MAP Quality Fencing & Decks
Wood Deck Installation in LaSalle and Peru, IL
4.9 ★★★★★ 233 Google reviews across Peru and Morris
Cedar and pressure treated decks built on site, so the shape of the deck follows the shape of your yard rather than the other way round.
Where wood still wins
Composite Cannot Be Cut Into Whatever Shape You Want
Composite comes as a board in a set of colors and it is excellent at being that. What it does not do is wrap an above ground pool, follow an odd angle off the back of an older house, or get built into a bench and a planter in the same afternoon.
Wood is cut and built on site. If the yard is an unusual shape or you want something that is not in a catalog, wood is the material that lets us do it.
Your options
What You Are Choosing When You Build in Wood
Lumber choice moves the price more than anything else. Everything below follows from it.
- Western Red CedarNaturally resistant to rot and insects, with grain and color no composite reproduces. Costs more and looks it.
- Pressure Treated PineThe value option and a perfectly sound one. It needs a season to dry out before it will take stain properly.
- Pool SurroundsDecks wrapped around an above ground pool, cut to the curve. This is work composite genuinely struggles with.
- Built In Benches and PlantersSeating and planters framed into the deck rather than set on top of it. Straightforward in wood, difficult in anything else.
- Wood Railing and SpindlesWood rail with wood or black aluminum spindles. Aluminum spindles are a common upgrade that cuts the maintenance.
- Stain or Leave ItSeal it to hold the color, or let it weather to silver gray and do nothing. Both are legitimate choices.
Being straight with you
Wood Needs Sealing. We Would Rather Say So Now.
A wood deck wants cleaning and sealing every two to three years in this climate to hold its color. Skip it and the boards go gray and rough. Plenty of people are fine with that and let it weather on purpose. Either way you should decide it going in, not find out in year three.
- Screws, not nails, through the decking. Nails work loose as wood swells and shrinks through the seasons.
- Gapping set for green lumber. Pressure treated arrives wet and shrinks as it dries, so board spacing accounts for that.
- Framing hardware rated for treated lumber. The chemicals in treated wood corrode standard fasteners.
Wood decks we have built
Cedar and Treated Decks Around the Illinois Valley
Click any photo to open it full size and see the framing and rail detail properly.
The plan
How a Wood Deck Build Actually Runs
Wood is built on site, so more of the work happens in your yard than in a warehouse.
Walk the Yard and Pick the Lumber
Cedar or treated, and what shape the deck actually needs to be. Odd angles and pool surrounds get worked out here with a tape measure.
Design, Permit and Footings
We draw it, pull the permit and set footings below the frost line so an Illinois winter does not lift the deck.
Frame, Ledger and Flashing
Frame goes up and the ledger gets flashed where it meets the house. Water getting in there is what kills decks.
Deck, Rail and Built Ins
Boards, railing, stairs and any benches or planters get built on site. We clean up the offcuts and walk it with you.
Build It in Cedar. Pay Monthly Instead.
The usual compromise is dropping from cedar to treated to hit a budget. 0% financing means the lumber choice can be about what you want rather than what fits this month.
Reviews from our clients
What Homeowners Say About Their Wood Deck
Illinois Valley4.9★★★★★204 Google reviews
Grundy County5.0★★★★★29 Google reviews
★★★★★
I cannot recommend MAP Quality enough. They turned our back upper deck into a beautiful oasis straight out of the movies.
Melyssa Kotecki
★★★★★
My dream deck turned out great. Matthew was so helpful in the planning process, really listening to my ideas.
Cari Lynn
★★★★★
Matthew was wonderful from start to finish. There was a minor issue with a post, not their fault, and they replaced it without hassle.
Dawn Arjes
★★★★★
We hired MAP Quality to build a brand new deck and the finished product exceeded our expectations.
Christopher Quinby, Morris
★★★★★
Matt and his crew were terrific. Quick, clean, and the communication was top notch from the first call.
Andrea Brannon, Peru
Common questions
Wood Deck Questions from LaSalle County Homeowners
Cedar or pressure treated?
Cedar costs more, looks considerably better and resists rot naturally. Treated is cheaper and perfectly solid but needs a drying season before it takes stain. If budget decides it, treated is the honest answer.
How much does a wood deck cost?
Less up front than composite and more over ten years once you count sealing. Square footage, height off grade, lumber choice and railing set the number.
How often does it need sealing?
Every two to three years here to hold the color. You can also let it weather to gray deliberately and do nothing at all.
Can you build around an above ground pool?
Yes, and this is one of the places wood genuinely beats composite. The curve gets cut on site.
Will the boards warp or crack?
Some movement is normal as lumber dries. Correct gapping and screws rather than nails is what keeps that movement from becoming a problem.
Can you put aluminum spindles on a wood deck?
Yes, and it is a popular combination. You keep the wood look and lose the job of painting spindles.
Get started
Get a Written Price on Your Wood Deck
Tell us roughly the size and whether you are leaning cedar or treated. We come out, walk the yard and give you one written price.
Call or text us(815) 579-2435
mapqualityfencing@gmail.com