Okay, then. You’re standing at the last bridge to cross before committing to the long-awaited deck addition to your home. You’ve done your research. Materials, design options, permit requirements – your research and inquires covered the bases. There’s really only one imponderable left to get your head around. Look, even the most experienced Los Angeles area deck builder will acknowledge that the project will disrupt your home life. People and materials will be moving into, out of, and around your property. The work will not proceed in dead silence, either. That can’t be helped – it’s construction work. If any deck builder in Los Angeles tell you otherwise, well – seriously? In any case, clients want to know: how long to build a deck?
A WEEK?
The answer no client appreciates is, of course, “it depends”. Sounds evasive, as if the deck contractor is building himself a little wiggle room. Or a lot. But that’s the best answer to the question as posed, in such a general form. There’s not really any such thing as “a deck”. There are only specific decks, on specific properties. People being people, though, some clients demand an answer more specific than “it depends”. They insist on a “ballpark” number. Okay, can do. The ballpark time estimate for completion of a project to build “a deck” on “a property” is one week.
ONE WORK WEEK?
One week, that is, of on-site construction work. The total contract-to-completion time interval can be quite a bit longer if, for example, the permitting process for the locale is particularly gnarly. Not that these paperwork headaches need trouble the client. Our MG Construction & Decks team runs the permitting obstacle course on behalf of clients. It’s a process we’re very, very familiar with, so we get it done as fast as it can be done. Even so, this example illustrates the difference between construction time and total project completion time.
SO, HOW LONG TO BUILD A DECK??
The much, much better question is “how long will it take to build MY deck?” That is, a specific design, with specified materials, on your particular property. Some of the key variables, like the slope of your lot, are pretty obvious to all. Bigger and more elaborate designs naturally require more time, too. What surprises many clients, though, is the fact that some materials take more labor hours to work with than others. With Ipé and teak, for instance, are so dense we have to pre-drill every single screw hole.
ARE WE THERE YET?
As experienced Los Angeles deck builders, we provide clients with two time estimates for projects. One is the on-site construction time. The number of days or weeks between the first team member starting work and the last team member’s final inspection of the job. That’s how much disruption of daily home life the client can expect.
The related estimate is the calendar time between signing the contract and project completion. After all, that’s how long before the client can begin to enjoy this great addition to the home.
After all, a client who needs the deck ready for Son’s birthday party doesn’t care if the on-site work will take X days. She only cares about the deck being ready by a certain date.
MG Construction & Decks offers several interior and exterior remodeling services in Los Angeles California. There is no project too small or too large. However, the majority of our focus has been focused on:
