Low-upkeep decks for Duluth hillsides and lake winters.
Erik Lindqvist and a crew of three build composite decks on the steep, rocky lots Duluth is known for. You get a deck you sweep and shovel, not one you sand and stain every other summer.
- Footings to 60 in., below Duluth frost
- Hidden fasteners, safe to shovel
- 5-year labor, 25-year boards
Three ways to deck it, side by side
Installed prices for Duluth in 2026, on a pressure-treated frame with footings, stairs extra. We build all three, but we will tell you which one suits your lot.
What a deck really costs over 15 years
The build price is only part of it. Pick a material and a size to see building cost plus upkeep, year by year, at our current prices.
- Treated pine
- $0
- Cedar
- $0
- Composite
- $0
15-year totals. Upkeep assumes our staining or sealing service at today's prices. Treated pine includes replacing about a third of the boards around year 12.
Composite, cumulative cost
$0
What sits under the boards
On a hillside, the frame is the deck. Here is how we build every one of them, including the parts you only see the week we dig.
The Duluth deck year
The ground here is frozen from about late November to early May. Design in winter, dig when it thaws, and you are on your deck by July.
Booking for 2027 builds now. Design visits signed by March 1 get a May or June start.
Book a design visitTwo recent builds
What clients say
4.9
average from 96 Google reviews
"Our lot drops eleven feet from the back door. Two other builders wanted to do stilts and cross-bracing that looked like a fire tower. Erik stepped it down in two levels and it looks like it grew there."
"Third winter on the composite deck. I shovel it with a plastic shovel every storm and it still looks new. The old cedar one needed sanding every June."
"They told us honestly that our budget fit treated pine better than composite and showed us the 15-year numbers. We went composite on the top deck only. Good call."
Built by people who shovel their own decks
I grew up in Duluth's East Hillside and spent ten years as a commercial carpenter before starting Lakewalk Decks in 2016. Our crew is four people. We build about 25 decks a year, mostly composite, mostly on lots other builders would rather skip.
What we won't do
- Set posts in the ground or on blocks. Every post sits on a bracket above a frost-depth footing.
- Nail a ledger to your house without flashing and through-bolts.
- Sell you composite when treated pine is the better fit for the budget.
- Leave the site for weeks mid-build. Once we start, we stay until it is done.
MN Residential Building Contractor BC-781204 · Fully insured
Where we build
Duluth and about 30 miles around it, on both sides of the bridge.
Questions before you build
Can you build in winter?
Not footings. The ground is frozen to about 5 feet from December to April. We do design visits, drawings and permits all winter so we can dig the week the ground thaws.
Does composite get slippery in snow and ice?
About the same as wood. Shovel with a plastic shovel and use calcium chloride ice melt, not rock salt. Both are fine for the boards we install.
How do you handle a steep lot?
Usually with a stepped deck, two levels joined by a short stair, so no post is more than about 10 feet tall. Where there is ledge rock, we pin the footings to the rock.
Do I need a permit?
In Duluth, yes for any deck attached to the house or more than 30 inches above grade. We draw the plan, file it and meet the inspector. The fee is usually $150 to $350.
Will dark composite get too hot?
Dark colors get warm in direct July sun. On south-facing decks we suggest a lighter gray. We bring sample boards so you can feel them in your own yard.
How is payment split?
25% to schedule and order materials, 50% when the frame passes inspection, 25% after the final walk-through.
Book a free design visit
Erik comes out, measures the slope, checks for rock and shows you board samples. You get a drawing and a written price within a week.