Tiered · Stepped · Built into the slope · East End, Cincinnati, OH · 45226
Multi-Level Decks in East End, OH
Multi-level decks in East End, where the small upper platform takes the wall and the large one stands free. A multi-level deck is what you build when the ground will not cooperate. Stepping it down a slope in two or three platforms keeps each level closer to grade and shortens the stair run dramatically. It can take an entire guard out of the job, because a deck under 30 inches to the ground does not need one. You also get separate zones instead of one large floor with everything on it.
Multi-level decks in East End
East End (ZIP 45226) has old houses on a narrow strip, and on a good many of them the connection to the back wall is the most involved part of a deck. Where the floor joists inside run parallel to that wall there is no line of joist ends behind it, so a path for the fixings has to be built from underneath before a ledger goes on.
That work is proportional to length. A twenty foot ledger is twenty feet of blocking dropped in between joists from below, marked bay by bay, in whatever headroom the underfloor gives. An eight foot ledger is eight feet of it. The wall does not get easier, but there is a great deal less of it to do.
Splitting the deck is what makes that choice available. The upper platform is the arrival off the door and it does not have to be large: eight or ten feet across is a landing, a table and a route. That is the only part tied to the house. The lower platform, which is where the deck actually spreads out, sits a step down on its own line of posts and touches the wall nowhere at all.
It is worth pricing both ways. We look under the floor at the estimate, see what the bays give us, and put the numbers for a full-width ledger and a short one side by side.
What is included in multi-level decks in East End
The alternative to stepping a deck is standing it on tall posts, and on a sloping lot that gets expensive quickly. Long posts need lateral bracing. The stair run grows by roughly 14 inches of horizontal travel for every foot of height, so a deck four feet up throws a flight most of five feet into the yard. And every foot above 30 inches means guard all the way around.
Stepping it changes all three. Two platforms at 18 and 36 inches cover the same fall as one at 36, but the lower one needs no guard at all and the steps between levels are a short flight rather than a staircase. Less railing, less bracing, less stair, set against the cost of a second beam line and the connection between the two frames. On a flat lot people build them for a different reason: a level change separates the grill from the table and the table from the seating without any walls.
Levels set from your doors and the fall
Heights come off the door sills and the slope of the yard, so each level lands where it is actually usable.
Every level on its own footings
No level hanging off the one above it. That is what stops one settling and pulling the rest of the structure out of true.
Short flights between levels
Two or three steps, built to the same tolerance as a staircase. Between levels is exactly where people expect the ground and find a step.
When one level is not enough on a East End yard
Four things that say a single-level deck is the wrong shape for your yard.
The yard falls more than about 18 inches across the footprint
At that point a single deck is either high at one end or needs the ground reworked. Stepping it keeps the lower platform near grade, which is where the savings on guard and stair come from.
The stair run would eat the yard
Roughly 14 inches of projection for every foot of height. A deck four feet up puts a flight nearly five feet into the lawn. That is often straight through the spot you wanted the deck for.
You want the grill away from where people sit
A level change does this in a way furniture never does. It is the most common non-terrain reason people build them and it is a legitimate one.
Two doors at two different heights
A slider off the kitchen and a door off a sunken family room are rarely level with each other. Two platforms let both open straight out with no step at either threshold.
Worth knowing
The 30-inch line decides the design
Most jurisdictions here want a guard once the walking surface is more than 30 inches above the ground below. That one number drives a multi-level design more than anything else, because guard is priced by the foot.
It is measured to the ground at the worst point near the deck edge, not at the house. On a falling lot a platform 24 inches up at the back is easily 34 at the front corner, and the guard requirement follows the worst case.
What a second level costs
It adds a beam, its footings, the connection to the level above, and a short flight between them. It takes guard away wherever the lower level sits under 30 inches, and it shortens the main stair.
On a slope those roughly cancel, and the stepped deck ends up close in price and much better to use. On a flat lot nothing is removed, so it is a straight addition, and what it buys is a deck that zones itself: the grill off the traffic route, the table away from the seating, with no walls anywhere.
FAQ
Multi-Level Decks in East End questions
Which office covers this?
The City of Cincinnati. The drawing shows the ledger only across the upper platform, with the blocking detail at the bays it lands on, and the lower frame as freestanding with its own posts, because the two halves are assessed differently.
Is a freestanding platform as good?
Structurally it is independent, which is a clean way to build. It takes its own line of posts at the house side and those go in with the rest of the footings.
How small can the upper platform be?
Big enough to open the door onto and get past a chair, which is usually eight feet out at least. Below that it becomes a landing and the deck loses the level it uses most.
What if there is no access under the floor?
