Deck Builder in Spanish Fork, UT
Hot dry summers are what exterior timber has to survive in Spanish Fork. They pull the moisture out of wood, and a timber deck or stair here only reaches its full life if it is kept treated. That is the honest trade-off to understand before choosing a material.
Timber or composite, honestly
We recommend composite where the budget allows. It costs more to lay, lasts longer, and asks almost nothing of you afterwards.
Timber costs less up front and carries a maintenance commitment. That is a legitimate choice when the budget is the constraint — we have built it that way here — but it should be a choice made knowing what it needs, not one discovered later.
What maintaining timber actually means
Keeping it treated, on a schedule, through summers that dry it out. Left alone, exterior timber here will check and grey and lose years off its life.
If that is not something you will keep up with, that is an argument for composite rather than a reason to accept a shorter-lived deck.
Exterior stairs are their own problem
The rise has to be consistent, the landing has to meet the door, and the run has to stay square through freeze-thaw. Handrails both sides, and a landing at the top rather than a step straight out of a doorway.
Our work in Spanish Fork
Wood Exterior Staircase
They wanted stairs and they had a budget. We recommended composite — it lasts longer and asks less of you — but composite costs more, the budget was the constraint, and so we built in timber and told them what that means. What it means here is maintenance. Hot dry summers pull the moisture out of exterior timber, and wood stairs in Spanish Fork only reach their full life if they are kept treated. Left alone they will not. Matching handrails run both sides down to the concrete walk, with a landing at the top meeting the door. Built in July 2014 — the oldest job on this site.
Questions we get asked in Spanish Fork
Should I use timber or composite?
Composite if you can. Timber is cheaper to build and comes with a maintenance commitment that the summers here make real.
How much maintenance does a wood deck need in Spanish Fork?
Regular treatment. Hot dry summers pull moisture out of exterior timber, and untreated wood loses years off its life.
Can you build in winter?
Yes. Court surfacing is the only part of what we do that has to wait for summer heat.