Excel Custom Decks has announced that deck inspections are available across its Wisconsin service area for the current deck season, conducted by NADRA Certified Deck Inspectors on its staff. The family-owned company, founded in 2000, is offering the inspections to homeowners with existing decks ahead of the months when outdoor structures see their heaviest use.
The inspection follows the structural standards published by the North American Deck and Railing Association, of which the company is a member. Rather than a surface review, it examines load-bearing conditions, the ledger attachment where a deck meets the house, footing condition, framing members, fasteners and connection hardware, and guard and stair construction.
Connection points draw particular attention. Industry research on residential deck failures has consistently pointed to the ledger connection and to fasteners and hardware as common points of structural failure, rather than to the decking surface a homeowner actually sees. That distinction is central to how the inspection is sequenced, moving from the visible surface to the structure supporting it.
Timing carries added weight in Wisconsin. State code requires deck footings to bear below the frost penetration level or at least 48 inches below finished grade, whichever is deeper, a threshold set by the ground movement that occurs through every winter freeze and thaw cycle. Repeated frost cycling and moisture exposure can affect framing members and connections that appear sound when viewed from above.
Wisconsin code also differs from the national norm in a way that affects older structures. The state requires guards on any deck more than 24 inches above grade, where most states use a 30-inch threshold, and it sets minimum guard height and baluster spacing accordingly. Decks built decades ago, or altered without permits, may not reflect the standards now enforced.
"An older deck can look completely fine from above and still have a connection problem underneath," said Rob McDonald, owner of Excel Custom Decks. "The point of an inspection is to give a homeowner a documented answer about the structure rather than an assumption."
Excel Custom Decks backs its construction work with a lifetime labor warranty. The composite and PVC decking systems it installs carry manufacturer material warranties of up to 50 years, depending on the product line selected.
The company holds an A+ rating as a BBB Accredited Business and maintains membership in the Metropolitan Builders Association, the National Association of Home Builders, the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, and the Wisconsin Builders Association. McDonald serves on the board of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry and holds Deckorators Certified Pro Elite status, among the highest tiers in that manufacturer's professional program.
"Sitting on a board and holding a manufacturer certification both come down to the same thing, which is keeping current," McDonald said. "Codes change, hardware changes, and material systems change, and an inspection is only useful if it reflects what the standards actually require today."
Beyond inspections, Excel Custom Decks designs and builds residential decks in platform, raised, multi-level, rooftop, curved, and cantilevered configurations, finished with composite and PVC decking from manufacturers including Trex, TimberTech, and Deckorators. Every project includes design consultation and 3D deck modeling before construction begins, and the company installs under-deck systems covering drainage, waterproofing, lighting, and enclosed storage on elevated builds.
The two sides of the business connect directly. Where an inspection identifies a structure that has reached the end of its service life, the same team handles replacement, carrying the findings into how the new deck is framed and detailed.
"Inspections and new construction inform each other," McDonald said. "Seeing how decks come apart over 25 years changes how the next one gets built."
Excel Custom Decks operates from offices in Franksville and Madison and has completed more than 5,000 projects since its founding. The company remains family-owned and works with homeowners across Southeast and South Central Wisconsin, with select projects in Northern Illinois.
Excel Custom Decks is a family-owned custom deck builder and outdoor living company based in Franksville, Wisconsin, with a second office in Madison. Founded in 2000 and owned by Rob McDonald, the company designs, builds, and inspects residential decks and backs its construction work with a lifetime labor warranty. For more information, visit excelcustomdecks.com.
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For more information about Excel Custom Decks, contact the company here:
Excel Custom Decks - Franksville
Josiah McDonald
+14144852817
josiahrmcdonald@gmail.com
12000 W 6 Mile Rd Suite A, Franksville, WI 53126, United States
