Santa Monica · Deck Services
Deck Design
Scaled drawings, 3D renderings and a permit-ready plan set, produced by the people who will build it.
Deck Design · Santa Monica
Drawing It Before Anybody Cuts Anything
Deck design is where the money is saved. An hour spent moving a stair run on paper costs nothing; the same change on day nine of a build costs a fortnight. We produce scaled plans, elevations and a 3D rendering for every project we take on, and we do it before anybody quotes lumber, because the drawing is what makes a fixed price possible. The process starts on site rather than at a desk. We measure the yard, check where the sun actually falls in the afternoon, look at sight lines from the kitchen window and from the neighbours, work out where the door swing and the barbecue and the seating want to be, and find out where the footings can physically go once the tree roots and the utility runs are accounted for. Then we draw it. You see the shape, the levels, the stair placement, the railing style and the material before committing to any of it, and you can move things while moving them is free. Because we build what we draw, the plan set is buildable rather than aspirational, and it goes into plan check as a permit-ready package. That is not always true of a design produced by someone who never has to construct it. If the layout is already settled and you want a price on it, go straight to Deck Building. If the yard falls away steeply, the drawing will need an engineer alongside it, which is covered under Hillside Decks.
Why Have Us Draw It
A design that cannot be built is worse than no design at all, and we see a few of them every year: beautiful renderings with a stair landing where a footing cannot go, or a cantilever nobody costed. Everything we draw gets checked against the footing plan, the material lengths and the permit rules on the same day it is drawn, because we are the people who will have to build it. The drawings are yours either way, and the design fee comes off the build price if you go ahead with us. We would rather you saw an honest picture of what your budget buys than be talked into a rendering that quietly assumes a bigger number.
- Scaled plans, elevations and a 3D rendering on every project, before any lumber is quoted.
- Drawings checked against the footing plan and the local code the same day they are produced.
- Sun path, sight lines, door swings and tree roots all worked out on site rather than assumed.
- A permit-ready plan set that goes into plan check as submitted, rather than needing a redraw.
- The design fee comes off the build price when you go ahead with us.
- Material options priced against the same drawing so the comparison is real.
Reasons To Start With A Design
Design pays for itself fastest in these situations:
The yard is an awkward shape
Narrow side yards, wedge-shaped lots and gardens that fall away in two directions rarely suit an off-the-shelf rectangle. Drawing it is the only way to find out how much usable space is actually there.
You have a budget and want to know what it buys
A drawing lets us price the same footprint in redwood, composite and hardwood, and lets you see what dropping ten square feet or one level does to the number. That conversation is impossible without a plan.
The project needs a permit
Plan check wants a scaled site plan, framing plan, elevations and structural details. A sketch will be rejected. Producing a proper set at the start avoids a round of corrections and the weeks that go with them.
You want built-in features
Bench seating, planters, a fire pit, a privacy screen, an outdoor kitchen or integrated lighting all have to be framed in from the start. Adding them afterwards means opening up work that was finished.
There is an HOA or a design review
Brentwood, Beverly Hills and several Palisades associations want a package before they will approve anything. Submitting a proper set first time is the difference between six weeks and six months.
Two people disagree about the plan
A rendering settles more household arguments than any amount of description does. Seeing the stair on the left rather than the right is worth more than talking about it.
Most designs are back with you inside a week of the site visit, with the rendering and the price together. Call: (310) 564-8939
How The Design Process Works
One site visit, one draft, one revision round, and a permit-ready set at the end.
1. Site visit and measure
We measure the yard, record levels and slope, note where the sun lands through the afternoon, check tree roots and utility runs, and find out where a ledger could attach. We also ask how you actually plan to use the space, which changes the drawing more than anything else.
2. First draft and rendering
Scaled plan, elevations and a 3D view showing the shape, levels, stairs, railing style and material. You get a price against it at the same time, so the design and the number arrive together rather than weeks apart.
3. Revisions
One round of changes is included and most projects only need one. This is where the stair moves, a level gets added or dropped, or the material changes. All of it is free at this stage, which is the entire point of drawing first.
4. Permit set and structural details
Once the layout is agreed we produce the framing plan, footing schedule and structural details for plan check, bringing in a licensed structural engineer where the height or the slope requires stamped drawings. Then we file it.
