Deck Builders in Sun Lakes, AZ

Deck Builders in Sun Lakes spend as much time on paperwork as on framing. Sun Lakes is an active adult community made up of five country club communities under three homeowners associations, and it sits in unincorporated Maricopa County. That means most projects need two approvals: one from your HOA and one from the Maricopa County Planning and Development Department. We prepare for both and keep the design simple to maintain.

Your association first

The five communities are organized under three HOAs. Oakwood and IronWood are gated, Palo Verde and Cottonwood include both gated and non-gated areas, and Sun Lakes 1 is non-gated. Each association sets its own rules on what can be added behind or beside a home. Before we finalize a design, we ask for your association's guidelines and match colors, roof pitch and materials to them. You get a drawing and a materials sheet to submit.

Then the county

Because Sun Lakes is a census-designated place rather than a city, building permits come from Maricopa County. The county's attached patio cover and carport standards, dated April 2014, call for Douglas Fir No. 2 or better framing, two #4 bars per footing, a minimum roof slope of 1/4 inch per foot, and decay and termite protection for posts. Members larger than the county tables allow require a registered engineer. Required inspections typically include footings before concrete, framing, electrical if shown, roof sheathing, drywall if used, and a final. We schedule those and meet the inspector on site.

Materials that ask little of you

With persons per household averaging 1.62 and most residents 65 or older, homeowners here often want outdoor space they can enjoy without a yearly maintenance list. Our usual recommendations:

• Composite or PVC decking in lighter shades that stay cooler underfoot
• Aluminum or powder-coated railings that never need paint
• Hidden fasteners so there are no screw heads to catch a shoe
• A solid patio cover over the main sitting area, rather than open sky

Steps, rails and safe footing

Falls are the risk we design against most. Where a deck is raised, we keep risers consistent, treads deep and handrails graspable on both sides. Slip-resistant textured boards help after a monsoon shower. Where possible, we build at door level so there is no step at all between the kitchen and the deck.

Smaller lots, careful layouts

Sun Lakes covers about 5.38 square miles and many homes back onto golf courses or common areas, so backyards can be compact. We work around setbacks, existing patios, irrigation lines and views of the fairway, and we keep the structure from overwhelming the yard.

Refreshing what is already there

Not every project is new. Many homes here have an aging wood deck or a patio cover that needs new railings, re-staining or replacement boards. We can resurface an existing frame with composite if the structure checks out, which often avoids a full rebuild.

Next step

Call (480) 428-2835 to book a visit. We come out, measure, review your HOA rules with you and leave you with a written quote covering design, materials, county permit and inspections.

Call (480) 428-2835