A New and Improved Deck

In 2020, one of our clients came to us for routine maintenance on her home. While there, we assessed her aging wood deck and found some rot issues. Shirey Home Pro put together an estimate for a new, composite deck instead of wood for a virtually maintenance-free deck that will never rot.

We were unsure if the existing deck had proper framing and footings, and we didn’t know the extent of rotting. Being uncertain is usually the feeling when approaching decks that are at ground level until we are able to remove all of the boards, but we can’t do that until the client has decided whether or not they even want to have the project done. Thankfully, in this case, the framing was not rotted. However, the framing spacing was too wide, so we did have to install additional framing so that when the client walked on the composite deck boards, it didn’t feel like they were walking on a bouncy house.

We also noticed there was no footing for the one step that wrapped around the deck. As part of our process, we went ahead and poured a slab upon which the one step would sit. Adding the slab helped with any potential sink in the future and also helped keep the structure of the step/deck sound.

When our clients discuss replacing their deck, we always recommend that they choose a composite deck material rather than any type of wood. The reason is that we all live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, and we get a lot of rain.

And, rain + wood + not keeping up with monthly/yearly maintenance = rot!