JK General Contractor builds mostly in western Fairfax County, the side of the county closest to our shop: Chantilly, Centreville, Herndon, Reston, Clifton, Oakton and Fairfax, with Vienna and Great Falls for the right project. The work here is mostly replacement and upgrade. Most houses here date from the late 1980s to the 2000s, and the decks and patios that came with them are giving out.
What do Fairfax County homeowners ask us to build?
Most calls start with an old deck. The boards are gray, a railing post wobbles, and the family wants to know whether to fix it, replace it or turn it into a screened porch. We answer that by looking under it: the footings, the ledger board bolted to the house, and the joists and beams.
- Deck replacement in composite on new footings and framing
- Screened porches and three-season rooms where the old deck was
- Porticos and covered front porches on older colonials
- Paver and stone patios below a new deck
- Front walks and steps rebuilt on a proper base
Replace the deck or replace the boards?
Replace the deck when the structure is worn. New composite boards on a 25-year-old frame put a long-lasting surface on a short-lived structure, and you pay for the boards a second time when the frame gives out. When the footings and framing are sound and sized for the job, keeping them can make sense, and we will tell you so at the estimate.
On houses from the late 1980s and 1990s, the ledger is the part we look at hardest. It is the board bolted to the house that carries one side of the deck, and when the flashing above it has failed, water has been working into it and the rim of the house for years.
How does the Fairfax County permit process work?
Fairfax County requires a building permit for a deck, a screened porch, a portico and any roofed addition, with inspections at the footings, the framing and the end. The county also checks the plan against the zoning rules for your lot, such as how close you can build to the property line. JK General Contractor prepares the drawings, files the application and books each inspection.
Chantilly is the one place where the county takes a second look: most of ZIP code 20151 is in Fairfax County, while much of 20152 is in Loudoun. We confirm which county your street is in before we file. See our Chantilly page for more on building near our shop.
Do older Fairfax neighborhoods have HOAs?
Many do, though the rules tend to be lighter than in the newer Loudoun communities. Some only ask that a deck or porch match the house; others want drawings and colors before work starts. We find out what your association needs at the estimate and give it the drawings and samples it asks for.
Which projects make sense on a 1990s colonial?
A covered entry and a screened room do the most for these houses. A portico gives a flat front door a roof and a little presence from the street. At the back, a screened porch or three-season room where the old deck stood adds a room the family uses from spring into late fall, and a stone patio below it gives the kids and the grill their own space.
Towns we serve in Fairfax County
Centreville, Chantilly, Clifton, Fairfax, Great Falls, Herndon, Oakton, Reston and Vienna. If you are nearby and not sure we cover your street, call (571) 437-2511.
One company for the whole back of the house
When the deck, the porch and the patio are built together, the floor heights, the stairs and the drainage are planned as one. Our carpenters and masons both work for JK General Contractor, so see Porches and Decks and Patios and Hardscapes for what each crew builds. Next door, see Loudoun County and Prince William County.