To an untrained eye, a deck can be one of the simplest ways to boost property value and improve their property’s curb appeal. However, as simple as they may seem, decks can become quite complicated, and it is important to acquire as much information as possible before starting the project.
A permit for a deck can sometimes cost more than the project itself. Yes, believe it or not, this is true. For example, if you want to build a front deck, and a contractor gives you a quote of $2000, don’t make the mistake of assuming that this fee takes care of everything. For example, what the contractor may not have taken into account was the big tree in your front yard that needed to be cut down in order to build the deck, and this won’t be as simple as you thought. Cutting a tree down requires going to the adjustment committee. Now, all of a sudden, your $2000 deck has an additional fee of $1000 just to get it legalized. In a different scenario, your deck might be too close to the sidewalk, which would require an additional permit that probably wasn’t accounted for in the initial quote. Because we’ve seen these scenarios so many times, we always try to educate our clients to ask as many questions as possible before they start building a deck, because even a simple project like that can turn into a real nightmare and won’t bring any real value to the property.