Dine
Room for the table, and for chairs to pull out without hitting the guard.
We lay out furniture before we frame.
What makes a Canadian deck different
Most of a good deck is the part you never see.
Freeze–thaw cycles lift shallow footings, snow loads roofs and pergolas, and municipal permits kick in sooner than most homeowners expect. We design for all three from the first sketch.
1.2m
Minimum footing depth
The Ontario Building Code puts deck footings at least 1.2 m below grade, beneath the frost line.
600mm
Where permits and guards begin
About 24 in above grade is the line in Ontario municipalities and cities like Calgary.
3inspections
Footing, framing, final
The typical sequence when a permit is issued. We schedule each one into the build.
General guidance from published municipal deck guides. Your municipality's rules govern.
Programme
Start with how you'll live out there.
The use decides the size, the height, the structure and even the permit. So we ask about dinners, hot tubs and grills before we talk about boards.
Lounge
Deep seating, a fire table, and shade for long evenings.
Pergola posts land on their own footings.
Soak
A hot tub behind a privacy wall, ready year-round.
A filled tub is a concentrated load; framing is designed for it.
Cook
A covered outdoor kitchen with grills and a dining zone.
Gas and electrical work is done by licensed trades.
Sheet S-101 preview
Every deck starts as a section drawing.
Before we talk colours, we draw the deck in section: footings, posts, beam, joists, decking and guard. That drawing is what your permit office reviews and what your crew builds from.
- Frost footings or helical piles, chosen for your soil and access
- Framing sized for snow, hot tubs and roofs
- Guards and stairs laid out to code before we price
Sheet A-101 · Deck Planner
Size it, price it, check the permit in two minutes.
Drag the dimensions, pick a height and a board, and watch the plan redraw. You get a planning range from published 2026 Canadian price guides, the guard height, a footing count and a permit flag.
Open the plannerCalendar
Design in winter. Build when the ground thaws.
Footings need thawed ground, and permits take time. The best-run projects are drawn and approved before spring.
JanDesign & drawings
FebDesign & drawings
MarPermit applications
AprLocates, footings as ground thaws
MayBuild season
JunBuild season
JulBuild season
AugBuild season
SepBuild season
OctBuild season
NovFinal inspections
DecBook next year
Design & permitsGround workBuildClose-out
Selected work
Drawn, then built.
Illustrative project concepts showing the kinds of decks and outdoor rooms we design.
Multi-level deck with fire table
- Type
- Multi-level
- Height
- 0.6 – 1.8 m
- Decking
- Wood-tone composite
- Features
- Step lights, fire table
Steel pergola with privacy slats
- Type
- Ground-level
- Structure
- Black steel pergola
- Decking
- Warm wood tone
- Features
- Slatted privacy screen
Lakeside covered lounge
- Type
- Covered deck
- Roof
- Tongue-and-groove ceiling
- Guard
- Aluminum and glass
- Features
- Fire table, TV wall
Next step
Tell us about your backyard.
A design consult starts with how you want to use the space, then covers size, height, materials and what your municipality will need.