Blue Mountains deck builder: composite decks built for snow, slope and four seasons

Updated October 26, 2026 · By Mike, Simcoe Decks

Simcoe Decks builds composite decks across the Town of The Blue Mountains, including Thornbury, Clarksburg and Craigleith. Snow load, slope and four-season use change the structure here, so we build on helical piles and match the frame to the board, with Fortress steel under our premium Voyage decks.

Where: Across the Town of The Blue Mountains, including Thornbury, Clarksburg and Craigleith. We're based in Barrie.

What we build: Composite decks, two-level decks, hot tub and pool decks, stairs, glass and aluminum railings, lighting, privacy walls and louvered pergolas

Boards: Deckorators Venture, Summit and Voyage. Around a pool or hot tub, Voyage first.

Frame: Pressure-treated (today's fast-growth lumber) or Fortress Evolution steel, matched to the board

Footings: Helical piles turned in to bear below the frost line, about 4 ft down

Warranties: Voyage boards: 50-year structural. Fortress steel frame: 25-year. Our workmanship: 3 years, in writing.

Permits: Needed for a deck over 60 cm (24 in) above the ground, with escarpment and conservation rules on some lots. We plan the building permit as part of the build.

First step: Tell us what you're planning. We prepare a model you can explore, then visit the lot.

Why does a Blue Mountains deck need a stronger structure?

The Blue Mountains is not a starter-deck market. Four things change how a deck here has to be built:

Snow. The climate brings significant snow loads and freeze-thaw cycles. The Ontario Building Code's snow table doesn't list The Blue Mountains, but next door it sets Collingwood's ground snow load at 2.7 kPa, against 2.5 for Barrie.
Slope. A lot can fall away from the house, so the deck stands taller on sloped or variable soil.
What it carries. A deck may hold a hot tub, glass railings, even an enclosed room, as our two-level deck does, and each one adds weight to the frame.
Four seasons. Four-season use changes the structure too: the enclosed room on our two-level deck is usable in nearly every month.

So we start below the ground. Our helical piles are turned in to bear below the frost line, about 4 ft down; they resist frost heave and are well suited to larger decks and sloped or variable soils. On top of them, we match the frame to the board: pressure-treated, today's fast-growth lumber, under Venture, Fortress steel worth a look under Summit, and steel definitely under Voyage. Steel can't rot, twist or shrink, it spans further so fewer posts land on the slope, and the frame carries a 25-year warranty.

Which deck boards suit a Blue Mountains backyard?

We install three of the five Deckorators lines, Venture, Summit and Voyage, and we lean to Summit and Voyage: the strength of a composite with no organic material in it. Around a pool or a hot tub, Voyage first. In full sun, Summit or Voyage in a lighter colour. Where budget comes first, Venture.

Voyage carries a 50-year structural warranty. We're a Deckorators Certified Elite builder, so a warranty claim goes through us, not a call centre.

What have we built in The Blue Mountains?

About a dozen decks, from pool decks to full outdoor rooms. Two are written up as case studies:

A two-level deck that started as a hot tub platform. The house had two patio doors and nowhere to step out. The finished deck is two levels of Voyage Costa with Dark Slate accents on helical piles and Fortress steel, with frameless glass, In-Lite lighting and an enclosed room with motorized guillotine windows and a heater, usable in nearly every month. The footprint needed a minor variance, and we built it straight through the winter of 2025. Read the two-level Blue Mountains case study.
A builder-grade deck replaced in a new pool backyard. A small wood deck from a previous builder became Voyage Tundra with Sierra accents on Fortress steel, with a powder-coated privacy wall and dimmable low-voltage lighting. We finished it on a fixed deadline, working alongside the landscape partners, pool installers and electricians. Read the Blue Mountains outdoor living case study.

Do you need a permit for a deck in The Blue Mountains?

Usually. The Town of The Blue Mountains requires a building permit for a deck more than 60 cm (24 inches) above the ground, for decks built as an addition to the house, and for enclosing an existing deck of any size. A low, uncovered deck that isn't part of a required exit may not need one, but it still has to meet the zoning by-law, so we identify the approvals during planning.

