​If you’re planning to build a new deck or exterior wood project, you’ll want to protect your investment from wood eating insects like termites and carpenter ants. San Diego is among one of the worst U.S. cities for termites. The mild, temperate climate makes San Diego ideal for timber pests year-round. One of the best ways to get long-lasting protection against termites is with a borate wood treatment.

​Sodium Borate, commercially referred to as Borax, Tim-Bor or Bora-Care, is an environmentally friendly bio-cide regularly used on wood structures and finishes. Borate treated wood will last even longer than wood only protected by stain or paint. Another nice thing about borate is that it is a naturally derived chemical (boron, sodium, and oxygen) that is benign to humans, plants, and pets.

​Borates are able to repel termites and other wood eating insects by interfering with their digestive system. Once applied, they avoid the borate treated lumber and look for other sources of food—effectively leaving the area or dying off. We use Pest Patrol, a local San Diego pest control company, to apply Sodium Borate on our wood deck projects. The concentrate is applied via pressurized spray with multiple passes. It is important to treat bare, unstained and unpainted wood in order to ensure full coverage and penetration. Dry, UV-exposed decks do not absorb borate effectively so treatment prior to installation is ideal.
 
We recommend using a pest control expert to ensure the right concentration of the borate for external application. Once dry, deck stain or exterior paint can be applied to seal and beautify the wood.

We recently built a small second story Redwood deck with stainless steel cable railing to maximize the home's view of Mission Bay. It turned out very nice and the customers were happy. However, a few days later, they put the house up for sale. Some would think they are crazy to spend thousands of dollars on the house just before it goes on the market. It turns out they were right on the money - no pun intended.

Remodeling magazine's 2015 Cost vs. Value Report states that in San Diego you can expect to pay $11,837 for a mid-range wood deck addition, and that it will increase the value of your home by $12,173. That is a 102.8% return on investment, the second highest of the 36 different project types studied. 

We recently completed two deck projects with a remarkable amount of similarities: both are on San Marcos hilltops with beautiful valley views; both feature Trex decking and fascia and a non-obscuring railing; each project consists of six individual decks, mostly connected by stairs or bridge; and lastly, at least in these pictures, the decks are adorned in Christmas lights. Happy New Year, everyone!

With a license to build anything I want, customers are often confused that I only build decks. I even feel belittled at times: "Well, if you can build this, can't you put in a window for me?", "Why don't you do the roofing on this structure yourself?", or "You can put in sprinklers, can't you?" I trust that I and my crews could succeed in work beyond our normal skill set, but ProDeck was built on a premise: we only build decks, and we do it better, faster, and cheaper than anyone else. So far, it's seemed to work. 

I could install this window for you, but there's a window specialist out there who can do it better, faster, and cheaper than me. Same goes for roofing, sprinklers, and so on. A few guys really can do it all, and they serve a unique purpose for their clients. But when you're looking for someone who specializes in decks-not a jack of all trades, but someone who lives and breathes the specific thing you're looking for-you know where to find them.

After submitting loads of financial information, undergoing multiple phone interviews, and then giving up our latest 50 customer's contact information to a third party quality assurance firm, ProDeck is delighted to be named one of Remodeling magazine's BIG50 Contractors for 2014. The contractors are selected by the quality of their craftsmanship, customer service, and business management. See the article here.

ProDeck Construction has been awarded “Best Of Houzz” by Houzz, the leading platform for home remodeling and design. This San Diego-based outdoor living construction company was chosen by the more than 16 million monthly users that comprise the Houzz community.

ProDeck received the Best of Houzz award in the Customer Satisfaction category, which is determined by the number and quality of client reviews a professional received in 2013. Winners will receive a “Best Of Houzz 2014” badge on their profiles, showing the Houzz community their commitment to excellence. These badges help homeowners identify popular and top-rated home professionals in every metro area on Houzz.  

Thank you, loyal customers!

We were blown away by the response to an email blast seeking reviews for our Houzz profile page. In the past couple of weeks, we have recieved 12 reviews--all of them 5 stars--with thoughtful remarks, detailed experiences, and pictures of the finished products.

See them all on Houzz.com.

The deck you see is supported by only three posts. That is made possible because we used Trex Elevations steel framing, which is stronger and creates a more even surface over traditional wood framing.

The above picture showcases the superior strength of steel framing. The homeowner didn't want any posts obstructing their door and windows. We were able to place the two posts in the far corners and span nearly 20' with a steel beam.

These steel joists cantilever 4' beyond the beam, about twice as much as wood of equal size.

Because of the unique nature of a steel ledger, we were able to easily wrap the framing around this existing circular spa.

This project is in a high fire zone, so we chose Trex Elevations for the clear benefit over wood in such an area. In the end we found there are many more benefits to using steel framing.