Then the blocking cannot be fitted, so a row of posts goes in close to the wall and carries that edge instead. On a split deck that is a short row and it costs very little.
Do the two platforms move independently?
They are tied at the transition beam so the joint holds its line. Each frame has its own supports and the connection between them is detailed for it.
Does getting material to the back matter here?
On this strip it usually does. We walk the route at the estimate and settle the order things arrive in, since the lots are narrow and the street is the staging area.
We bring your vision to life
Most of our work starts as a sketch on a kitchen table. A door that opens onto a drop, a slope nobody wants to mow, a corner the sun ruins at four in the afternoon. We measure it, draw it, price it line by line, and build the deck you signed off on rather than the one that was easiest to frame.
Bulldog 6 step process
A deck that is still tight in fifteen years is not an accident of good lumber. It is the result of standards you can count on.
Design & Layout
We measure up, then agree the size, the shape, the materials and where the steps go. You get a drawing and an itemized price before anything is ordered.
Engineering & Permit
We draw the plans, get them stamped by an engineer where the county asks for it, submit them and pull the permit. Inspections are booked and the boards go on order.
Demolition & Footings
The old deck leaves in a dumpster the same week. The utility locate goes in two working days before digging, the footings go below the frost line, and the holes are inspected before concrete.
Framing & Flashing
We bolt the frame to the house and flash where the two meet, so rain runs off instead of into the wall. The county inspects it before any decking covers it.
Decking & Railing
Boards go down with the right gaps, the railing is built to take a grown adult leaning on it, and every step is the same height. We sweep up daily.
Inspection & Sign-Off
We walk the finished deck with you and fix your list before the final payment. That last pass is the Bulldog Finish, and the paperwork is yours to keep.
Our work
Decks we have built
Covered deck with a stone fireplace and a mounted screen
Composite boards and black aluminum balusters
Who you are hiring
Cincinnati deck builders since 2001
A family-owned crew out of Cincinnati, covering both sides of the river and the communities around it.
What we are good at is structure that has to last. We are not the cheapest quote you will get, and the difference is under the boards rather than on top of them.
- 1,400+ decks built and rebuilt since 2001
- Built for freeze-thaw winters and clay that heaves
- W-2 carpenters on payroll, never subcontracted out
- Permits pulled in every jurisdiction we work in
- Written, itemized estimates before you commit
Why homeowners choose us
What makes us different
Six things you can check before you sign anything, and hold us to afterwards.
- Family-owned and operated since 2001
- Licensed and fully insured
- 4.9 stars from 600+ reviews
- Financing available
- Decks built to last through Ohio winters
- Composite, wood, covered decks and pergolas
In their words
What homeowners say
Great experience from the entire team. Very professional contractors, who deliver on their design (which by the way are spot on!). I hope to use them more in the future. My wife and I are excited to use our new deck with the entire family. Shout out
There is a reason why Bulldog Deck is an award winning company. Each time we step out onto our amazing deck, we are reminded of the all the designing, planning and constructing that puts them at the top. My wife found Bulldog Deck and was impressed
My family and I couldn't be happier with our new outdoor living space and Bulldog Deck were extremely professional throughout the entire process and the end result was just amazing! As important is the follow up and customer support that we
Related services
Financing available
Spread it across the year, not the month
A new deck is one summer of work, and our financing menu is built so it does not have to be one summer of savings. Spread it across the year on approved credit and the deck goes in this season.
On approved credit. Terms vary by lender and project size.
Materials
Decking materials we build with in East End
Pressure-treated pine
The most affordable and most common choice, and it takes a stain beautifully every time we re-coat it.
Redwood and cedar
Naturally resistant to rot and insects, with a rich warm color and a softer feel underfoot.
Tropical hardwoods
Ipe, tigerwood and cumaru. Dense enough to shrug off dents, insects and rot for decades.
Capped composite
Recycled wood fiber and plastic wrapped in a protective polymer shell. No annual sealing.
Advanced PVC
Fully synthetic with no wood content. Light, highly moisture-resistant and cooler underfoot in sun.
Aluminum
Fireproof, rust-proof and bug-proof, and lasts a lifetime with almost no upkeep.
Where we work
Proudly decking the Tri-State
Cincinnati and Surrounding Areas: southwest Ohio, Northern Kentucky and southeastern Indiana. 170 communities, covered by our own crews.
