Deck Builders in Taylorsville, UT

Most people shopping for deck builders in Taylorsville think first about boards and railings. We think first about the ground. The city sits on an alluvial plain built up by erosion from the Wasatch and Oquirrh mountains, with more than a kilometer of unconsolidated rock, sand and clay underneath. Local histories describe the soil as alkaline, low in organic material and hard to work. That is exactly the kind of dirt that decides how long a deck stays level.

Why the soil matters for a deck

Every post on a deck carries a share of the weight of the frame, the boards, the furniture, the people and, in winter, the snow. That weight goes into a concrete footing. In dense, rocky or clay-heavy ground, footing holes are slow to dig and easy to under-dig. A footing that stops short of the depth the city requires can heave when the ground freezes and thaws, and the deck slowly tips or the stairs pull away. We dig to the depth set by Taylorsville's building requirements, size the footing for the load, and keep posts off direct soil contact.

Drainage around the footings

Clay-rich ground holds water. We grade under the deck so water moves away from the house and the footings instead of pooling, and on ground-level decks we leave enough airflow under the joists that wood framing can dry out after storms.

A settled city with long-held homes

Taylorsville incorporated on July 1, 1996, but the area is far older. Joseph and Susanna Harker built a log cabin near 3300 South in November 1848, and the Bennion Ward meetinghouse at 6200 South and Redwood Road dates to 1907. Today about 71.2% of homes are owner-occupied, and 85.1% of residents were in the same house a year earlier. Owners who stay put tend to want a deck that will last, not a quick fix.

Which services fit Taylorsville yards

• Composite deck building when you want boards that do not need yearly staining
• Wood deck building in pressure-treated lumber or cedar
• Deck repair and replacement, including re-setting footings on decks that have sunk or shifted
• Covered decks and pergolas for afternoon shade
• Railings and stairs rebuilt to current code
• Staining and sealing for existing wood decks

Faults, slopes and Bennion Hill

The inactive Taylorsville Fault runs down the center of the Salt Lake Valley, and the larger Wasatch Fault lies along the east bench. Every attached deck we build uses a properly flashed and bolted ledger plus lateral connections, which help hold the deck to the house when it is pushed sideways. On lots near Bennion Hill, which rises about 150 feet above the surrounding land, back yards can slope enough that one side of the deck sits much higher than the other. We frame those with taller posts, bracing and stairs laid out for the grade.

Permit and inspection

Raised and attached decks generally need a permit through the city. We prepare the drawings, note footing size and depth, and schedule the footing inspection before concrete is poured and the framing inspection before decking goes down.

Talk to us

Call (385) 506-4516 for a free estimate. We will walk the yard, probe the soil where posts will go, and give you a written quote that spells out footings, framing, decking and railing.

Call (385) 506-4516