If the boards on your deck are worn out but the frame underneath is still solid, you may not need a whole new deck. We keep what is still strong and replace what is not.
This is the question almost everyone starts with, and the honest answer depends on what is under the boards.
The surface of a deck takes all the weather. The frame underneath sits in the shade, gets air on both sides, and stays a lot drier. So it is normal for the boards to be finished while the structure below them still has years left in it.
Where that is the case we take the old surface off, make any repairs the frame needs, and lay new boards on the structure that is already there. You keep the footings, the posts and the framing, which is where a large share of the cost of a new deck sits.
Where the frame has gone too, resurfacing stops making sense, and rebuilding usually costs less than patching. We will tell you which way your deck falls rather than quoting the more expensive option by default. If it is the second, see Deck Repair.
There is no way to know from the top. We look underneath first, and that visit is free.
We get rain most of the year and the surface takes all of it. Water sits on the boards, soaks in, and dries out again over and over, and that cycle is what breaks a board down.
Shaded decks have it worse. A north-facing deck under trees grows moss, and moss holds water against the board instead of letting it dry. Fir needles and leaves pack into the gaps between boards and do the same thing.
The frame underneath avoids most of that, which is why so many decks here need a new surface long before they need a new structure.
With the surface off, a few things are much cheaper now than later. None are required, and we price them separately so you can decide.
It comes down to the frame. If the joists, the ledger and the footings are sound, resurfacing is usually on the table. If several of those have gone, it normally is not. We look underneath and tell you which one you are dealing with.
Usually, because the footings, posts and framing stay where they are. How much cheaper depends on how much work the frame needs first. If it turns out to need a lot, the gap narrows and we will say so.
Sometimes. What decides it is how far apart the joists are. The boards we install generally call for joists no more than 16 inches on center, and closer than that if the boards run diagonally. Plenty of older decks were framed wider, and where that is the case the frame needs work first. We measure it while we are under there.
Not always, but often. Railing posts are frequently bolted through the framing and tied into the surface, so they come out when the boards do. We will tell you whether yours can be kept before we quote it.
We stop, show you what we found, and price the repair before going any further. You will not get a surprise added to the final bill.
Tell us what you have in mind. We will come out, look at your space, and give you an honest, clear estimate. There is no charge for the visit and no pressure to book.
