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I knew it would be pricey but holy crap. Anyone had their old deck rebuilt recently? I was expecting somewhere in the vicinity of 10 to 12k, but the estimates are closer to 15k to nearly 30k (this is for about 465sf of deck and two sets of steps). The lower end is for wood, and the composite prices are just way way up there.
I really had talked myself into composite before I started getting estimates. I just hate the thought of continuing to deal with the maintenance on a wood deck...and never mind that the wood today has about half the life span (resisting rot and holding up as well) of the wood that mine was built with (arsenic was banned in 2004 - my deck was built before that). I'll never get the 20-25 years out of a PT deck today that I have gotten out of mine. And it takes a beating - full sun all day long.
Argggh. Still not sure what I am going to do, I still have more estimates to get but man...I was not counting on such a huge expense.
Last edited by ChessieMom; 08-24-2023 at 10:19 AM..
The contractor that I hired to remodel our kitchen was telling me the same thing. He was working with a couple that own a pretty big lakefront house on a deck quote. Actually he had to update it because he worked on a quote pre-pandemic but the owners pushed the project off for 2 years.
Anywhoo- he said the price for quality composites went thru the roof. I think he said more than doubled!
The clients are now mulling over the same dilemma as you are. We have a small deck (old wood), and we opted to clean the heck out of it and use Cabots Deck Correct (or something). and painted it. Should last another 5 years I suppose. Our is only a few feet off the ground, and I think when it's time to replace we're going to do a stone patio.
Prefab storage shed bought and delivered
Installed whole house generator
Installed whole house water softener/filter
Bathroom reno
Basement finished (went from unfinished to completely finished)
Gotten estimates on paving our driveway
Granted we are not experts in the industry and were just throwing out a guess before the estimates/final bills but everything has been at least 25% more than we thought.
but the estimates are closer to 15k to nearly 30k (this is for about 465sf of deck and two sets of steps).
Does that include a new understructure too? If so ... do you need that?
In 2021 (mid covid) I hired some bums to help me strip off the old wood
and generally prepare the structure to have new railings, stairs and decking boards on all.
Once at this point ... it all looks differently. See pic.
I hired a real carpenter to do the new stairs. Didn't keep track of costs.
Last edited by MrRational; 08-24-2023 at 10:40 AM..
The contractor that I hired to remodel our kitchen was telling me the same thing. He was working with a couple that own a pretty big lakefront house on a deck quote. Actually he had to update it because he worked on a quote pre-pandemic but the owners pushed the project off for 2 years.
Anywhoo- he said the price for quality composites went thru the roof. I think he said more than doubled!
The clients are now mulling over the same dilemma as you are. We have a small deck (old wood), and we opted to clean the heck out of it and use Cabots Deck Correct (or something). and painted it. Should last another 5 years I suppose. Our is only a few feet off the ground, and I think when it's time to replace we're going to do a stone patio.
How did you clean it? Power wash? K'builder said to do that a few times, then I would use Deck correct, but i wouldn't paint it. I did a Cabot solid stain 2 years ago and it's horrible, it peeled off. Mine is 6ft off the ground. My friends and I all talk about decks, as we all 3 need work done on decks. Composite is very expensive , but I don't think I could handle the maintenance on wood deck by myself, female 71.
Does that include a new understructure too? If so ... do you need that?
In 2021 (mid covid) I hired some bums to help me strip off the old wood
and generally prepare the structure to have new railings, stairs and decking boards on all.
Once at this point ... it all looks differently. See pic.
I hired a real carpenter to do the new stairs. Didn't keep track of costs.
Yes and yes. The deck is old, with 4x4 posts. Current code is 6x6 and the joists/support beams do have a slight sag.
The deck is old, with 4x4 posts. Current code is 6x6 and ...
Mine was over 30 years. Most of the deck joist wood was in great shape.
It IS possible to set new posts into (many) old frames. It's worth investigating that.
Quote:
...and the joists/support beams do have a slight sag.
Mine did too. The left corner at wall needed 4 big Simpson fasteners to get the band board level
and secure and the corners used up another $30 of Simpson T40's to suck everything back up to square.
Added some blocking and replaced the cross rail underneath too (not shown in first pic).
But all real basic tasks when taken on one at a time. ... Ya know?
I happened to have a pail of Olympia Stain from my garage project available
and then I set a yard of river rock over the ground. At this point the rest of the job almost becomes easy.
We had the deck on our home in Colorado done long ago (about 25 years now) and it cost $10K back then. So, the prices you're quoting don't seem that out of line for 25 years inflation and composite decking. This was for a two-level redwood deck and required completely new footers and structure. The original had not been properly placed on footers and basically fell away from the house. If I were building today, I'd seriously consider paying the upcharge for composite just to avoid the constant maintenance and splinters.
How did you clean it? Power wash? K'builder said to do that a few times, then I would use Deck correct, but i wouldn't paint it. I did a Cabot solid stain 2 years ago and it's horrible, it peeled off. Mine is 6ft off the ground. My friends and I all talk about decks, as we all 3 need work done on decks. Composite is very expensive , but I don't think I could handle the maintenance on wood deck by myself, female 71.
Pressure washed it a few times to get the muck off. I used no other products to clean- just water.
The Cabot Deck Correct that we used is a really, really thick filler stain. I would call it a paint more than a stain.
It's been on for I think 3 years now. It's holding up fine. All we do is hose it down when it gets dirty.
Mine was over 30 years. Most of the deck joist wood was in great shape.
It IS possible to set new posts into (many) old frames. It's worth investigating that.
Mine did too. The left corner at wall needed 4 big Simpson fasteners to get the band board level
and secure and the corners used up another $30 of Simpson T40's to suck everything back up to square.
Added some blocking and replaced the cross rail underneath too (not shown in first pic).
But all real basic tasks when taken on one at a time. ... Ya know?
I happened to have a pail of Olympia Stain from my garage project available
and then I set a yard of river rock over the ground. At this point the rest of the job almost becomes easy.
Yeah no deck builders here are setting new posts onto an existing 25+ year old frame LOL. And definitely no way with composite. I mean, if you are capable and willing to do all those things yourself, then go for it. But I'm definitely not. I have to pay someone for their expertise and labor.
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Anyone had their old deck rebuilt recently? I was expecting somewhere in the vicinity of 10 to 12k, but the estimates are closer to 15k to nearly 30k (this is for about 465sf of deck and two sets of steps). The lower end is for wood, and the composite prices are just way way up there. 