Counties & cities we serve
Hamilton County, OH
- Cincinnati
- Blue Ash, OH
- Norwood, OH
- Montgomery, OH
Butler County, OH
- West Chester, OH
- Hamilton, OH
- Fairfield, OH
Warren County, OH
- Mason, OH
- South Lebanon, OH
- Maineville, OH
Clermont County, OH
- Milford, OH
- Batavia, OH
- New Richmond, OH
Kenton County, KY
- Covington, KY
- Fort Mitchell, KY
- Erlanger, KY
Campbell County, KY
- Newport, KY
- Fort Thomas, KY
- Bellevue, KY
Boone County, KY
- Florence, KY
- Union, KY
- Burlington, KY
Dearborn County, IN
- Lawrenceburg, IN
- Aurora, IN
- Greendale, IN
No obligation
Get a written estimate, not a guess
We walk the job, measure it, and leave you with an itemized number. No obligation and no follow-up pressure.
Request your estimate
Most estimates are scheduled within two business days.
Multi-Level Decks in 170 neighborhoods covered by Bulldog Deck
Cincinnati Neighborhoods(52)
- Sedamsville
- Sayler Park
- Riverside
- Multi-Level Decks in East Price Hill
- West Price Hill
- Lower Price Hill
- Over-the-Rhine
- Downtown
- Multi-Level Decks in West End
- Mount Adams
- Mount Auburn
- Clifton
- Corryville
- Northside
- Multi-Level Decks in College Hill
- Walnut Hills
- East Walnut Hills
- Avondale
- Hyde Park
- Oakley
- Mount Lookout
- Columbia-Tusculum
- Mount Washington
- Multi-Level Decks in Madisonville
- Pleasant Ridge
- Westwood
- Pendleton
- Queensgate
- Multi-Level Decks in CUF
- Camp Washington
- South Fairmount
- Multi-Level Decks in East EndCurrent page
- North Fairmount
- Evanston
- South Cumminsville
- English Woods
- North Avondale
- Millvale
- Multi-Level Decks in Paddock Hills
- Spring Grove Village
- Linwood
- Bond Hill
- Villages of Roll Hill
- East Westwood
- Multi-Level Decks in Western Hills
- California
- Carthage
- Winton Hills
- Roselawn
- Mount Airy
- Hartwell
- Kennedy Heights
Hamilton County, OH(54)
- Norwood
- Blue Ash
- Montgomery
- Multi-Level Decks in Madeira
- Multi-Level Decks in Wyoming
- Multi-Level Decks in Mariemont
- Multi-Level Decks in Cheviot
- Covedale
- St. Bernard
- Elmwood Place
- Delhi Hills
- Golf Manor
- Fairfax
- Mack
- Monfort Heights
- Multi-Level Decks in Bridgetown
- Finneytown
- Amberley
- Arlington Heights
- North College Hill
- Newtown
- Multi-Level Decks in Turpin Hills
- Silverton
- Lockland
- Groesbeck
- Mount Healthy
- Reading
- Multi-Level Decks in Dent
- Deer Park
- Terrace Park
- Dry Run
- White Oak
- Forestville
- Cherry Grove
- Kenwood
- Lincoln Heights
- Dillonvale
- Woodlawn
- Addyston
- Greenhills
- Northbrook
- Multi-Level Decks in Indian Hill
- Evendale
- Multi-Level Decks in Glendale
- Sharonville
- Northgate
- Springdale
- Miamitown
- Forest Park
- Multi-Level Decks in Pleasant Run
- Multi-Level Decks in Cleves
- Multi-Level Decks in North Bend
- Loveland
- Harrison
Clermont County, OH(16)
- Mount Carmel
- Summerside
- Withamsville
- Milford
- Mulberry
- Mount Repose
- Day Heights
- New Richmond
- Amelia
- Batavia
- Owensville
- Goshen
- Moscow
- Newtonsville
- Multi-Level Decks in Williamsburg
- Bethel
Butler County, OH(9)
- West Chester
- Ross
- Fairfield
- Beckett Ridge
- Wetherington
- Hamilton
- Millville
- New Miami
- Monroe
Warren County, OH(6)
- Multi-Level Decks in Mason
- Landen
- Loveland Park
- Maineville
- Pleasant Plain
- Multi-Level Decks in South Lebanon
Kenton County, KY(15)
- Covington
- Erlanger
- Ludlow
- Multi-Level Decks in Park Hills
- Bromley
- Fort Wright
- Fort Mitchell
- Villa Hills
- Lakeside Park
- Crescent Springs
- Crestview Hills
- Edgewood
- Taylor Mill
- Elsmere
- Independence
Campbell County, KY(10)
- Newport
- Bellevue
- Multi-Level Decks in Fort Thomas
- Dayton
- Southgate
- Wilder
- Highland Heights
- Cold Spring
- Alexandria
- Melbourne
Boone County, KY(5)
- Florence
- Hebron
- Burlington
- Union
- Walton
Dearborn County, IN(3)
- Lawrenceburg
- Multi-Level Decks in Greendale
- Aurora