Deck Builders of Maryville builds custom wood and composite decks in Oakhurst and across Blount County, with particular attention to the drainage and airflow details that decide how a deck holds up under mature tree cover.
No pressure and no obligation. We respond the same day, confirm your address is in our Blount County service area, and set up a time to come look at the space.
New builds in wood and composite, custom multi-level layouts, covered decks and pergolas, railing systems, and repairs to decks worth saving.
Pressure-treated pine and cedar — the most affordable route to real outdoor space.
Learn more →Low-maintenance decking that resists fading, mold, insects and splintering.
Learn more →Multi-level layouts, picture-frame borders, built-in seating and integrated lighting.
Learn more →Design, permitting, footings, framing and finish — handled end to end.
Learn more →Roofs and pergolas that keep the space usable through heat and afternoon storms.
Learn more →Joist and post replacement, re-decking, ledger corrections, code upgrades.
Learn more →Oakhurst is a residential community in the Maryville area of Blount County. Like much of the older residential land in the Tennessee Valley, a good share of it sits under mature hardwood canopy — which is genuinely pleasant to sit under in July, and genuinely hard on a deck.
A deck in full sun sheds water within hours. A deck under heavy canopy does not. It stays damp after every rain, and in a region that takes well above the national average in annual rainfall, that adds up to a surface which spends much of the year wet. Add leaf litter packing into the board gaps and our summer humidity, and you get mold and mildew on top and moisture held against the framing underneath.
Homeowners usually blame the decking material. It is almost always drainage, debris and airflow instead — which is good news, because those are design decisions rather than expensive ones.
The fixes are unglamorous and they work. Correct board spacing so leaf litter falls through instead of packing into the gaps and holding water. Real ventilation under the deck rather than sealed skirting that traps humid air against the joists. Joist tape over the top edge of the framing, which is cheap and dramatically extends the life of the structure where water would otherwise sit. And drainage that moves water away from the posts rather than around them.
Material choice helps but does not substitute for the details. Composite resists mold and moisture far better than neglected wood, though no decking is immune to surface mildew when organic debris is left sitting on it through a wet Tennessee autumn. If your lot is heavily shaded and you would rather not scrub a deck every spring, that is a legitimate argument for composite.
The most common request here is replacing a deck that failed from underneath while the surface still looked serviceable — the classic signature of a shaded, poorly ventilated build. The second is re-decking with composite specifically to get out of the annual cleaning cycle that heavy canopy forces on a wood deck.
We also get asked about removing trees to fix the problem. Usually the wrong trade: shade is worth a great deal in a Tennessee summer, and the deck can be detailed to live with it.
Whether your lot backs onto mature hardwoods, sits closer to the Little River side of the county, or is right in among the Maryville neighbourhoods, we'll come measure your Oakhurst project and give you an honest written quote at no cost.
Deck Builders of Maryville is a Maryville-based deck contractor working throughout Blount County. If you're not certain your address falls inside our service area, send it through the form and we'll confirm either way.
Surface mold and mildew on a shaded deck is usually a drainage, debris and airflow problem rather than a material failure. What helps is correct board spacing so leaf litter falls through instead of packing in, genuine ventilation under the deck rather than sealed skirting, joists detailed and taped to shed water, and clearing the leaf load each autumn. Composite copes better than neglected wood, but any surface will mildew under sitting organic debris.
Rarely, and usually you shouldn't want to — shade is one of the more valuable things a deck can have through a Tennessee summer. What matters is that the canopy is accounted for in the design: spacing, ventilation, drainage and framing detail. Root structure is the one real constraint, since footing locations sometimes have to shift to avoid major roots. We work that out on site.
Footings need to bear below the local frost line so seasonal freeze-thaw cycling can't lift them, and they need to be sized for the load each post actually carries. Both the required depth and the inspection process are set by the jurisdiction governing your address, so we confirm the current requirement for your location rather than working from a rule of thumb. The footing inspection is part of the permitted process.
Yes. Cut-offs, fasteners and packaging are removed, and we run a magnet sweep for dropped screws and nails before we leave — which matters more than it sounds if you have kids, pets or a lawnmower. We walk the finished deck with you, confirm you're satisfied, and go over care for the material you chose.
A straightforward single-level pressure-treated deck around 12 by 20 feet with no railing typically starts in the $4,000 to $12,000 range, depending on elevation, footing work and whether a new ledger is needed. Fully custom designs generally add roughly 25% to 35% over a basic build, and an elaborate composite deck with stairs, premium railing and a pergola can pass $25,000. We give a written price after a free on-site visit rather than quoting blind.
In most cases yes, and which office issues it depends on where the property sits. Addresses inside Maryville city limits permit through the City of Maryville, addresses in Alcoa through the City of Alcoa, and addresses in unincorporated Blount County through the county building and codes office. As a general rule a deck that attaches to the house, sits more than about 30 inches above grade, or exceeds roughly 200 square feet needs a permit and inspection. We confirm the requirement for your address and handle the permitting.
Deck Builders of Maryville works across Blount County, Tennessee — from Maryville and Alcoa out to the communities along the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains. Select any community for details on deck building in that area.