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Hear from Our Satisfied Clients!
We take pride in delivering quality craftsmanship and outstanding service. Explore our client reviews to see how we've transformed visions into reality and built lasting relationships along the way.
Dan was extremely easy to work with. He made our families emergency renovation process simple and was always available for questions. His company did fantastic work in a timely manner and Everything fell within budget. I would definitely recommend Dan for all your home remodeling needs.
From the beginning of the porch being knocked down. To the rebuilding of my new enclosed porch. Dan and his workers were amazing people. Very professional and courteous people. Beautiful job from start to finish.
Dan and his team just added on a 12×12 composite deck to a existing deck at my home. It came out amazing and we are so happy with it. Dan and his team were excellent and will be using them in future projects, thank you Dan
Best construction company!!! Very responsible and professional. Always on time, always ready to answer all questions!!! Highly recommend to anyone looking either to build a house, to do extension, build a porch or something else. They do free estimates and do the job quickly.
Dan’s Construction just completed a Trex deck with two sets of stairs for me. I am thrilled with the outcome! Dan was pleasant and efficient in overseeing our deck project, his crew worked tirelessly to complete their work, despite bad weather and the issue of trash on my site…
I came across Dan’s Construction by accident while searching the internet and I’m glad I did. I read the reviews and checked out the company and contacted for an estimate. He was quick and professional and reached out enthusiastic to work…
Dan is super nice and easy to work with. His team worked all day to get our roof replaced which had damage down to the rafters. He is knowledgeable, fair and trustworthy. I highly recommend this company and will definitely hire them for future projects.
We called after seeing a recommendation on Facebook and we are very happy we did. We had them build a covered pergola off our back sliders, and since we live in a log home, we wanted rough hewn lumber. Not only did they order the perfect stuff…
Dan and his team completed a full replace of the deck, staircase and balcony at my home. From the beginning Dan was knowledgeable and responsive to my inquiry including being quick to respond to any changes to material or additional items…
Replacing a deck on an older house
Ludlow is our home town and the shop is here, which mostly means we know the street before we get in the truck. The housing divides between mill-era two-families near the river and the postwar and newer belt around them, and those are two different deck jobs with two different price ranges. Most deck calls we get on Ludlow housing are replacements. The original was built onto a house that has moved and settled since, often without proper footings or flashing. We take the old structure out, look at what it was attached to, and rebuild the connection the way it should have been. Decking materials are your call: a wood deck in pressure-treated pine, capped composite such as Trex, or PVC.
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Attaching to a hundred-year-old house
On Ludlow housing of this era the question is always what the band joist is actually made of and what condition it is in behind the siding. We open it up and look before we commit to a ledger detail, and where the framing will not carry a bolted connection we build the deck free-standing on its own posts instead. Footings go below the 48-inch frost line either way. On the mill-era two-families near the river we open up and look at the band joist before committing to a ledger connection. On the newer single-family belt the framing is predictable and the build is straightforward.
Bringing an old deck up to code
Decks built a few decades ago on these houses usually miss on three things: guard height, baluster spacing and stair rise. All three are what an inspector looks at first, and all three are genuinely about someone falling. Rebuilding to current spec is straightforward when the structure is sound; we tell you which it is before you commit.
Rebuilding a back porch
A lot of Ludlow homes have a back porch that has been failing quietly for years. We rebuild them on proper footings with the roof structure corrected, or replace them outright with a screened porch or a four-season sunroom. Either way the connection to the house gets flashed properly, which is usually what let the water in.
Deck repair, rebuilds and restoration
Not every job is a new deck. A lot of what we are called to on Ludlow housing is an old deck that has gone soft underfoot, pulled away from the house, or lost a railing. We will tell you honestly which of the two you are looking at: a repair, where the structure is sound and the decking, railing or stairs need replacing, or a rebuild, where the footings and framing have failed and patching it is throwing money at a safety problem. Restoration work, cleaning, sanding, fresh stains and sealing, is the third option when a wood deck is structurally fine and just looks tired.
The rest of the outdoor space
A deck is often one piece of it. We also build patios, pool and hot tub deck surrounds, pergolas, gazebos and outdoor kitchens, and patios and decking can be combined on one level or stepped, and on a Ludlow property the useful conversation is usually how they connect: where the seating goes, how you get from the kitchen to the grill, and which part of the yard is actually worth sitting in. Planning the whole outdoor space at once costs less than adding to it in three separate projects, even if you build it in stages.
Everything else we handle in Ludlow
Roofing and siding through to kitchens, additions and new construction, all run by the same crew.
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Satisfaction Guaranteed
We firmly believe in honesty and long term relationships with our customers. We strive for our best and guarantee 100% satisfaction.
