Custom Deck Building in Macon, GA
"Custom" gets thrown around loosely in this trade, so here's what we mean by it: a deck designed around your house, your yard's actual slope and soil, and how you'll really use the space, not a standard rectangle priced by the square foot and dropped wherever the back door happens to be.
Designed around how you'll use it
The first question we ask isn't about size, it's about what happens on this deck. A grilling deck wants to be close to the kitchen and sized for a cooker plus the people standing around it. A morning-coffee deck wants east light and probably less square footage than you think. Get the use right and the design mostly draws itself.
From there, the real decisions: single level or multi-level on a sloped lot, where the stairs land in the yard, railing style (the biggest hidden cost swing in any bid), and material.
Built for Middle Georgia from the ground up
Footings first. Macon sits on red clay that holds water and moves with the seasons. Footings here need proper depth and bearing prep, poured and inspected.
The ledger, done right. The board that ties a deck to the house is where decks fail catastrophically. Every deck we build gets the ledger flashed and fastened to the current 2024 IRC standard, verified by the county inspector before the deck boards ever go down.
Lumber rated for Georgia. Subterranean termite pressure here is among the worst in the country. Posts and framing near grade get ground-contact-rated treated lumber, not the cheaper above-ground grade that looks identical stacked at the store.
What a new deck costs
Pressure-treated wood: roughly $20-35 per square foot installed. Composite: $35-55. A 16x20 build typically lands between $6,500-11,200 in wood or $11,200-17,600 in composite. Height, stairs, and railing tier move the number, the full breakdown is in the cost guide.
Permits are part of the job
Nearly every new deck in Macon-Bibb requires zoning compliance and a building permit, and homes in historic Design Review Districts need a Certificate of Appropriateness first. We handle the whole sequence, it's built into every quote. How it all works →
The process
- Quote request, two minutes on the form, or call.
- Site visit, real measurements, a look at your slope, soil, and house connection.
- Written, itemized quote, decking, framing, footings, railing, and stairs broken out separately.
- Design and permitting, we finalize and file.
- The build, most single-level decks are days on site once the permit's issued.
- Inspection and walkthrough, the county signs off, then you do.
How long does a custom deck take?
Once permitted, most builds run 2-5 days of active construction. The permit process, typically 1-3 weeks, is the longer pole.
Can you build on a sloped yard?
Yes, slopes are where multi-level designs and proper footing work earn their keep. Expect more structure in the bid, not less deck.
Do I get a say in the design?
It's the whole point. You'll see the plan and the itemized numbers before anything is filed or built.
What's the best size?
The one matched to how you'll use it. As a sanity check: a dining table for six needs roughly 12x12 to itself; add a grill zone and circulation and 16x20 is the workhorse size for a reason.