Decks & Outdoor Living in the Thousand Islands
On the St. Lawrence, the deck is half the reason you bought the place. It's where you eat, where you watch the boats go by, where the cottage actually gets used. We build decks, porches and outdoor living spaces for homes and waterfront cottages across Clayton, Alexandria Bay and the rest of the Thousand Islands, and we fix and restain the ones you've already got. Honest quotes, clean job sites, and framing that's built to take a North Country winter. We're fully insured and based right here in Clayton.
Done right, start to finish.
New decks and porches in pressure-treated, cedar or composite Waterfront and riverfront builds with frost-depth footings sized for river soil Screened porches to keep the bugs off the water Pergolas, privacy screens and built-in seating Railings, stairs and deck lighting Corrosion-rated hardware for the spray and the freeze-thaw Deck repair, board replacement and restaining Pressure washing and re-coating tired decks Fully insured, Clayton-based, honest written quotes
What we build
New decks, porches and the whole outdoor living setup, whether that's single-level or multi-tier, attached to the house or freestanding by the water. We frame it, deck it, and finish it with railings, stairs and built-in seating that match the way you live outside.
Screened porches are a big one up here. Bugs come off the river hard in June, and a screened space turns a deck you avoid into a room you live in. Pergolas, privacy screens, planters, deck-mounted benches and the railing-and-lighting work that makes a deck feel done: we handle all of it.
Already have a deck? A lot of our spring and summer work is repair and restain. We replace soft boards, reset wobbly railings, and sand and re-coat a deck that's gone gray. We'll tell you straight whether yours has good bones worth saving or whether you're better off rebuilding.
How we work
It starts with a walk of your property. We look at the view, the slope, where the sun lands, how you want to move between the house and the water, and what the ground's actually made of (that last part matters more than people think near the river).
Then you get a written quote that spells out the framing, the decking, the railings and the footings, so there's no guessing. Once you're good with it, we schedule the build around your season. Cottage owners, we get that May through October is your window, so we can do a lot of the heavy work off-season and have your deck ready when you show up.
We keep the site tidy day to day, haul off the old material, and we don't disappear halfway through. Kaleb's on-site, not running it from a phone three counties away.
Composite or wood, and what goes under it
Most of it comes down to composite versus wood. Composite (Trex and the like) costs more up front but asks almost nothing of you after: no staining, no splinters, holds its color for years. It's a strong call for a cottage you can't get to every weekend to maintain.
Wood is warmer underfoot, cheaper to build, and pressure-treated pine or cedar still looks great when it's kept up. The trade is you're restaining it every couple of years, and out here that's a real chore with the sun and the freeze-thaw working on it.
Underneath, we use the right framing lumber, hidden fasteners where it makes sense, and railing systems from basic pressure-treated up to aluminum and cable. We'll lay out the options for your spot and your budget, and we won't push you toward the priciest thing in the catalog.
Built for the river
Waterfront and riverfront builds are their own animal, and a deck crew that mostly works inland will get it wrong. The ground near the St. Lawrence shifts. There's clay, there's fill, there's ledge, and a deck on bad footings will heave the first hard winter. We set footings below the frost line and size them for the soil so your deck stays level for the long haul.
Wind and spray off the water are rough on hardware. We use corrosion-rated fasteners and connectors so your railings and joist hangers aren't rusting out in five years. We'll also think through grade, drainage and where the snow piles up, because North Country winters dump a lot of weight and the framing has to carry it.
We do dock-adjacent and shoreline deck work too, the kind that has to live with water levels and ice. If your build sits where the river can reach it, we plan for that instead of pretending the river behaves.
What it costs
A deck's price depends on size, height off the ground, the decking material, the railing system, and how tricky the site is. A simple ground-level wood deck and a multi-level composite build with cable rail on a sloped waterfront lot are not the same project, and we won't quote them like they are.
Composite runs more up front than wood, but you're buying years of no maintenance. Waterfront footings, stairs down a grade, and screened-in or roofed sections all add to it. The honest move is a written quote after we've seen your spot. What you get from us is a clear number with the line items spelled out, never a vague range and a surprise at the end.
Questions homeowners ask
How much does a new deck cost in the Thousand Islands?
It depends on size, height, material and the site. Wood costs less to build than composite, while waterfront footings, stairs down a slope, and screened or roofed sections add to it. We give you a written quote with the line items spelled out after we've walked your property, not a guess over the phone.
Should I build a composite or a wood deck?
Composite costs more up front but needs almost no upkeep, which is a good call for a cottage you can't maintain every weekend. Wood is warmer and cheaper to build but wants restaining every couple of years, a chore with our sun and freeze-thaw. We'll lay out both options for your spot before you decide.
Can you build a deck on a waterfront or riverfront lot?
Yes, that's a lot of what we do. River soil shifts and a deck on bad footings heaves the first winter, so we set footings below frost line and size them for the ground. We use corrosion-rated hardware against the spray and plan for snow load. Inland crews often get this wrong.
Can you restain or repair my existing deck instead of replacing it?
Often, yes. Replacing soft boards, resetting loose railings, and pressure washing and re-coating a gray deck are some of our most common spring and summer jobs. We'll tell you honestly whether yours has good bones worth saving or whether a rebuild is the smarter spend.
Do you build screened porches and pergolas too?
We do. A screened porch turns a deck you avoid in June into a room you actually use once the bugs come off the river. We also build pergolas, privacy screens, built-in seating and railing-and-lighting work, so you get the whole outdoor living setup and not just the deck boards.
Planning a remodel on the river?
Tell us about your decks & outdoor living project. Honest quote, no pressure.