Deck & Screen Porch Builder in Falls River, Raleigh
Custom decks, screened porches and deck replacements for homes in Falls River and Bedford at Falls River, built by an owner who is on site every day.
Bright Ridge Construction is a deck and screen porch builder working in Falls River, the north Raleigh community off Durant Road in ZIP code 27614, and next door in Bedford at Falls River. Falls River began going up in the late 1990s and Bedford followed in the early 2000s, so many of the original decks behind these houses have now been outside for two decades or more.
We are based just up the road in Wake Forest, and Sam Ridge, who owns the company, builds the work himself and is on your job site every day it runs. Falls River homes sit on tree lined streets, and Bedford rolls down toward the Neuse River. Both make a strong case for the same two projects: a screened porch you can use through mosquito season, and a deck built to sit on sloped, shaded ground for a long time.
Deck and Screen Porch Services in Falls River
Screen Porches
NC State Extension names the Asian tiger mosquito as the most common mosquito in North Carolina and notes that it feeds during the daytime, so under Falls River's shade trees an open deck can be hard to enjoy from late spring into fall.
A screened porch fixes that. We frame the roof, tie it into the house and flash the wall connection so water stays out, then screen it in for a room you can use at noon or at dusk. The Falls River guidelines say closed-in rear porches are acceptable and that the lower portion of every porch has to be enclosed, so we plan the skirting from the start instead of adding it at the end.
Custom Deck Building
We build decks in pressure treated wood and composite, sized to the door height and the yard. When a house sits well above a sloped back yard, the deck needs posts, footings, a guard rail and a real stair run, with the ledger connection to the house worked out on paper first.
The Falls River guidelines also ask that the lower portion of a deck be enclosed or screened, that decks more than four feet above grade use lattice and evergreen shrubs, and that rear decks visible from the street on a corner lot match the front porch detailing. We draw those details into the plan.
Deck Repair and Replacement
A deck built with the house in the late 1990s or early 2000s is due a hard look: soft boards, railing you can rock with one hand, stairs that have shifted, footings that never went deep enough.
NC State Extension calls moist wood one of the most significant conditions that invites eastern subterranean termites, and shaded boards and framing near the ground stay damp. Sometimes the bones are sound and a smaller repair is the honest answer. Sometimes it comes out to the dirt and goes back up right, often with a screened porch added in the same job.
Falls River ARB, Bedford ARC and the Raleigh Permit
In Falls River the board comes before the build. The Falls River Community Association guidelines, last updated in August 2016, say no project for additions or alterations may be started without formal Architectural Review Board approval. Applications go to the management company at least seven calendar days before a scheduled ARB meeting, a normal application turns around within 30 days, and the owners who share a lot line with you sign off on the application. Once work starts, the guidelines expect it to be finished within 90 days.
Bedford at Falls River is a separate community with its own association. Its recorded declaration says decks, patios and fences count as improvements, and nothing gets built until its Architectural Review Committee has approved the plans in writing.
Both communities are inside the City of Raleigh, which requires a building permit for a deck or screened porch. The city asks for a residential permit form, a certified survey, a site plan and structural elevations, and elevations are required for any screened porch or roofed structure.
We give you drawings and a written estimate detailed enough for architectural review, and we plan the calendar around the board meeting instead of hoping it lines up. Rules get updated, so check with your management company for the current version of your guidelines before you apply.
Who Builds It, and What Backs It
- Sam Ridge owns the company and builds the work, and he is on your job site every day the job is running
- Fifteen plus years of hands on residential construction and carpentry, on the tools since he was twenty
- An engineering education at NC State behind the framing decisions, and a Wake Forest upbringing behind the rest
- Drawings and a written estimate detailed enough for your Falls River or Bedford architectural review
- A free in person consultation, at the house, out in the yard where the deck or porch is going
- Nothing gets started until the scope and the price are in writing and you have agreed to both
- Every project carries a 1 year workmanship warranty
Client Reviews
“Fantastic experience. Sam worked to build my deck and was the project lead on our sunroom. I highly recommend. Sam is meticulous, receptive to feedback, ethical and honest, and has a customer first mentality. The pricing was as expected and the quality exceeded my expectations.”