Fully Licensed & Insured
We have a multi-million dollar insurance policy to protect you. You’re in safe hands with us! We’re excited to hear about your project.
Onsite Estimates
We offer completely free quotes and consultations with no strings attached. We will walk you through every and any question you may have about the project.
Common questions about decks in Ludlow
Do I need a permit to build a deck in Ludlow?
For a new deck, yes. We file with the Ludlow Building Department and manage the inspection schedule through to sign-off, so you never deal with the permitting yourself. Two inspections matter: the footings, before anything is poured over them, and the framing, before the decking covers it. On a Ludlow lot laid out before the current bylaw, a deck can bump into a setback the house itself already breaks, so we check that first.
How deep do the footings have to go?
Below the frost line, which is 48 inches in this region. Anything shallower moves with the ground each winter, and that is what pulls a deck away from the house over a few seasons. The ledger board also has to be bolted through the band joist and flashed rather than nailed on, which is the single most common failure point we find on decks built by someone else. On a Ludlow house of this vintage the band joist has often already taken water, and where it has we build the deck free-standing instead.
Composite, PVC or pressure-treated?
Pressure-treated is the cheapest and needs cleaning and sealing to stay decent. Capped composite and PVC cost more up front and then ask almost nothing of you, which is worth real money over a New England deck's life given what freeze-thaw does to an untreated board. On an exposed site we lean toward capped composite or PVC; in a shaded yard pressure-treated is still defensible.
What does a deck cost in Ludlow?
On a Ludlow house of this era the estimate turns on the connection and the ground. What the band joist is made of, what previous work is buried in it, and how far down we have to go for solid bearing. On a house of this age a phone quote is a guess. The estimate is free, done at the house with something opened up if it needs to be, and itemized.
Can I screen it in or enclose it later?
Yes, but tell us now rather than later. A deck that may become a screened porch or a four-season room needs different footings, a different floor structure and a roof plan from the start. Building for it up front costs a little; retrofitting it costs a lot.
How soon can you start?
On an older house we want to open up the wall and look before committing to a date, so call early and we will schedule that survey first. Call us early and we will give you an honest date rather than an optimistic one.
Talk it through with someone who has built here before
Tell us what you are planning and we will tell you what it takes. The estimate is free and there is no obligation.
Licensed in Massachusetts and Connecticut · Fully insured · BBB accredited · Over 20 years
More about decks in Ludlow
What a century of repairs does to a deck job
Ludlow is our home town. Our shop is here, and the old Ludlow Manufacturing mills still define the center. The housing that came with it runs to mill-era two-families near the river and a large belt of postwar and newer single-family homes, and most of it now carries a back porch or deck that has been repaired more than once.
Under those repairs we routinely find shallow footings, a ledger nailed rather than bolted, and no flashing at all, which is why the band joist behind it has usually gone soft. Replacing the deck without correcting that just restarts the clock, so we take it back to sound material and rebuild the connection properly.
Being based here does one concrete thing for a deck job. If something wants looking at again after the first frost, we are ten minutes away rather than an hour, and that is the part of a warranty that actually matters.
When a deck actually gets built
Deck work in Western Massachusetts is bound by the ground rather than the air. Footings have to go 48 inches down, so the build starts once the frost is out, and the calendar fills from the first warm week in Ludlow as everyone has the same idea at once.
Late in the season is genuinely fine, though: there is no interior to protect, so a deck framed in September and decked in October is a normal job and easier to schedule. What is hard is a deck for Memorial Day booked in April.
Permits and inspections in Ludlow
Work in Ludlow is permitted by the Ludlow Building Department under the Massachusetts State Building Code, and the contractor doing it has to hold a Home Improvement Contractor registration as well as a construction supervisor license. We hold both, and we file in our name, which is what puts the code responsibility on us rather than on you.
A deck is inspected twice: at the footings, before anything is poured over them, and at the framing, before the decking covers it. Both are ours to schedule and meet. The details inspectors look at hardest are the ones that matter most anyway: footing depth, the ledger connection and its flashing, guard height over 30 inches, and baluster spacing.
Why Ludlow homeowners choose us
We are a family-run construction company of more than 20 years, working out of Ludlow and serving Ludlow, MA every week. The same team that quotes the job runs it, which is the practical reason the quality holds. We hold the Massachusetts Home Improvement Contractor registration and the Construction Supervisor License, are licensed in Connecticut, carry liability and workers compensation insurance, and are BBB-accredited with an A rating. Reviews come from Hampden County homeowners you can look up, and the quote is free, written and itemized.
Where else we build decks
We build decks across Hampden County, including Springfield, Chicopee, Wilbraham and Westfield. For everything else we do in Ludlow, see our Ludlow page. Not sure whether we reach you? Call +1 (413) 351-5125 and ask, it is a short conversation.