Sometime around the first 80-degree week in March, our phone gets busy. You've spent another summer staring at a bare patio slab that turns into a griddle by June. You've got kids who want to be outside, and a spouse who's been texting you porch pictures for two years straight. You know what you want. What you don't know yet is who to trust with it.
We get it. Drive through any neighborhood in Tarrant County and you'll see yard signs from a dozen outfits that "do decks." Some are fence companies branching out. Some are remodelers who mostly do bathrooms. Others are landscapers who claim they can build patios, porches or decks in their off-season. Archadeck of Northeast Fort Worth is one of the few that only builds outdoor spaces. Since that's hard to tell from a Google listing, we wanted to explain how we work and what we think you should expect from whoever you hire.
Brisket and Birthday Cakes
A pastry chef and a pitmaster both cook for a living. You still wouldn't ask the pastry chef to smoke the brisket for your Fourth of July party. Same kitchen, totally different craft.
We look at outdoor building the same way. A deck is bolted to your house and should be built with the integrity to carry a crowd. A covered porch or patio has to move rainwater off a roof that ties into your existing roofline. And here in North Texas, the ground itself often works against us. Tarrant County clay acts like a sponge, puffed up after a rainy week and cracked wide open by August. Set a footing or pour a patio without planning for that, and it can lift or split. Then add the heat (105-degrees isn't unusual), hail big enough to chew up bargain materials, storms that blow in right at dinnertime, and the occasional ice storm like the one back in February 2021. None of that is side-job territory.
Outdoor living is our whole business. We design and build custom decks, patios and hardscapes, covered porches, screened porches, pergolas, sunrooms, outdoor kitchens and fire features. Because that's all we do, our crews already know how to set footings for shifting clay and which decking holds up under Texas sun.
Six Things We Think You Should Expect
When we sit down with homeowners, we tell them to hold us, and anyone else they're considering, to six standards: how we conduct business, how we run a job, what you're really getting for the money, how we handle design, the quality of our finished work, and how we take care of you after the crew packs up. Here's how we approach each one …
How We Conduct Business
Something a lot of homeowners don't realize: Texas doesn't issue a statewide license for general contractors. Cities handle registration and permits, and trades like electrical and plumbing are licensed separately. With this in mind, we make a point of being upfront about the details. We pull the permits with your city. We'll hand you our certificate of insurance without you having to ask twice. Every Archadeck location carries at least $1 million in liability coverage, and our team is trained, licensed and certified wherever it applies.
Workers' comp is worth asking about with any contractor you meet. Texas is the one state where most private employers can opt out of it, so plenty of small crews don't carry it. If someone gets hurt on your property, you'll want to know whose policy covers it.
We also think the small stuff matters early on. We return calls. We show up when we say we will. Our written estimate matches what we talked about with you, in your backyard. If we can't get those basics right before you sign, you'd have every reason to wonder about the next three months.
As for codes, Arlington, Keller, Colleyville, Hurst and the rest each have their own permit offices and local amendments, and we work with them constantly. We treat code as the minimum, though. Archadeck's own building standards often go further, and we build to those.
How We Run a Job
We'll gladly walk you through a project from contract to final inspection, in detail, before you commit to anything. You'll know who your point person is, what gets inspected and when, and how we track every step. None of it lives only in someone's head.
Our process has three stages:
Consult. We come to your house and walk the backyard with you. We'll look at which way the back faces (west-facing yards in DFW get punished in the afternoon), how the lot drains after a gully-washer, and what you plan to do out there. Watching the Rangers with friends? Smoking ribs every Saturday? Getting the kids off screens? There's no charge for this visit and no obligation.
Design. Next, we build a custom plan around your house and your routine, and we give you an exact price. Not a range. The number on the page is the number you pay.
Build. Our crews follow Archadeck's Job Process Methodology from layout through the final walkthrough, and you'll hear from us as each phase wraps up.
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What You're Really Getting for the Money
We know a low bid looks great on paper. But a lot of our calls come from homeowners in year three of someone else's low bid. Loose railings. A patio cracked in half because the base wasn't prepped for our soil. Fixing shortcuts almost always costs more than doing the work right the first time, so we'd rather price it honestly up front.
Being part of Archadeck Outdoor Living, the largest outdoor living builder in North America, means we can tap into designers and builders across the country when a project gets complicated. We also work with top material suppliers, such as TimberTech, AZEK, and Belgard. Many manufacturers' warranties depend on the product being installed correctly, and our training is set up to keep yours intact.
