How Much Does It Cost To Repair A Deck (Seattle)
4 parts to (almost) every deck:
1) Footings & Posts - The connection between the earth and the framing of the deck. - $3,000 - $4,000
2) Framing - The structure that keeps the deck boards in place. - $1,000-$2,000
3) Deck boards - The connection between your feet and stuff and the framing - $3,000-$5,000
4) Railing - This is only required when the deck is 30” off the ground. Railing is there to prevent you from falling off the side and/or to hold your drink. - Half of your budget, railings are expensive.
Before we get into the meat and potatoes, keep in mind this is for a standard timber framed deck with deck boards. If you live in a multi story apartment or condo, then your deck is probably elastomeric. If you live out in the country and a contractor built your deck for themselves, then it’s probably steel frame. If your deck has a large crack in it and the rest of your building is made of concrete, then your deck is probably made of concrete, in which case most of this doesn’t apply.
Footings and framing of a deck
Usually, when we get a request to update or repair a deck our client is looking to have the deck boards replaced. Older decks will usually have framing designed for cedar deck boards. This means the framing can be 16” on center, 18” on center, or even 24” on center if the deck boards are 2”x4” of the builder was looking to pinch pennies.
When upgrading deck boards from cedar to composite you may need increase the framing with additional structural lumber. Also, you should definitely avoid the entry level composite deck board, like Trex enhanced basic. The wavy deck board (like the picture below) can feel like a trampoline under foot because it lacks structural integrity in order to achieve the lower price point.
The cost to demo and upgrade a standard 10’x20’ deck from cedar to composite deck boards with a hidden fastener system ranges from $7,000-$11,000.
Trex enhanced basic
