A deck isn't just a deck in the Twin Cities. From a lifestyle perspective, it's a place to socialize, relax, and entertain. And from a homeowner perspective, it's paramount to adding extra square footage and good looks to your home. Anyway you slice it, few home improvements have as much potential to add to your quality of life and your home's value as choosing to install deck in Minneapolis, St. Paul, or anywhere else in the greater metropolitan area.
Minneapolis Install Deck and the Minnesota Climate
Some might argue that spending big bucks on an outdoor home improvement in the coldest major metropolitan area in the continental United States doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Ask any Minneapolis deck builder, however, and you'll hear otherwise. Minneapolis-St. Paul's long winters don't discourage people from using their decks, they just make decks all that more valuable and popular when spring and summer do finally roll around. Add to that the tough and resilient mindset of people who call Minnesota home, and you'll find that Twin City deck owners make use of their decks in weather that would have most Americans on the coasts running for cover.
Minneapolis Install Deck: Costs
As attractive as installing a new deck onto your home is to most homeowners in the Twin Cities, it's important to plan ahead for how much one of these projects is going to set you back. Be forewarned, installing a deck in Minneapolis is not a cheap undertaking. ServiceMagic collects data on all projects in the Twin Cities that start out as contractor referrals in our system, and based on that information, the average cost to install deck in Minneapolis runs about $8,000, though they can run as little as $3,500, and reaching as high as $14,000. To be honest, that's more expensive than in most other major cities that we service, and Minnesota's brutal climate probably is as much to blame as any other factor. Cut rate materials simply won't last in the face of Minneapolis-St. Paul weather, making it necessary in most cases to spend a little more for quality decking on any deck installation.
Minneapolis Install Deck and Climate: Choosing the Right Materials
A deck is only as good as the material it's made out of, and that goes double for decks in Minneapolis-St. Paul. As a resident of the Twin Cities, you're well aware of the rough and tumble combination of weather systems that regularly cross Minnesota. From arctic blasts in winter to violent prairie thunderstorms in spring and summer, the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area gets more than its fair share of extreme weather. When it comes to decking, that means that choosing the right material, and being willing to pay a higher price for it, is paramount if you want your new deck in Minneapolis to last.
Pressure Treated Lumber—Pressure treated lumber has long been the working man's solution to decking material. In fact, if you're on a tight budget, this might be your only option. In an ideal situation, a properly maintained deck built from pressure treated lumber should last in the neighborhood of 15 years before it starts to show significant signs of wear. In Minneapolis-St. Paul, however, 15 years is a very generous estimate.
Redwood and Cedar—Because of their natural ability to resist weather and insects, redwood and cedar are the preferred natural wood materials for just about every deck builder in Minneapolis. These woods cost more than pressure treated pine, but in both looks and longevity, they're worth every penny. As an added bonus, because both are technically "soft woods," they splinter less than other wood species, which is good news for decking. Finally, it's worth the extra expense to invest in heartwood versus other cuts of these species, since the heartwood demonstrates the highest level of natural resistance to the elements.
Ipe—This South American hardwood is creating a lot of buzz in Minneapolis deck builder circles. Relatively new on the scene, ipe is rumored to last up to 40 years if you completely neglect it, and a lifetime if you maintain it properly. Those kind of stats are unheard of when it comes to decking materials. Don't expect to get this stuff on the cheap, however. The long life and good looks of an ipe deck come with a price — and a high one at that.
Composite Decking—Composite decking is produced by forming decking out of wood particles (sawdust and other waste material), plastics, and a bonding resin, under high pressure. The result is a virtually maintenance-free, flexible, and attractive alternative to solid wood decks. Composite decking is more expensive as an initial investment, but when you take into account regular maintenance needs of real wood, the higher initial cost of composite decking is balanced out by money you'll save on maintenance. Also, because it's more flexible than natural wood, choosing composite decking opens up design possibilities that wouldn't be an option with materials like redwood and cedar.
Hiring a Minneapolis Deck Builder
Building a deck is an option for DIYers, but it's not a project to jump into lightly. The price of tools, the level of expertise required to do the job right, and the extra inconveniences of obtaining permits and the like, make this a job that most Minneapolitans choose to hire out. Get bids from at least three different contractors, check references, and think about using a referral service like ServiceMagic to help you narrow down the field to several reputable, pre-screened, professionals. It's the best way to ensure you'll end up with a deck in the Twin Cities that won't just look great when it's finished, but that will stand up to the weather in Minneapolis-St. Paul for years into the future. 
Matt Goering, formerly a carpenter and house painter, is a freelance writer for the home improvement industry who has published over 600 articles.
© Copyright 1999-2008, ServiceMagic, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Digg 
Reddit
Del.icio.us
