Expert Deck Builder in Mount Vernon, OH - Right for Historic and Older Homes

Mount Vernon has a significant share of homes built before World War II, and many in the historic core predate 1920. These houses were built before decks were standard features, and the process of adding a deck to a Victorian two-story or Craftsman bungalow is different from building one on a 1990s colonial. Older wood-frame homes in Mount Vernon sometimes have deteriorated rim joists behind the exterior wall - the structural member a deck ledger attaches to - and this needs to be assessed and repaired before any ledger work begins. Brick homes require opening the wall to reach the rim joist rather than simply screwing a ledger into the masonry. Getting this connection right is the single most important structural detail on any attached deck, and it is where older-home deck work most often goes wrong.

Knox County sits on clay-heavy glacially deposited soil in much of its developed area, and Mount Vernon properties are not exempt from the drainage and footing challenges that come with it. Clay soil holds water after rain rather than draining it away, which puts ongoing pressure on basement walls and can shift concrete footings that were not properly sized or set at the right depth. The city experiences 20 to 30 inches of snow per year and regular freeze-thaw cycles from December through March - conditions that move shallow footings upward over several winters and show up as uneven, pulling-away deck structure within a few years. Building a deck in Mount Vernon that will stay level and structurally sound over its intended lifespan requires accounting for these soil and climate realities, not just following a standard lumber package.

Mount Vernon is the county seat of Knox County and home to roughly 16,000 to 17,000 residents. The city has a well-preserved historic downtown organized around the Knox County Courthouse, and the residential streets surrounding it are lined with Victorian two-stories, Craftsman bungalows, and brick homes that date back to the late 1800s and early 1900s. East High Street in particular is one of the better-preserved historic residential corridors in central Ohio. Beyond the downtown core, Mount Vernon has postwar ranch and split-level neighborhoods developed in the 1950s through 1980s with larger lots and more yard space than the in-town parcels. Many of these homes are now reaching the age where decks, fences, and other outdoor structures built during the original development era are due for replacement.

Knox County is largely rural outside of Mount Vernon, with small townships and communities spread across the surrounding area. Kenyon College sits about five miles south of the city in Gambier and is one of the county's largest employers, drawing faculty and staff who own and maintain homes throughout the Mount Vernon area. The annual Dan Emmett Music and Arts Festival brings the community together each summer on the city square, named for the Mount Vernon native credited with writing "Dixie." We serve homeowners throughout Mount Vernon and the surrounding Knox County communities. We also work regularly in Johnstown, OH to the south, and throughout Licking, OH and the surrounding area.