Deck Construction and Replacement

A deck is the one part of a house that lives outdoors full time, and it is judged twice: once when it is new, and again about eight years later when the fasteners, the railing posts and the framing show whether it was built properly. Tiger’s Solution LLC works as a deck builder in Boonsboro, MD, handling new decks, full replacements, stairs, railings and the ground-level spaces that connect them to the yard. The photographs below are our own projects, from framing on a hillside lot to a finished surface with railing installed. What they have in common is that the structure underneath got the same attention as the surface you walk on.

The visible deck is the smallest part of the decision. Four things get checked first.

Attachment to the house comes first. How a deck ties into the structure, and whether it is flashed so water runs away from the band joist rather than into it, is where the serious failures start.

Ground conditions come second. Footings have to reach below the frost line and land on soil that will carry the load. A sloped or filled lot changes the post layout and the footing depth.

Height comes third. A deck two feet off the ground and a deck twelve feet off the ground are different structures with different railing, stair and bracing requirements, even if the surface looks identical.

Use comes fourth. A hot tub, an outdoor kitchen or a large table full of people all change the framing before anything else is drawn.

These are three different projects and they get quoted differently.

A new deck starts from nothing: layout, footings, framing, surface, railing and stairs. There is more freedom here, because nothing existing constrains the shape.

A replacement usually means the surface and railing have failed while the structure may or may not be sound. Sometimes the framing is fine and only the deck boards and railing come off. Often the posts and ledger tell a different story once the boards are up. We will tell you what we find rather than build a new surface over a frame that will not outlast it.

A repair is appropriate when the structure is sound and the problem is contained: a section of rotted boards, a loose railing, settled stairs, or hardware that has corroded. Repairs are worth doing when they buy real years. When they only postpone a replacement by a season, we will say so. Part of what you are hiring a deck builder for is that judgement.

• New deck design and construction
• Deck replacement and rebuilds
• Deck repair, board replacement and structural repairs
• Railing installation and replacement
• Deck stairs, landings and handrails
• Multi-level decks and platform layouts
• Ground-level and ground-contact framing
• Fencing and gates
• Patio areas and ground-level outdoor space
• Screened porch and covered outdoor structures
• Surface material selection

Look at a ten-year-old deck and the failures cluster in the same places every time.

Railing posts loosen because they were attached to the rim rather than blocked and through-bolted. Stairs sag because the stringers were undersized or the bottom landing was never given a solid base. Fasteners bleed rust stains down the boards because the wrong hardware was used against treated lumber. Water sits in the joint between decking and the house because there was no flashing.

None of these are visible on handover day. All of them are decided during framing. That is why we would rather spend an extra day underneath the deck than an extra day on the finish.

Stairs deserve a specific mention because they are the most used and least forgiving part of a deck. Consistent riser height matters more for safety than anything else on the structure.

Not every backyard wants a raised deck. When the grade sits close to the door, a ground-level surface often makes more sense and costs less to maintain, because there is no railing, no stairs and no substructure exposed to weather.

The trade-off is drainage. Ground-level surfaces have to shed water away from the foundation, and a surface that traps water against the house creates a problem indoors.

The patio work shown on this page is a paver installation laid tight against the house, photographed during excavation and once the surface was set. Tell us what you have in mind for your own yard and we will be straight with you about scope before quoting.

1. Initial conversation. Size, height, how you plan to use it, and whether anything heavy like a hot tub is going on it.
2. On-site review. We look at the attachment point, the grade, the soil and the access for materials, and confirm what the lot allows.
3. Scope and proposal. Dimensions, structure, surface, railing and stairs in writing, including what happens if we open the ledger and find damage.
4. Permits and construction. Deck permits and inspections go through Washington County. Footings, framing, surface, railing and stairs, in that order.
5. Final walkthrough. We go over the finished deck with you, confirm railings and stairs are solid, and clean the site.

Lots in this area are rarely flat. Between South Mountain and the properties running out toward Keedysville and Sharpsburg, a deck often has to step down a grade, sit on tall posts on one side, or work around a walkout basement door. [VERIFY SERVICE AREA] One of the projects on this page is exactly that: an elevated deck on a wooded hillside where the framing under the deck was most of the job.

Weather also decides more here than in flatter parts of Maryland. Decks on the western slopes take wind, snow load and a lot of freeze and thaw, which is hard on fasteners and on any joint that holds water. Any deck builder working this terrain has to plan for it, and building for that is a local habit rather than a premium option.