Deck builders for Minneapolis and the Twin Cities
Decks built below the frost line, framed for Minnesota winters
A deck that heaves every spring, bounces underfoot or pulls away from the house is telling you something about what sits under it.
We design, build, repair and refinish decks, porches and railings across Minneapolis, from the footing up. Call any hour and a person answers.
- Phones answered 24/7
- Footings set to 42 inches
- Permit drawings handled for you
- Boards that flex or feel soft near the house
- A rail post that moves when you push it
- A gap or dark stain where the deck meets the wall
Brands we install include Trex, TimberTech, AZEK, Fiberon, Deckorators, MoistureShield, Wolf, Simpson Strong-Tie, FastenMaster, CAMO, Feeney, Westbury, Cabot, Sherwin-Williams.
What a Minneapolis deck has to survive
Revo Deck Systems builds and repairs decks, screened and three-season porches, railings, pergolas and paver patios in Minneapolis and the surrounding Twin Cities. New decks typically run $36 to $112 per square foot installed depending on the material, and repairs start around $385. Every new deck sits on footings dug to the 42 inch Minnesota frost depth.
A deck in the Twin Cities lives through a harder year than most. Snow sits on it for weeks, meltwater freezes in the joints at night, and the ground under the footings swells and shrinks through dozens of freeze and thaw swings each spring and fall. Then July arrives with heat, humidity and mosquitoes. Lumber that is fine in a mild climate cracks, cups and rots faster here, and hardware rusts where water collects.
That is why we start every project at the bottom. Footings go below the 42 inch frost line so the deck does not lift and drop each winter. The ledger that ties the deck to your house gets flashed and bolted so water drains away from the rim joist instead of soaking into it. Joists are spaced for the boards you choose and for the snow that will pile on them. Only then do we talk about colors and railings.
Revo Deck Systems works out of an office on Como Avenue in Southeast Minneapolis, a few minutes from the University of Minnesota. From there our carpenters cover the city's neighborhoods and the suburbs around it, from Saint Paul and Roseville to Bloomington, Plymouth, Maple Grove, Woodbury and Lakeville. Most of our week is spent on three kinds of work: new decks and porches, repairs to decks that have started to fail, and refinishing and inspections that keep a good deck good.
Every deck and porch job we take on
Forty-five services, grouped the way homeowners usually ask for them. Pick one to see what the work involves and what it typically costs in Minneapolis.
New Decks
Repair & Replacement
- Deck Repair
- Deck Replacement
- Deck Resurfacing and Board Replacement
- Deck Joist and Frame Repair
- Deck Footing and Post Repair
- Ledger Board Repair and Flashing
- Deck Stair Building and Repair
- Balcony and Stacked Porch Repair
- Front Porch Repair and Rebuilds
- Storm and Tree Damage Deck Repair
- Deck Demolition and Removal
Railings & Details
Porches & Covers
Care & Inspection
Signs your deck needs a carpenter soon
Boards that bounce or sag
Springy boards between joists usually mean joists spaced too far apart, undersized framing or rot starting at the top edge of the joists where water sits.
Posts that lean or have sunk
A post out of plumb, or a corner that drops a little more each spring, points to a footing that stops above the frost line or has washed out.
Railings that move when pushed
Guard posts notched and nailed to the rim loosen over time. A rail that shifts under a firm push will not hold someone who falls against it.
Dark staining at the house wall
Water marks on the siding or the basement rim joist under the deck often mean the ledger was never flashed. That is the most serious failure point on a deck.
Rusty hangers and popped nails
Treated lumber eats the wrong fasteners. Flaking joist hangers, bleeding nail heads and boards lifting at the ends tell us the hardware is past its life.
Stairs that rock or crack
Stringers resting on soil or a cracked patio slab rot and settle first. A step that tips or a stringer split near the bottom needs attention before winter ice.
How we build a deck, from the footing up
Our process reads like a section drawing of the deck itself. Each stage gets checked before the next one covers it.
- 01Plan
Measure, design and draw
We measure the house and yard, talk through how you will use the deck, and draw a framing plan the city can review. The drawings and permit filing are part of our job.
- 02Footing
Dig footings to 42 inches
Holes go below the frost line, or we drive helical piers where soil, roots or winter conditions call for it. The inspector sees the holes before concrete goes in.
- 03Post
Set posts and beams
Posts sit on post bases above the concrete so end grain stays dry. Beams are sized for the span and the snow load, then notched or bolted with rated connectors.
- 04Joists
Hang the ledger and joists
The ledger is through-bolted or fastened with structural screws, with flashing over it. Joists hang in hot-dip galvanized or stainless hangers, spaced for your decking.
