Decks and fences are most of what we do. They are not all of what we do.
A lot of our best work started as a phone call that opened with “this might be a weird one.” If it’s structure, it’s outdoors, and it should still be standing in fifteen years, it’s worth asking about.
Screened porches
The highest-use outdoor space we build, and it isn’t close. A deck is unusable during a Tennessee July evening; a screened porch is where the family actually ends up.
Structurally it’s a deck with a roof, which means the framing, footings, and posts have to carry real load — this is not a project where you get to approximate. We build the deck floor, the roof structure, the screen framing, and the finished ceiling. Ceiling fans, outlets, and lighting get roughed in while the framing is open, because retrofitting them later means taking the ceiling back down.
Popular additions: a hanging swing bed, a section left unscreened for a grill, and composite decking underfoot so the floor never needs resealing.
Carports
A carport is one of the highest-value structures per dollar we build. It keeps weather off the vehicles, and if it’s detailed correctly it reads as original to the house rather than bolted on afterwards.
The difference between those two outcomes is roofline and materials. We match pitch to the existing roof, use exposed timber trusses where the architecture supports it, and wrap or clad posts to match the house — brick-matched bases where the house is brick. A gabled two-car carport with open trusses looks like it came with the property. A flat aluminum shelter looks like a flat aluminum shelter.
Carports need footings and, in most jurisdictions here, a permit. Both get handled.
Pergolas
Shade and definition without a full roof. A pergola turns an oversized patio into a room with edges, and it gives climbing plants something to work with.
Freestanding or attached, sized to the space rather than to whatever the kit manufacturer decided. We’ve built them over existing patios, integrated into new deck builds, and — a few times now — around an existing pergola a homeowner wanted to keep while the deck underneath got replaced.
Custom gates
Gates are where fences fail, because gates are the part that moves. Several hundred cycles a year on a hinge, in weather, with a heavy panel hanging off two posts.
We build gates to match the fence line rather than ordering a stock panel and shimming the gap. That means correctly sized and braced posts, a frame that resists racking, and hardware rated for the actual weight. Single walk gates, double gates for equipment access, and drive gates.
Custom detail is where these get fun — a branded plate, a curved top rail, or horizontal boards running against a vertical fence to make the gate read as deliberate rather than as a hole in the run.
Repairs, restorations, and the weird ones
Refinishing a composite porch. Rebuilding a deck under a pergola the owner wanted kept. Replacing a rotted stair system on an otherwise sound structure. Matching twenty-year-old railing profiles that nobody stocks any more.
If you’re not sure whether we do it, call and describe it. Worst case we tell you it’s not our trade and point you at somebody whose trade it is — there are a few Middle Tennessee contractors we’ll happily recommend, and you can see who on our partners page.
Frequently asked
Do you build screened porches on existing decks?
Sometimes. It depends entirely on whether the existing framing and footings were sized for a roof — most decks weren’t. We’ll assess it and tell you honestly whether it carries or needs reinforcing.
Can a carport be attached to the house?
Usually yes, and attached generally looks better than freestanding because the roofline can tie in. It depends on the existing roof and wall structure, which we check at the walkthrough.
Are pergolas and carports permitted?
In most jurisdictions across our service area, yes — anything with footings and a roof structure typically requires one. We handle the application.
Do you do fence gates separately from a fence?
Yes. A new gate on an existing fence line is a common job, and it’s often the single fix that makes an older fence feel maintained again.
