Wide new deck of knotty cedar-toned boards with a board seam across the field, wood post-and-rail railing with black metal balusters, along the back of a tan lap-sided house with large white windows

Deck Building

Harrisburg decks that don't heave when the ground does

Harrisburg, South Dakota

Hols & Co is based right here in Harrisburg. Jace walks the yard, prices the work, and runs the build himself — permits included.

5.0 across 25 Google reviews · Licensed & insured · BBB Accredited, rated A · TimberTech PRO Gold contractor

Harrisburg is one of the fastest-growing cities in South Dakota, and much of its housing stock is new: subdivision homes that went up fast. If you're pricing a first deck for one of them, you're weighing composite against wood, wondering what a Lincoln County winter does to footings, or trying to decide whether the builder-grade deck that came with the house is worth keeping. Those are the right questions. Freeze-thaw ground movement is what wrecks decks here, and it's decided at the footings, before any decking goes down.

Which means the part of a quote worth reading closely is the part about holes in the ground: how deep they go, how many, and who set the depth. That number is not ours to invent — it comes from the building department with jurisdiction over your address and gets confirmed on site.

Tell us what you're building.

Two required fields. Jace follows up directly to set a walkthrough.

Or call or text (605) 679-5223.

Rather not wait for a callback?

Pick a time for your estimate

Rather talk to an agent after hours?

Call the same number after hours — our phone agent picks up, takes the details and books your walkthrough on Jace's calendar.

Composite or wood in a freeze-thaw climate

Wood and composite fail differently here. Wood takes on moisture, swells, dries out, and checks; it needs cleaning and refinishing on a regular cycle or the surface grays and splinters. Composite resists moisture but moves with temperature, so it depends on correct gapping and fastening to stay flat through a South Dakota summer-to-winter swing. Either surface lasts if the structure under it is right. The frame is treated lumber in both cases, and the footings matter more than the decking. At the walkthrough we go through the tradeoffs, including railing options, and quote the version you actually want to live with.

Repair, replace, or start over: how the call gets made

Surface wear and structural failure are different problems. Gray, splintered boards over a sound frame can take new decking and railing without touching the structure. Heaved footings, a rotting ledger, or posts bearing on grade cannot; a footing above frost depth keeps lifting every winter no matter what gets screwed down on top, and that makes it a replacement. The walkthrough is where this gets sorted, frame to footings, before the written estimate. And since Hols & Co is a general contractor, the deck can be one phase of a larger outdoor or whole-home project.

Decks and porches · Patios and sunrooms · Siding and repairs · Home additions · Drafting and plans · Project financing on qualifying jobs

Side view of an elevated cedar-toned deck with black-baluster rails on a beige lap-sided split-level house, a straight stair down to a concrete patio, posts set in a river-rock bed — Elevated deck on a split-level — the stair lands on the patio below, posts set in a rock bed.

New cedar boards and black balusters, looking out over the yard.
Rim joist set and fastened off, and the deck boards starting to go down over the joists.
Elevated deck on a charcoal house — black balusters, a straight stair to the patio, posts set in a rock bed.

5.0

Twenty-four reviews. Every one of them five stars.

Read all 25 on Google Every review, on one page

Highly recommend Hols & Co. if you are looking for someone to build your deck. The whole team was excellent to work with. They were professional, respectful and communicative. They were very efficient when they were on site and kept out property clean while they worked. Solid craftmanship and the finished product is exactly what we were envisioning. We would definitely hire this crew again for future projects.
Carrie Janssen C. · July 2026 · Deck build
Our new cedar deck, built by Hols and Co, is fantastic! We were consistently impressed by their professionalism and great communication from start to finish. They listened to our needs, offered helpful suggestions, and kept us updated regularly. The quality of the construction is excellent. We highly recommend them to anyone wanting a beautiful, well-built deck.
Leonard · August 2025 · Cedar deck
The team was great. The quality of work is fantastic. I saw their ad on social media and took a chance and contacted them. So glad I did! Wanted my back deck replaced and they did a beautiful job. Even worked Saturday because the wood for the deck didn't show up on time. Looking forward to having them back for my next project!
Laura · July 2026 · Deck replacement

Fair questions, straight answers.

Do I need a permit to build a deck in Harrisburg?

Usually, yes. The City of Harrisburg handles its own permitting, so a deck inside city limits goes through the city rather than Lincoln County. Hols & Co handles the permit as part of the job, whether the property sits under city or county jurisdiction. If you're on a rural Lincoln County parcel outside city limits, the authority changes but the legwork stays ours; we confirm which office you're under during the walkthrough.

How deep do deck footings need to go in Harrisburg?

Footings have to bear below the frost line, in Harrisburg and everywhere else in the Sioux Empire. Soil above that line freezes and thaws, and a footing in that zone lifts and drops with it, which is how decks go out of level or pull away from the house. On new builds we dig below frost depth and have footings inspected before framing. If an existing deck is heaving, shallow footings are the usual cause.