Sainte-Julie
Sainte-Julie grew quickly, which means a great many of its decks were built within a few years of each other — and are now reaching the end of their lives at the same time. Most of our work here is replacement.
Local conditions
The housing stock and the tree by-law account for most of what makes a Sainte-Julie project different from its neighbours.
Much of Sainte-Julie was built during its decades of rapid growth, and the decks went on shortly after. Pressure-treated structures from that period are now at or past the age where the frame, not the surface, is the real question.
Felling a tree in Sainte-Julie requires an authorization certificate from the city first. On mature suburban lots the tree is often exactly where a pile wants to go, so the layout gets designed around it rather than through it.
An old deck comes with an old structure, an old ledger connection and footings nobody has looked at in thirty years. What you can keep is decided by opening it up, not by looking at it from the lawn.
The same ground as the rest of the South Shore: footings below the frost line, bearing on stable soil. Decks from the era of surface blocks are the ones that have moved most.
Permits
A replacement is not automatically exempt — the city treats the new structure on its own terms.
Municipal requirements, fees and delays change, and they can differ from one address to the next. Treat the points above as orientation rather than as the final word: we confirm the current rules with the city for your specific lot before anything is scheduled.
What we build here
More second decks than first ones, which changes what the job actually involves.
The most common job in town. If the frame and footings are sound, new boards and a new railing are a real saving; if they are not, we say so before you pay to find out.
Fiberon, Trex and TimberTech boards, which is usually what people want on the second deck after thirty years of staining the first one.
The parts that carry people, and the parts that most often fail current requirements on a deck built decades ago.
Pressure-treated and thermo-treated wood where the budget or the look calls for it, on a properly rebuilt structure.
Questions
What Sainte-Julie owners ask us before a first site visit.
Read next
Small cleaning habits protect the deck surface, reduce stains, and help the space feel ready to use.
Wood and composite can both be good choices, but they ask different things from the homeowner.
Nearby
Neighbouring cities, each with its own permit rules and its own guide.
Quote
Tell us the approximate dimensions and roughly how old the existing deck is. If it is worth keeping the structure, we will tell you — and if it is not, we will tell you that too.