8 questions to ask before you get three deck quotes
There's no perfect deck board, and no perfect frame: different yards call for different things. Three builders will happily price exactly what you wrote down; the good one tells you why they'd change it. These eight questions make any builder do that, us included.
1. Which board, exactly? Which maker, which line, which colour?
Why ask: “Composite decking” is a category, not a product. Deckorators makes five lines, TimberTech ten, Trex six, and they don’t perform the same.
2. Why that line for my yard?
Why ask: A dark board in full sun, a shaded deck that stays damp, a pool edge, two big dogs: each one changes the right answer.
3. Where is it made, and who stands behind the warranty?
Why ask: A warranty is only as good as the company behind it, and how easy they are to reach from Ontario.
4. What will it look like in ten years?
Why ask: Every board looks good on day one. Fading, scratching, chalking and sagging show up later.
5. What’s under the boards, and why?
Why ask: The frame and footings are the part you’ll never see again. And today’s pressure-treated wood isn’t what your old deck was built from: it’s fast-growth lumber, grown to be harvested again as fast as possible, and copper-treated since about 2004.
6. Which railing, and why that one?
Why ask: Railing is the thing you look through every day, and it moves the price more than most people expect.
7. What does each option really add?
Why ask: Lighting, a wider stair, a privacy screen: you can’t weigh them without knowing what each one costs installed.
8. What would you change about my plan, and why?
Why ask: This is the question that sorts builders. One who guides you has an answer with a reason. One who takes orders repeats your spec back.
We've answered all eight ourselves, for your yard and your plan. Start the conversation with us, or call (705) 300-2903.
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Mike · Simcoe Decks · Updated 2026-11-09
Simcoe Decks · 92 Caplan Ave, Barrie, ON · (705) 300-2903 · info@simcoedecks.ca