“Sam put an extension on our side porch making it more comfortable for my husband with Parkinson’s to enter our house. He listened to all our concerns and worked efficiently and with great care. Sam is very kind and caring as well as professional. We have several neighbors compliment his work!”
“From start to finish, communication was outstanding. They were always very considerate working in our home. They paid attention to the details like punctuality, prep, daily clean-up, and keeping us informed every step of the way. Our bathroom looks great, was done right. It’s a good feeling when you know you hired the right people!”
Our Simple 3-Step Process
Consultation
Tell us about your project. We call or text back fast and make sure it is a good fit.
Planning & Proposal
A clean plan and a clear written estimate, usually within about 72 hours, ready for your HOA application.
Build
We bring your project to life with care and craftsmanship, and the owner on site daily.
A Porch and a Deck, Built as One Job
One layout works especially well behind a Falls River house, a screened porch off the kitchen with an open deck beside it: shade and screens for eating and reading, open sky for the grill. Building both at once means one design for the board to review, one permit, one set of footings planned together and one crew on site. If your deck is already there and in good shape, we can look at putting the porch on it. If it is not, replacing the deck and adding the porch in the same build is usually the cleaner path.
Serving Falls River and North Raleigh
We build throughout Falls River and Bedford at Falls River in north Raleigh, from the streets near Durant Nature Preserve to the Bedford neighborhoods with access to the Neuse River Greenway Trail, and across the rest of 27614. Falls River is a short drive from our home base in Wake Forest.
Falls River Deck and Screen Porch Questions
Do you build screen porches in Falls River?
Yes. Screen porches are one of our core services, and they suit Falls River well. The streets are lined with mature trees, and the Asian tiger mosquito, the most common mosquito in North Carolina according to NC State Extension, feeds during the day. A screened porch gives you a room you can use in July at lunchtime, not only after dark. We can build the porch on its own, or as a porch with an open deck beside it for the grill.
Do I need HOA approval for a deck or screen porch in Falls River?
Almost certainly. The Falls River Community Association guidelines say no addition or alteration may be started without formal Architectural Review Board approval, and the Bedford at Falls River declaration says exterior additions, including decks, need written approval from its Architectural Review Committee first. We give you drawings and a written estimate detailed enough for architectural review, so the application has what the board needs to see.
Does Raleigh require a permit for a deck or screened porch?
Yes. The City of Raleigh says a building permit is required when installing a screened porch, deck, balcony, sunroom or similar structure, and the application includes a residential permit form, a certified survey, a site plan and structural elevations. Falls River and Bedford at Falls River are both inside the City of Raleigh, so the city permit applies on top of HOA approval. Sam goes over the permit and approval timing with you at the consultation.
Can you add a screened porch onto our existing deck?
Sometimes. A roof puts weight on the framing and footings that an open deck was never sized to carry, so Sam checks the footings, beams and the ledger connection to the house first. Some decks can be reinforced to take a porch. On an older deck it is often the better call to rebuild the structure under the new porch, and we will tell you plainly which one your deck is.
What does a deck or screen porch cost in Falls River?
We do not publish a flat price, because no two projects are the same job. Size, height off the ground, wood or composite, the railing, the stair run and whether there is a roof all move the number, and so do HOA requirements like lattice and screening under a raised deck. Sam comes out at no charge, walks the yard with you and puts numbers to the choices in a written proposal.
Should we build in pressure treated wood or composite?
Pressure treated wood costs less up front, but it needs cleaning, staining or sealing every couple of years to stay right. Composite costs more at the start, does not rot and never needs staining or sealing. Under a thick tree canopy, where boards stay damp and shaded, composite often makes the stronger long term case. Sam will still tell you when treated wood is the smarter call for your project.
Ready to Build in Falls River?
Start with a quick phone call. Five or ten minutes is usually enough for Sam to understand the project, and from there he comes out to Falls River, walks the yard with you, and takes a video of the space for reference. A written proposal spelling out scope and price usually follows within about 72 hours, so call or text 919-410-7776 when you are ready to talk it through.