The application: a site plan with the setbacks to every property line and the lot coverage, and construction drawings to scale with a plan and at least one section.
The designer: a designer with a BCIN is needed when anyone other than the homeowner designs the deck, or when a hot tub, pergola or gazebo will sit on top of it.
Inspections: the town inspects at set stages, and anything covered up before its inspection has to be uncovered.

Two other approvals can apply, depending on the lot:

The Niagara Escarpment. Part of the Town falls under the Niagara Escarpment Commission's development control. Under the rules as amended in July 2026, a deck on a house can be exempt from an NEC development permit if it's a use the Escarpment Plan permits, all the decks together cover 110 square metres or less, and it sits at least 1 metre from the side and rear lot lines and 10 metres from the front (or no closer than the house already sits). On a waterfront lot the water side counts as a front, and the deck also has to sit 10 metres back from an escarpment rock-cliff brow. Otherwise, an NEC permit comes first.
Conservation authority. The Town checks against Grey Sauble or Nottawasaga Valley Conservation's regulated areas. Near rivers, the Georgian Bay shoreline, wetlands or slopes, their permit may be needed, and decks count.

A bigger footprint can also need a minor variance: our two-level deck here did, with drawings and coordination with the municipality. We plan the building permit as part of the build, not as your homework.

Can a deck here be used in every season?

It can, if it's planned that way. The enclosed room on our two-level deck uses motorized guillotine windows that open fully, lower part way or close, with a heater for the cold months. For shade and rain, an Eclipse louvered pergola is a motorized aluminum roof whose louvers tilt to control sunlight, airflow and rain and close into a watertight seal. A roof can change what your deck needs for a permit, so we identify the approvals during planning. See the louvered pergola page.

How does a Blue Mountains deck project start?

With a few details: where you are and what you want from the space. You don't need drawings, photos, exact measurements or a settled budget. Our team reviews your brief and prepares a model, and you explore layout and material choices with preliminary estimates.

Then we visit the lot, free and normally for about an hour, to confirm measurements, access and site conditions. After that site review we prepare your proposal, with the materials, inclusions, options, pricing and terms, and you decide at your pace. How we work has the full path.

Where else do we build near The Blue Mountains?

Across Grey County, including Meaford: see our Grey County deck builder page. Next door in Simcoe County, see our Collingwood page, and further afield our Barrie and Muskoka pages.

What do Blue Mountains homeowners ask us?

Do you build decks in the Town of The Blue Mountains?

Yes. We've built about a dozen decks across The Blue Mountains, from pool decks to a two-level deck with an enclosed room. We're based in Barrie and build across Simcoe County, Grey County and Muskoka.

What's different about building a deck in The Blue Mountains?

Snow load, slope and four-season use change the structure. The climate brings significant snow loads and freeze-thaw cycles, a lot can slope away from the house, and a deck may carry a hot tub, glass or even an enclosed room. That's why we build on helical piles and frame in steel where the board calls for it.

Do I need a permit for a deck in The Blue Mountains?

Usually. The Town of The Blue Mountains requires a building permit for a deck more than 60 cm (24 inches) above the ground, and some lots also need a Niagara Escarpment Commission or conservation authority approval. We plan the building permit as part of the build, not as your homework.

Can you build in winter?

We have. Our two-level Blue Mountains deck was built straight through the winter of 2025, one of the heaviest snowfall years in recent memory, with the crew clearing snow and protecting materials to have it ready for spring.

Do you work with landscapers and pool builders?

Yes. On one Blue Mountains backyard, our deck team worked alongside the landscape partners, pool installers and electricians to finish before a family visit from overseas. Our best results come when a landscaper brings us in and we work with the homeowner directly for the deck.

Call or text (705) 300-2903 · Start your project

Simcoe Decks · 92 Caplan Ave, Barrie, ON · (705) 300-2903 · info@simcoedecks.ca