A new deck is the most-used square footage you'll add to a Saginaw house between May and October. It's also the project where the parts you never see, the footings and the frame, decide whether it still feels solid years from now.
We build new decks across the city and Saginaw County: ranches in Saginaw Township that want a ground-level deck flush with the patio door, two-story colonials in the Cathedral District that need an elevated deck with a real staircase, walkout basements out toward Freeland and Hemlock, and riverfront lots where the ground stays soft and the footings matter more than anything above them.
Every one of them starts the same way. We come out, look at how the house sits on the lot, where the sun and shade fall, how you get from the kitchen to the yard, and where the water goes when it rains. Then we sketch a deck that fits the way you'll actually use it, in wood or composite, and hand you a written price.
Kinds of decks we build
- Ground-level and platform decks — low decks that step straight out to the lawn, the most common build on a Saginaw ranch.
- Elevated decks with stairs — off a second-story door or a raised ranch, with the staircase designed in from the start instead of bolted on later.
- Walkout-basement decks — the upper deck doubles as a roof, so we plan the underside to keep the patio below usable and dry.
- Multi-level decks — a main level for the table and a step down to a landing for the fire pit or the hot tub.
- Wraparound and corner decks — connect two doors, or follow the house around a corner to catch the evening sun.
- Screened and covered sections — a roofed or screened corner for the mosquito weeks in July, when the river air is at its thickest.
- Built-ins — benches, planters, privacy screens, low-voltage lighting, and framing that's actually sized for a hot tub.
Framed for Saginaw, not for a brochure
The frame under a new deck here has to survive months of freezing and thawing, weeks of snow sitting on it, a soaking spring, and a humid summer. So the footings go below the frost line, the beams and joists are sized for a real snow load, the ledger is flashed and bolted to the house, and the boards are gapped so the deck can dry. None of it shows in the finished photo. All of it shows in year ten.
Wood or composite for a new deck?
Both, honestly. Every deck we build sits on a pressure-treated frame. What goes on top is your call, and we'll put both on the same estimate so you're comparing real numbers.
Wood
Pressure-treated or cedar boards. Lower cost up front, stays cooler in the sun, takes stain in any color you want. Needs a wash and a fresh coat of sealer on a schedule to keep it from going gray.
Composite
Wood-plastic boards over the same pressure-treated frame. Higher cost up front, no staining, colors that hold. Darker shades warm up in afternoon sun. The pick for people who'd rather spend July on the deck than working on it.
There's no wrong answer, and we're not a composite-only outfit that has to talk you out of wood. If cedar fits your yard and your budget better, we'll say so.
How a new deck build goes
- Site visit and written estimateWe walk the yard with you, talk through size, height, and how you'll use it, and leave a written price for wood and composite.
- Design and materialsA drawing of the layout, stairs, and railing, plus board samples you can hold in the light your deck will actually get.
- Permits and prepMost decks that attach to the house or stand 30 inches or more above grade need a permit under the Michigan Residential Code. The City of Saginaw Inspections Division and the Saginaw Township Building Department each handle their own, and every other town runs its own building department. We handle the application and the inspections before any digging starts.
- Footings, frame, decking, railsFootings first, then the frame, then the surface and railing. You'll have a start date and a finish window in writing, and a call if weather moves either one.
- Walkthrough and care sheetWe walk the finished deck with you, hand over a one-page care guide for your material, and leave the yard clean.
Questions about new decks in Saginaw
How big should my deck be?
Start with what goes on it. A table for six, a grill, and a walkway around both takes more room than most people picture. We'll tape the footprint out on the lawn during the site visit so you can stand in it before you commit to a size.
Can you build a new deck in the fall or winter?
Fall is the best-kept secret in the deck business here. The ground is workable, the schedule is open, and the deck is ready for the first warm weekend in May. Winter builds are possible when the ground and the weather allow; frozen soil makes footings slower, not impossible. If you want to use the deck this coming summer, call before the spring rush.
What does a new deck cost in Saginaw?
It depends on size, height off the ground, material, stairs, railing style, and what the ground is like under it. We don't post prices because lumber and composite costs move season to season. What you get instead is a written estimate with wood and composite priced side by side, itemized so you can see where the money goes.
Do you take care of the permit?
Yes. Most decks that attach to the house or stand 30 inches or more above grade need one under the Michigan Residential Code. Tell us your address when you call and we'll find out whether the City of Saginaw Inspections Division, the Saginaw Township Building Department, or your own town's building department handles it, then file the paperwork and schedule the inspections.
Replacing a deck that's already there? That's a different job with its own page: deck replacement. Not sure the old frame needs to go? Start with deck repair and we'll tell you straight.