Design–build decks & patio covers · Lakeshore Mills & Fort Hartwell

The yard is the biggest room in the house.

Meridian designs and builds composite decks, patio covers and rail systems across Lakeshore Mills — steel-framed options, frost-proof footings at 42 inches, and a 30-year board warranty we have actually read.

Services

What the yard can be

01

Composite decks — from $58/sq ft

MoistureShield and Trex lines, hidden clips, joists at 12-inch centres under any diagonal, and a perimeter border mitred at every corner — the detail that separates a deck from a platform.

02

Cedar & ipe decks — from $54 and $96/sq ft

Kiln-dried cedar for the classic warm-grey fade; ipe for the fifty-year hardwood play. Both finished on all four sides before installation, because a board you cannot turn is a board that cups.

03

Patio covers & pergolas — from $7,200

Attached covers with hidden gutters and freestanding cedar pergolas to 16 feet, both engineered for the snow load this county actually gets rather than the one it used to.

04

Rails, lighting & stairs — from $118/ln ft

Aluminum, cable and glass rail systems set with the blocking code asks for, and low-voltage lighting wired before the boards go down so the schematic lives in your warranty folder.

The honest version

Composite or cedar?

Composite buys back your Saturdays; cedar buys the smell of the first warm weekend. We quote both on the same drawing, at the same level of detail, and we have never lost a call by telling a customer the truth about either.

2026 installed rates

Composite deckfrom $58/sq ft

Trex / TimberTech, hidden fasteners

Cedar deckfrom $54/sq ft

5/4×6 western red, plugged screws

Ipe hardwoodfrom $96/sq ft

air-dried, pre-oiled

Steel frame upgrade+$14/sq ft

40-year substructure

Cable railfrom $142/ln ft

316 stainless, code compliant

Lakeshore Mills · 2025–2026

Recent builds

The Nordahl house
The Nordahl house — full-width ipe, Fort Hartwell
Peterson cook deck
Peterson cook deck — composite plus cover
Grove Street
Grove Street — terraced on the slope
Ibarra yard
Ibarra yard — benches and rail, Lakeshore Mills
The Miller quiet deck
The Miller quiet deck — cedar, plug-fenced
Chase lane
Chase lane — deck, fence and gate line
740
decks since 2006
42 in
footing depth — every one
30 yr
board warranty, installed
0
change orders we wrote
The quote said twelve weeks, the calendar said eleven and a half, and the last day was the walkthrough. I have renovated two kitchens in this town and I am still telling people about a deck company.
Gail Peterson — 340 sq ft composite and cover, Fort Hartwell

Asked at every estimate

How long does a deck take?

Design and permitting run two to three weeks; the build itself is ten to fourteen working days for most yards under 500 square feet. A cover adds a week, and the schedule you sign is the schedule we keep.

Do you pull the permits?

Yes — every job, including the survey sketch the county wants for anything within 25 feet of a lot line. The permit number is printed on your contract, not on a napkin.

Can you replace just the boards?

Sometimes. We re-deck over sound framing after a free under-deck inspection — joists, ledger, footings. If the framing is tired we will say so and price the rebuild, because re-boarding a dying frame is the most expensive way to buy a year.

What about winter builds?

Steel and composite install down to each manufacturer's floor temperature; cedar boards wait for 40-degree days. Footings go in before the ground locks, so spring decks are staked in February.

Price the deck. On paper, for free.

Send the rough size and a photo — a real estimate comes back inside one business day, and the site visit turns it into a fixed number.