About Roc Decks Directory

Roc Decks Directory is an independent Rochester-area deck builder directory built and maintained by Connor Meador, a web developer based in Rochester, NY since 2019. I built this site because I searched for "Rochester deck builders" one afternoon and found three pages of broken WordPress sites, zero pricing transparency, and — for a project that involves permits, footings below the 48-inch frost line, and a structure people stand on — no real explanation of why any one contractor was ranked first. Decks are not a low-stakes purchase: a bad ledger connection or a shallow footing doesn't just look wrong, it can fail. This directory exists to make the "who do I hire" decision more informed, not just faster.

What I am: a Rochester local who runs a portfolio of niche-specific informational sites covering Monroe County service categories. I am not a deck builder, not a licensed structural engineer, and not a home-improvement broker. I aggregate public data — Google Business Profiles, Yelp listings, BBB records — and write original educational content, sourced from New York State Residential Code and Monroe County permit requirements, that explains how deck building actually works in this specific freeze-thaw climate. Where a guide references a code section, snow-load number, or frost-depth figure, it's cited back to the code or the municipal source — not invented. I do not speak for any of the businesses listed, and I'm not the one pulling your permit.

No pay-for-placement. Ever. Every contractor listed here appears because their public review data and service coverage earned it. Rankings cannot be purchased, boosted, or negotiated. If a business asks me to move them up, I decline and document the request. If a business asks to be removed, I remove them within 7 days, no questions asked — they own their business relationship with Google and Yelp; I only aggregate public data that already exists. This matters more than usual in a trade where a homeowner is trusting a ranking to help vet who frames the structure under their hot tub or holds up a second-story deck.

How the Roc Score works

The Roc Score is a 0–100 composite ranking formula that weights seven factors from public data sources:

• 30%Google star rating (normalized 0–5 → 0–1)
• 20%Google review count (log-normalized; prevents new businesses with 5 reviews from outranking established ones with 200+)
• 10%Yelp star rating
• 10%Yelp review count (same log-normalization)
• 5%BBB accreditation status
• 10%Review recency (most recent review ≤30 days scores 1.0; older reviews decay linearly)
• 15%Service area overlap with the 10 Monroe County target suburbs

Scores are recalculated weekly. The formula is published in full on the methodology page. Because the algorithm is transparent and data sources are cited per business, you can verify any ranking independently — just check the Google Business Profile and Yelp listing for each contractor.

Data sources

All data is compiled from public sources:

• Google Business Profile (Google Places API) — star ratings, review counts, most-recent-review dates. Business names and phone numbers verified against the GBP listing.
• Yelp Business API (Fusion) — star ratings and review counts. Review text is NOT republished; only numeric ratings are used in the Roc Score.
• BBB (Better Business Bureau) — accreditation status and letter grade. The BBB is a private nonprofit; their ratings are one signal among seven, weighted at only 5%.
• OpenStreetMap (OSM) — geographic bounds for suburb-level service-area matching. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0).
• NY State business records — entity status for basic incorporation verification where available.

A note on timing: deck building in Rochester is seasonal — most framing and installation happens April through November, with stain and seal work limited to the May–September dry window. Review volume for deck contractors naturally clusters around project completion in late summer and fall, so a builder's most-recent-review date can look quieter in January or February even coming off a strong season. That's normal for this trade, not a signal something's wrong.

Editorial standards

• Public data only — review text is never republished; only numeric ratings appear in rankings.
• Every review snippet shown in HTML is ≤120 characters with a direct link to the source.
• JSON-LD review arrays are kept empty — first-party reviews only, once collected.
• No fabricated certifications, invented founding dates, or fictional testimonials.
• All pricing ranges are based on publicly stated estimates from contractors' own sites + industry data. They are directional, not quotes.
• Code and permit claims (frost-line depth, guard height, ledger flashing requirements, snow load) are sourced to New York State Residential Code sections and Monroe County / town building department requirements — not restated from a contractor's marketing copy.
• Algorithm version is stamped with a date; changes are documented on the methodology page.

For business owners

Want to be listed, update incorrect information, or request removal? Email connormeador@gmail.com — I respond within 48 hours. I don't charge for listings and I don't sell leads. The directory is a public resource, not a pay-per-click product.