Hennepin County
Porch and deck building in Hopkins (55343)
Hopkins is a small, older city where 1920s to 1950s homes sit on compact lots near its historic Main Street, so porches and decks have to fit tight yards and close neighbors.
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- Serving 55343
Hopkins at a glance
Making the most of a compact Hopkins backyard
Hopkins packs a lot into a small footprint. The streets around Main Street and the older blocks north and south of it are lined with story-and-a-half homes, small bungalows and post-war ramblers on lots that leave little room between the back door, the garage and the neighbor's fence. Many of these houses have a tiny landing or a deck barely big enough for two chairs. With careful layout, the same yard can usually hold a deck that seats a table, keeps the path to the garage open and stays inside the setbacks.
Front porches are the other half of the work. Older Hopkins homes often have an open front porch or a small entry porch with square posts and a low roof, and the posts tend to rot where they meet the floor. We support the roof, replace the posts and rotted floor framing, then rebuild the steps on footings below the 42-inch frost line. If you'd rather close the porch in against mosquitoes, we can screen it while keeping the roofline and trim that give the house its character.
Small-lot deck and porch work we do in Hopkins
Landings that should be decks
A four by four foot landing at the back door gives you nowhere to sit. We study the setbacks and the garage path, and we can often fit a deck several times that size without crowding the yard.
Porch posts rotting at the floor
Water collects where porch posts meet the floor boards, and the bottoms soften over time. We support the roof temporarily, cut out the bad sections and set new posts on raised bases.
Privacy between close houses
A neighbor's windows can sit just a few yards from your deck. A slatted privacy screen or a planter wall on one side gives you some cover without closing the whole yard in.
Steps squeezed by the driveway
Side and back steps often sit right beside a driveway or walk. We turn the stair direction and add a landing so you aren't stepping straight into the path of the car.
Deck services Hopkins homeowners call us for
Typical prices for these jobs in Hopkins
Ranges from 2026 Twin Cities projects. Your price comes in a written scope after we see the site.
| Service | Typical range | Priced |
|---|---|---|
| Front Porch Repair and Rebuilds | $1,870 to $18,600 | per porch |
| Custom Deck Building | $38 to $96 | per square foot installed |
| Screened Porch Building | $24,800 to $68,500 | per porch |
| Deck Privacy Screens and Walls | $1,460 to $5,980 | per screen run |
| Deck Stair Building and Repair | $1,460 to $6,920 | per stair run |
| Deck Extensions and Additions | $47 to $93 | per square foot added |
Deck questions from Hopkins
How big a deck can fit behind a small Hopkins house?
It depends on lot depth, garage location and the city setback rules. Many Hopkins backyards can hold something around 12 by 16 feet, which is 192 square feet and enough for a dining table. We measure the yard, check the rules and sketch a size that leaves room for the walk out to the garage.
Can you screen in the open front porch on my older Hopkins home?
Yes, in most cases. We check that the floor framing and footings are sound, then add screen panels between the posts and a screen door at the steps. The roof, columns and trim stay, so the porch still matches the house from the street. If the floor is soft, we rebuild it first.
Do porch repairs on Hopkins homes near Main Street need city approval?
Structural porch repairs, new porch roofs and rebuilt steps usually need a building permit, and Hopkins reviews the plans before work starts. Simple board replacement may not. We confirm the requirements with the city for your project, prepare the drawings and file the permit when one is needed.
Deck work in Hopkins? Call any hour.
We are on the phone 24/7 and on site across Hopkins every week. Tell us about the deck and we will set a visit.