When does a deck need replacing?
Wondering if your deck is past saving? Most owners can tell something’s off, but not whether it’s a repair job or a full deck replacement in Fort Collins.
For wood decks here, it usually comes down to the boards. They check and split in our dry, sunny climate far more often than they rot.
A few bad boards are easy to fix. Repairs stop making sense when:
- Most of the boards have checked and split
- The railing is loose in several places
- The stairs are worn out
- The repair list keeps growing
At that point, the repairs add up to more than they’re worth. A new deck usually makes more sense.
The frame matters too. If the joists, beams or posts have rot, or the ledger board on the house has worn, a full replacement takes care of all of it at once. The ledger is the board that ties the deck to your house, so it’s one spot we never want to patch and hope.
What happens to the old deck?
The tear-off comes first. Boards, railing and stairs come off, and then the frame.
With the old deck gone, we can see the footings and the spot where the deck met the house. We plan the new deck from there.
Permits are part of that plan. According to the City of Fort Collins residential deck guide, a deck more than 30 inches above grade needs a building permit. Structural work like replacing beams, posts or joists can trigger one too, so check before any demo starts.
Redecking, or a whole new deck?
Sometimes the frame is solid and only the boards are worn. Redecking puts new boards on the old frame. We price that at the estimate when the frame is worth keeping.
When it isn’t, the whole deck is replaced. A sound frame is worth saving. A tired one just puts new boards on a problem.
A chance to change the deck
A replacement doesn’t have to match the old deck. It can be bigger or smaller, higher or lower, or have the stairs in a new spot.
Here’s how the common materials stack up:
| Material | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Pressure-treated | The lowest cost of the three, and a solid choice for a wood deck |
| Cedar | Costs more than pressure-treated, with a warmer look |
| Composite | Costs more than wood, and comes in grays and browns |
Plenty of people go from wood to composite when they replace. A lot of people call composite decking Trex, which is one of the best-known brands. If you’re torn, we’ll walk through the options at the estimate and show you samples.
Railing and stairs
The new deck gets a new railing and new stairs, and both are included in the replacement prices. Code matters here, since a deck more than 30 inches above grade needs a guard. We build to local code so the finished deck passes inspection.
Not sure a full replacement is what you need? If you only need the railing replaced on a deck that’s otherwise in good shape, that’s deck building work. If a few boards and a post are the only trouble, that’s deck repair.
Ready to find out which fits your deck? Call us for an estimate, and we’ll tell you straight whether deck replacement is the right move.
