deck Selector
We are using this form to try to streamline our bidding process for deck repairs and construction. We can not accurately price decks without this information, and we know coming up with it on the spot can be difficult for homeowners. We are happy to help guide you and discuss options in person as always.
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Email *
Name and pronouns (ie Mo and they/them)
Phone number
Address of job:
Is this a new porch or deck or are we fixing an old deck?
If a new deck - do you have plans already?
How big is the porch  // deck or the deck to be? We need to know length and width, or if it is more than a square or rectangle. We are happy to come measure as well.
How high off of the ground is the deck? Elevation from the house/ground helps us quote more accurately materials that will be needed.
What type of deck boards do you want? Pressure treated deck boards are about 1/5th the cost of composite material deck boards, but they require yearly or at a minimum every other year maintenance to last long at all. The maintenance for pressure treated deck boards is to clean and re-stain or repaint. We always recommend that pressure treated deck boards be screwed, not nailed, down - as we have traumatic child hood memories of stubbing our bare feet on nails that popped up.
Composite deck boards have grown a lot as a market in recent years, and there are a variety of good brands out there. We work often with Trex and Wolf decking, but are open to any brand, and our suppliers pretty much have them all. We recommend against using the composite boards that attach on the edges with clips, these fail to increase the stability of your deck and don't allow for 'fudging it' if going on an existing frame that might not be perfectly square and flat. We recommend the face screwing deck boards that come with color match plugs to cover the screw heads.
 For older porches, especially in historic districts, tongue and groove deck boards are often needed. There are two thicknesses in fir deck boards that are standard, and for fir we always recommend back priming the material so it will last longer. There are also some really nice looking composite tongue and groove products that are usually approved for historic use.
Deck board pattern- How do you want your deck boards laid out? Traditionally they just run perpendicular to the joists in a way that makes sense based on framing it with the least amount of unnecessary joists and beams. Some people want the boards to be run diagonally, or some like them to be 'picture framed' with an outer deck board frame and then other boards on the inside. The world is your oyster, but the decision affects the framing plan and materials/labor needed for framing.
Railings
There are a lot of different railing options on the market. If you can choose a style, we are happy to bid your project with that style. The cheapest option tends to be a wooden pressure treated railing system, with 4x4 posts, 2x4s right above the floor and at the top to give the 2x2s ballisters something to attach to, and a 2x6 flat on the top (can be upgraded for a wider top board for a drink rail.

 For historic porches a lot of people need 'Richmond rail' to meet requirements. If not historic, you can go with a cattle grate railing system, horizontal or vertical cable system, etc.  But there are basically infinite options. There are aluminum, composite etc. types.
You can choose color, some can even have a top rail that is a deck board to match your decking.
Columns - is this a front porch or other covered porch that needs columns replaced or repaired? Even if the columns themselves do not need to be replaced, knowing that there is a roof and columns is necessary so we can plan to jack up the roof while we replace the decking. If you need repair or new columns, please let us know what type you want. And send us pictures of the existing ones if they need repairs.
Are they round or square? Straight or tapered?
Stairs - Does your deck need stairs, and if so, do you know where and how many sets of stairs and the layout (like straight down or down to a platform and then a turn etc.) If they are existing and made of wood, let us know how many steps there are.
Ramps - Do you need a ramp onto your deck? Does it need to be an ADA ramp? If you want/need a ramp, do you know where you want it to go? This can be a tricky thing for ramps, as code requires they have a 1/12 slope, so we can only go down 1 inch for every foot of ramp. So if your deck is 2 feet in the air, you need a 24 foot long ramp. Additionally, you can only have up to 30 feet of ramp at a time, then you have to have a 5 foot by 5 foot flat platform (for resting and turning around).
Stain and paint - If any part of your deck is going to be stained or painted, please let us know the colors and/or brands you are choosing. Sometimes folks choose one color for the floor, one for trim, and an accent color for certain details on railings etc.
We typically use Sherwin Williams for paint products, they can match colors from other brands, and we have a great relationship with them and rely on their expert advice to make sure we use the correct products in the correct way. Often clients don't get us paint colors as soon as we would like, and that tends to slow down the completion of the project. So think about it and let us know!
Porch Details - a lot of older porches have fancy decorative details, like custom corbels, brackets, dentil moulding, etc. If you have some that will need repair/replace or scraping, let us know about it and how it fits with your color plan. And if you want to add some flare to your porch, we totally recommend exploring the style possibilities. We will give you an honest opinion of your ideas, and at the end of the day, it is your porch not ours!
Support Posts/Piers - A lot of traditional decks just use 4x4 or 6x6 pressure treated posts that are on (or in) concrete in holes in the ground. 6x6 posts mounted to a bracket on top of concrete in a hole in the ground is the new standard.  Many front porches have brick or cinderblock piers supporting the porch. You can also have 6x6 posts that are wrapped in brick or stone or PVC or wood to change their appearance. Let us know what you are interested in!
Anything else? Do you have any other selections, questions, thoughts, etc?
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