- 05Boards
Lay the boards
Decking goes down with hidden fasteners or color-matched screws, gapped for the material and the season so boards can move without cupping or squeaking.
- 06Rail
Railings, stairs and final check
Guards, handrails and stairs go in to code height and spacing. We walk the deck with you and stay for the final inspection when the city requires one.
See a price range before you call
Our deck cost calculator draws your deck to scale as you change the size, material, height, railing and stairs, then shows a typical Minneapolis price range. It is not a quote, but it gets you in the right ballpark in about a minute.
The services Minneapolis homeowners ask for most
Custom Deck Building
See custom decks
Composite Deck Installation
See composite decks
Deck Repair
See deck repair
Deck Replacement
See deck replacement
Screened Porch Building
See screened porches
Deck Railing Installation
See deck railings
Deck Resurfacing and Board Replacement
See deck resurfacing
Deck Staining and Sealing
See staining & sealingNeighborhoods and cities we build in
We cover all of Minneapolis and the cities around it across Hennepin, Ramsey, Anoka, Dakota, Washington, Scott and Carver counties. Type a ZIP code to check, or pick your area below.
- Minneapolis 55414
- Saint Paul 55102
- Bloomington 55420
- Edina 55424
- Richfield 55423
- St. Louis Park 55416
- Golden Valley 55427
- Roseville 55113
- Minnetonka 55305
- Plymouth 55447
- Maple Grove 55369
- Brooklyn Park 55443
- Brooklyn Center 55430
- Robbinsdale 55422
- Fridley 55432
- Columbia Heights 55421
- New Brighton 55112
- Shoreview 55126
- Eden Prairie 55344
- Hopkins 55343
What working with us is like
A person answers the phone
Calls are answered 24 hours a day. If a stair failed tonight or a tree came down on the railing, you talk to someone who can set up a visit, not a voicemail box.
One estimate, written plainly
You get a written scope that lists the footings, framing, decking, railing and hardware by name, so you can compare it line by line with anyone else's.
We pull the permit
Drawings, permit filing and inspection scheduling are handled by us. You do not have to stand at a city counter or learn the code book.
Year-round scheduling
Footings and framing can go in during winter with frost blankets or helical piers, so a spring deck does not have to wait for the ground to thaw.
Questions we hear every week
How far ahead should I call to get a deck built by summer in Minneapolis?
Call in winter if you can. Design, drawings and permits usually take three to six weeks, and the May to July calendar fills first. Footings can go in during winter, so a deck planned in January can often be finished before Memorial Day.
Do you build decks in the winter?
Yes. We dig footings with frost blankets or drive helical piers when the ground is frozen, and framing and decking go down in cold weather with the right fasteners. Staining waits for warm, dry weather, which we schedule for spring.
What is the most common thing you find wrong with older decks here?
A ledger with no flashing, nailed instead of bolted to the house. Water runs behind it, rots the ledger and the rim joist of the house, and the deck slowly loses its grip. We check it on every visit.
Is composite decking worth it in a Minnesota climate?
For many people, yes. It does not need staining, it handles snow and a plastic shovel well, and it will not splinter. It costs more up front, gets warmer in direct sun, and still needs a sound frame under it.
Can you replace just the boards and keep my old frame?
Often. If the joists, beams, footings and ledger check out, resurfacing with new boards and railings costs much less than a full rebuild. We probe the framing and look at the ledger before we suggest it.
Will someone actually pick up if I call at night?
Yes. The line is answered around the clock. For an unsafe deck, keep everyone off it, and we will talk you through what to do until a carpenter can look at it in daylight.
Do you only work in Minneapolis?
No. Minneapolis is home base, and we also work across the metro, including Saint Paul, Bloomington, Edina, Plymouth, Maple Grove, Eden Prairie, Woodbury, Lakeville, Blaine and many cities in between.
Read before you build
How deep deck footings have to go in Minnesota
Minnesota deck footings must reach 42 inches below grade. See why short footings heave, tubes vs helical piers, and what an inspector checks.
Read the guideComposite, PVC, cedar or pressure-treated: what holds up in Minnesota
Pressure-treated, cedar, composite and PVC decking compared for Twin Cities winters: typical cost per square foot, upkeep, snow, heat and value.
Read the guideHow to spot a failing deck ledger before it lets go
Learn to spot a rotting deck ledger and missing flashing from the yard and the basement, and what a proper ledger attachment uses. Read this first.
Read the guideCall about your deck
Tell us what you are seeing or what you want to build. We will ask a few questions about size, height and access, then set a time to look at the site.