What Gets Designed In
The elements worth deciding on paper rather than on site:
Levels and zoning
Splitting a large surface into two or three levels breaks it into rooms, follows a sloping yard naturally, and keeps the lower tiers below the height that triggers a guard rail. It costs more in footings and repays it in how the space actually gets used.
Built-in bench seating
Perimeter benches free up the middle of the deck, double as a low guard on a raised edge, and hide storage underneath. They have to be framed in from the start, which is why they belong on the drawing rather than in a later conversation.
Planters and greenery
Integrated planters soften a large expanse of decking and screen a neighbour without the permanence of a fence. They need drainage designed in and a liner, or they will quietly water the framing underneath them for years.
Privacy screens
Slatted screens, louvred panels and trellis work handle the overlooking problem that comes with dense Westside lots. Height limits apply and vary by city, which is a design constraint rather than an afterthought.
Deck lighting
Low-voltage LED in the stair risers, along the guard posts and under the bench edge makes the space usable after dark and takes the stairs out of the accident category. The wiring runs during framing, so it has to be planned before the boards go down.
Outdoor kitchens and fire features
A counter, a built-in grill or a fire pit each carry weight, heat clearance rules and often a gas line. All three are structural decisions that get framed for, not surface decisions made at the end.
Gates, stairs and circulation
Where the stairs land decides how the garden is used. Gates matter for pool enclosure compliance and for keeping small children off a drop. Both get placed on the plan against the real routes people walk.
Porches, gazebos and shade structures
A covered porch, a freestanding gazebo or an overhead frame changes the footing layout underneath, so it belongs in the first drawing. What that structure becomes is covered under Pergolas and Patio Covers.
What Deck Design Costs
Design is priced against the complexity of the site and the drawing set the project needs. What moves it:
- Site complexity. A flat rectangular yard is a short measure. A multi-level canyon lot with three changes in grade takes a day on site before anything is drawn.
- Whether a permit set is needed. A concept drawing and a rendering is one thing; a stamped plan set with framing plans and footing schedules for plan check is another.
- Structural engineering. Elevated and hillside projects need a licensed engineer, which is a separate professional fee we coordinate and pass through at cost.
- Number of revision rounds. One is included. Most projects use one. Extensive redesigns after the layout is agreed are billed hourly.
- Built-in features. Kitchens, fire pits, integrated lighting and planters each add detail drawings, since each has to be framed for specifically.
- HOA or design review packages. Some associations want elevations, materials boards and neighbour notifications, which is additional preparation.
The design fee comes off the build price if you go ahead with us, so on most projects it costs nothing in the end. The drawings are yours regardless. Pricing for the construction itself is broken down on the Deck Building page, and you can see the whole range of custom deck work across the Westside in one place.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I get a 3D rendering?
Yes, on every project. You see the shape, the levels, the stair placement, the railing style and the material before committing to anything. It is the fastest way to find out that the stair belongs on the other side, and finding that out on screen costs nothing.
How long does the design take?
Most first drafts are back with you within a week of the site visit, with a price alongside them. A revision round adds a few days. A full permit set with structural details takes longer, typically two to three weeks, and longer again where a structural engineer has to produce stamped drawings for a hillside or elevated project.
Can I use your drawings with another builder?
Yes. The drawings are yours once the design fee is paid, and you are free to take them anywhere. The fee only comes off the build price if we do the construction, which is the only string attached.
Do you design decks on slopes?
Constantly. Most of the Palisades, the Brentwood canyons and half of Mar Vista fall away from the house. Sloped sites need more design work rather than less, because the level changes, the footing depths and the stair runs all have to be resolved on paper first. Anything significantly elevated also picks up structural engineering, which we coordinate.
Can you match the design to my house?
That is generally the point. A Spanish revival bungalow in Mar Vista, a mid-century in Culver City and a contemporary in the Palisades each want different proportions, railing styles and board widths. We take cues from the house rather than dropping a standard shape into every yard.
What if I already have plans from an architect?
We will build to them. What we will do first is check them against the footing conditions, the material lengths and the local code, and flag anything that will cause a problem in plan check or on site. That review is free and it is worth having before the permit goes in.
Planning a deck in Santa Monica?
Tell us what you want to build and where it sits, and we will come out this week with a free estimate and a fixed price.
Or call us now: (310) 564-8939