Some of the best value we offer comes from small suggestions during design. We'll usually steer you toward lighter decking colors, since they stay cooler when it's 100-degrees out. We'll talk about ceiling fans under a covered patio, because they can make August bearable. Smokers throw off a lot of heat, so we'll set the cooking area a few feet away from where everyone sits. And if a fire pit might be on your wish list in a year or two, we'll sometimes run the gas line during the build, so nobody needs to dig up your brand-new patio later.
How We Handle Design
A new modern build in Haslet and a 1970’s ranch in Haltom City requires different things. So does a big lot in Colleyville versus a tight backyard in Euless. Throw in HOA rules (some neighborhoods around here are picky about materials and colors), and a cookie-cutter plan just doesn't work. And at Archadeck we don't use one.
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In our design meetings, we spend most of the time asking about how your family will use your potential outdoor space. Expect a few ideas from us you hadn't thought of. What you won't get is a nudge toward whatever's fastest for our crew. And if any part of that conversation starts to feel like a sales pitch, tell us. We mean that.
You pick the materials, colors and structure, and then we get into the good stuff together. Maybe that's an outdoor TV and heaters on a covered porch, a full outdoor kitchen next to the smoker, or a pergola that shades the pool deck at 5 p.m. If you'd like a head start, download our free Design Guide.
The Quality of Our Finished Work
We sweat the details because you'll be looking at them for years. Deck boards spaced the same all the way across. Railings that offer safety and stability. Every stair with the same rise, so nobody catches a toe on the third step. Patios pitched a hair away from the house, so rain runs off instead of sitting. Trim details cut clean where they meet the house.
We'd encourage you to look at our past projects next to other companies' work. Most folks can pick out the better job in a few seconds, even if they'd have a hard time explaining it. Scroll through our photo gallery, or ask during your consultation and we'll show you the little things we're picky about.
What Happens If Something Goes Wrong
We put our warranty in writing, so you know, before anyone breaks ground on your project, exactly what is covered and for how long. Without a written warranty, homeowners are mostly left relying on state law, and that path tends to involve attorneys and a lot of waiting. We don't want any of our clients in that spot.
We also know some homeowners have been burned by a contractor who disappeared halfway through a job. That's one reason our warranty is backed by more than just our local office.
When we serve as your remodeling contractor, you get a one-year written warranty on workmanship, covering issues like splitting or badly warped boards, roof leaks and shifting pavers. You also get a five-year written warranty on structural parts: footings, paver base, columns, beams, joists, rafters, stair stringers, railing posts and rails. On top of that, the National Guarantee Corporation backs your project, guaranteeing it will be finished to the terms and specs of your contract, with a performance warranty of up to two years. Manufacturer warranties on things like decking, pavers and appliances still apply. The fine print is on our warranty page.
You get us, a local team you can call directly, with a national company standing behind our work. That speaks volumes.
Right Here in Northeast Tarrant County
We're based in Arlington and build throughout Bedford, Colleyville, Euless, Fort Worth, Haltom City, Haslet, Hurst, Keller and North Richland Hills. Check our service area page for your area.
We live here too, so we see firsthand what this climate does to outdoor projects. Stain that bakes off a wood deck in two summers. Hail dents on thin metal roofing. Patios cracked by soil movement. Mosquitoes that run everyone inside after dark. We plan materials, footings and screening with all of that in mind.
We also know how folks around here like to spend time outside. A covered patio might be the most-used room in the house from March through November. A screened porch lets you enjoy an evening without getting eaten alive. And for a lot of families, the outdoor kitchen is where Saturday comes alive.
Questions We Hope You'll Ask Us
When we come out for your estimate, bring a list. Ask us whether outdoor structures are our main line of work (they are!). Ask who pulls the city permits (we do!). Ask for our proof of insurance. Ask for a fixed price in writing before anything starts. Ask who'll be on site day to day. Have us walk you through the warranty in plain English. And ask for addresses of a few similar jobs nearby so you can drive past.
We'll answer every one of those without hesitating, and we'd encourage you to ask the same of anyone else you're talking to. Our guide to choosing a contractor has even more pointers.
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Experience The Archadeck Difference for Yourself!
The easiest way to find out if we're the right fit is a free design consultation at your house. We'll look at the yard, hear your ideas, and tell you straight what we'd recommend and what it'll cost. No pressure either way.
Call Archadeck of Northeast Fort Worth at (817) 587-0059 or schedule an appointment online using our easy contact form.
