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4176 W Montrose Ave, Chicago, IL 60641
Mon to Fri, 9:00am to 5:00pm
You see the finished deck on your actual house, from your actual yard, while everything about it is still free to change. Nothing about the layout, the material or the price should be a surprise once the crew arrives.
Most deck quotes in this city arrive as a number and a rough drawing. You are asked to commit tens of thousands of dollars to something you cannot picture, and the first time you actually see it is when it is framed and too late to move.
We do it the other way round. Before anything is ordered, you get a photorealistic model of the finished deck sitting on your house, and permit ready drawings underneath it. You walk around it, change your mind, move the stairs, swap the boards. All of it free, all of it before a single cut.
We model your deck on your actual house, using the measurements and photographs from the design visit. Not a generic template with your dimensions typed in. Your siding, your roofline, your grade, your trees, your view.
Then you change things. Widen the landing, move the stairs to the other side, drop a second level toward the yard, try three board colors against your brick. Changing your mind at this stage costs nothing. Changing it once the frame is up costs a lot.
The rendering is what you approve. The plans are what gets built. Full drawings with framing layout, footing depth and placement, ledger detail, beam and joist sizing, rail heights and stair geometry.
These are the drawings the City of Chicago reviews when we file for your permit, and they are what our crew works from on site. Everything dimensioned, nothing decided in the yard on the morning of the build.
Every decision on a deck gets more expensive the later it is made. This is the whole argument for designing properly first.
Layout, levels, size, board color, railing system, stair placement, lighting, features, everything. Costs nothing and takes minutes.
Board color and railing changes mean restocking fees and delays. Structural changes mean redrawing and refiling the permit.
Moving stairs or changing levels means demolition and rebuilding. This is where budgets break, and it is entirely avoidable.
The yard, the house, the grade, the door heights, where the sun sits at different times of day.
Whether you entertain twelve or sit alone with coffee changes the design more than anything else.
Board colors and railing samples laid out against your siding, in your light, not on a showroom floor.
Composite versus wood, one level or two, what your grade will allow and what your budget realistically covers.
The finished deck modelled on your house, with an exact price and the scope written out. Then you take as long as you want with it.
If yours is not here, call the owner directly at (773) 573-6909.
Yes. The visit, the measurements, the 3D rendering and the written price all cost nothing. You are only charged if you decide to build.
It happens occasionally and we would rather that than pressure anyone. Most people stay, because the design and the build being one team is what keeps the price locked.
Usually a few days after the visit. Complex builds and multi-level projects take a little longer.
As many as you need before we order anything. There is no revision limit and no charge for changes at the design stage.
Yes. We will review them for buildability and code compliance and tell you if anything needs adjusting before we file.
Yes. We produce the drawings, file the application and manage the inspection. You do not deal with the city.
That is fine, and it is often a good reason to design early. You get accurate pricing to plan around and a permit ready set of drawings for when you are ready.
Almost always, because Chicago requires drawings for the permit. Simpler builds need simpler drawings, but something has to be filed.
Your request is in. We will call you within one business day to set up your free design visit.
Mon to Fri, 9:00am to 5:00pm · Chicago, Evanston, Skokie, Morton Grove, Northbrook, Wilmette
