Clean Construction / Decks / Grafton, Ohio
Wood and composite decks for Grafton village lots and township acreage — built ten minutes from home base, with footings below frost and drainage figured out before a single post is set.
Grafton is ten minutes from Clean Construction's home base in LaGrange, and the work here looks like the town: village lots along the Black River's east branch, and township parcels out toward Indian Hollow where the backyard doesn't really end — it just becomes field. A deck out here isn't decoration. It's where the grill lives, where the dogs post up, where the evening actually happens.
River-adjacent and low-lying Grafton lots hold water, and wet clay is the enemy of every shortcut deck ever built. Brad reads the grade and the drainage before the layout is final, then digs every footing below the 32-inch frost line to undisturbed soil so the frame stays where he put it — through spring mud and January freeze alike.
On acreage, Brad will also talk honestly about scale. A bigger deck isn't always the answer; sometimes it's a modest deck done in composite with room left in the budget for the patio or fire pit that finishes the space. Permitting for Grafton runs through the Lorain County Building Division, and Brad handles it end to end.
Northeast Ohio frost drives 32 inches down, and the clay-heavy ground around Grafton will heave anything sitting shallower. Every footing is dug below the frost line and poured on undisturbed soil — then inspected before a single post goes up.
Most deck failures start at the house connection. Brad opens up the connection point, flashes it correctly, and through-bolts to actual structure — or builds the deck freestanding on its own footings when that's the honest answer for your house.
Clay lots don't forgive bad water planning. Before the layout is final, Brad looks at grade, downspouts, and where roof water actually goes — so the ground under your deck stays solid instead of turning into a spring swamp.
The permit runs through the Lorain County Building Division, and the job gets inspected at the stages the code requires. Brad handles all of it — drawings, application, inspector on site. The paper trail protects you when you sell.
More projects, including additions, patios, and retaining walls, in the full portfolio.
Size, height, wood or composite, rough budget if you have one. Vague is fine — "we want somewhere to eat outside" is enough to start the conversation.
He looks at the house connection, the grade, the soil, the door heights, where the sun lands in the evening. This is where a deck stops being a rectangle on paper and starts being your deck.
Framing, decking, railings, footings, permit — line by line. Wood and composite priced side by side if you're deciding. Nothing buried, and money is settled in the contract before anything starts.
Permit pulled, footings inspected, frame up, decking down, railings on, final inspection passed. Brad is on site through it, hands on most of the work. Most decks take one to two weeks of build time.
In most cases, yes. Attached decks and most decks of any real size need a building permit, which runs through the Lorain County Building Division. Brad handles the permit application, drawings, and inspections as part of the job — you never deal with the counter.
The Residential Code of Ohio requires footings to bear below the frost line — 32 inches in this part of the state. Every Clean Construction footing goes below that depth so the deck doesn't heave when the ground freezes. Shallow footings are the most common failure on older decks in Northeast Ohio.
Pressure-treated wood costs less up front and takes any stain, but wants cleaning and re-sealing every couple of years. Composite costs more up front and is essentially wash-and-go. Most decks Brad builds run a treated frame with composite decking — but he'll price both honestly at the site visit and let the numbers talk.
Most residential decks run one to two weeks of build time once the permit is issued and materials land — longer for multi-level builds or extras like covered sections and built-in benches. You get the schedule before work starts.
It depends on size, height, material, and railing choices, so Brad doesn't quote blind and you shouldn't trust anyone who does. He walks the site, then you get a written, itemized estimate with every line explained. The site visit and the estimate cost you nothing.
It changes the planning more than the carpentry. Township parcels mean more wind and sun exposure, sometimes softer ground, and usually a conversation about how the deck fits a bigger outdoor plan — fire pit, future patio, pole barn sight lines. Brad builds the deck so it anchors that plan instead of fighting it, and the permit still gets pulled and inspected like any village job.
Fill this out or call him directly. Either way you're talking to the person who builds it.
Brad will call you back the same day. If it's urgent, call him directly at 440-315-4438.