Building Outdoor Living Space in Acworth, GA

A composite deck with aluminum rail runs $65 to $95 per square foot installed. A screened porch on a new foundation with a shingled roof is $38,000 to $70,000 depending on span and ceiling detail. Converting an existing covered deck to a screened porch is far cheaper — usually $14,000 to $26,000 — because the structure is already there.

Outdoor kitchens vary the most: a masonry counter with a built-in grill and door package starts near $12,000, and a full setup with sink, refrigeration, stone veneer, gas line and covered structure lands between $30,000 and $60,000. Paver and stamped-concrete patios run $16 to $30 per square foot.

Cobb inspectors are strict about two things: footing depth and diameter, and how the ledger is attached and flashed. Deck footings must bear below frost depth on undisturbed soil, and lag screws alone will not pass — through-bolts or approved structural screws in the correct pattern are required, with flashing above the ledger.

This is why some Acworth decks fail inspection twice while others pass first time. We build to the Cobb standard everywhere, so a permit here is never a schedule risk.

Lots sloping toward Lake Acworth or Allatoona need drainage designed alongside the structure. Water routed off a new patio without a plan simply moves the erosion problem twenty feet downhill. We handle grading, drains and hardscape as one scope rather than three separate trades pointing at each other.