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Get Answers From Your Local, Knowledgeable Decking Expert

Alex Bethurum, owner of Fiferum Construction in Durham County, NC
Hi, I’m Alex, the owner of Fiferum Construction and the mastermind behind your upcoming decking project. I’ve dealt with all the setbacks, questions, delays, and issues that arise during deck-building projects. Below, I’m asking some of the most pressing questions that my clients have. If what you’re looking for is not here, request a quote and ask me anything!

Frequently Asked Questions

We build picture frame decks, ground-level decks, elevated decks, floating decks, pool decks, and any other deck structure you can think of. We use grade #1 pressure-treated wood for framing and any material of your choice for the decking surface. We recommend pressure-treated wood floorboards if you’re on a tight budget, but composite decking is the best option if you have the budget and are looking for a low-maintenance deck.
Yes! We’re a licensed and insured general contractor with License number #99274. We invest time and money in our continuous education, and we’re proud members of multiple local home builders associations such as the Home Builders Association of Durham, Orange & Chatham Counties, and the National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies. Alex Behturum, the owner of Fiferum Construction, continues his study at North Carolina Builder’s Institute.
Yes, we are proud to partner with some of the best local teams, vetted by owner Alex himself. We work with a company that specializes in framing for decks and porches and another company that specializes in gutters and siding. We have our own project manager that’ll ensure every aspect of your project is up to the highest standards of the industry.
Yes! Most decks and porches require us to obtain a building permit. However, there are a few exceptions where building permits are not required, e.g. your deck or porch is on the ground level and it’s not attached to the house. Don’t worry about building permits, though, we’ll get them for you!
We offer our standard 5-year workmanship warranty and the manufacturer’s warranty for materials on our deck building, deck repair, and screened-in porches. For our deck staining and painting services, we match our workmanship warranty to the stain or paint manufacturer’s warranty.
We love working in the great outdoors, so decks and porches are by far our favorite projects to tackle. Although we focus on residential building, we’re a general contractor with expertise in building anything, from new homes to remodeling.

We serve Chapell Hill, Durham, and more of Durham County, Orange County, and surrounding areas.

We’ll sit down with you and your partner and discuss what you want to achieve. We’ll want every single detail from both parties. That information goes to our draft person who will put it in a nice PDF drawing file that will then go to our engineer.

Once our engineer reviews it, we’ll schedule an on-site visit with you, your project manager, and the engineer. During the visit, we’ll do a thorough inspection of your property, including the attic and the crawl space, if needed.

Once the visit is complete, the engineer will work on the foundation and all the beams, ridge beams, girders, and everything else that’s vital to the framing of your new deck or porch. The engineer will send us a PDF file with his stamped and sealed approved plans. After that, a land surveyor inspects your property and gives us the documentation for permitting. Once we have everything in place, we personally go to the local municipality and submit for the building permit. We’ll get the permit fast and then get to work according to our timeline.

It might sound like a lot, but keep in mind that you won’t have to move a finger. We’ll take care of everything, from design to the final inspection, and all you need to do is sit back, relax, and fully enjoy your vision coming to fruition.

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