Most Gahanna homes were built between the 1960s and 1990s - putting a large part of the city's housing stock at 30 to 60 years old. Original decks from that era were typically built from pressure-treated lumber, and after this many Ohio winters, the boards, ledger connections, and especially the footings are often in poor shape. Gahanna's clay-heavy soil holds water instead of draining it, which accelerates the decay of wood in contact with or close to the ground. The same clay soil expands when wet and shrinks when dry, and footings that were not set deep enough for the central Ohio frost line will move with those seasonal shifts. On a ranch or split-level home - which are common throughout Gahanna - a deck that shifts even slightly is a safety issue, not just a cosmetic one.

Spring in Gahanna also brings heavy rain, and neighborhoods near Big Walnut Creek can see yards stay wet for days after a significant storm. That sustained moisture exposure is one of the reasons we consistently recommend capped composite decking for Gahanna builds - the outer cap layer keeps moisture from penetrating the board core, which is the mechanism behind most of the cracking and warping you see on older wood decks. Ohio's summer thunderstorms are another factor: hail events that hit the Columbus suburbs periodically damage deck railings, pergola roofs, and fence boards, and those repairs are more common in this part of the state than homeowners typically expect before they experience one.

Gahanna is a suburb of about 36,000 people situated just northeast of Columbus, with John Glenn Columbus International Airport on its western boundary. The city grew steadily through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, and its housing stock reflects that history - the dominant home styles are ranch, split-level, and two-story Colonial, mostly built between 1960 and 1995. These homes sit on mid-size single-family lots with mature trees that have been growing for 40 to 50 years. About 70 percent of homes in Gahanna are owner-occupied, which is above the national average, and median household income is around $80,000 - a community of working homeowners who take care of their properties and plan to stay.

Big Walnut Creek winds through the center of Gahanna and defines much of the city's character - the Creekside District along the creek is the social hub of the city, with restaurants and outdoor gathering spaces that draw residents from every part of town. The city is also home to Gahanna Woods State Nature Preserve, a small but well-known preserve inside city limits that contributes to the city's green, tree-filled identity. The Gahanna-Jefferson City School District draws families who plan to stay long-term, which is part of why homeowners here tend to invest in their properties rather than defer maintenance. We also work in New Albany to the north and Reynoldsburg to the south.