How does one go about hiring someone to build a new deck?

April 5, 2021 7:11 AM

We just moved into a new home (Half Moon Bay, CA) and it has an enormous deck which is affected by dry rot and is definitely coming to the end of its life. We would like to replace it with a new one that will look great and last a very long time. What does this process look like? What kind of companies and professionals should we be looking to engage with? Searching Yelp etc has made me feel like I need a bit more guidance as to the fundamentals of what is involved here. How do we find someone really good for this?
posted by simonw to Home & Garden (10 answers total)

Response by poster: This is a very basic question: we are new to home ownership in terms of needing to get major improvements done, so explain-like-I'm-five level information would be much appreciated.
posted by simonw at 7:16 AM on April 5, 2021

Post on social media, and ask local friends for recommendations of a contractor. In the mean time, try to figure out what changes you want to make to the existing design, if any.

Have several contractors come give you quotes. (Tie yourself to the mast: these will be much larger, and take much longer, than you expect.)

Adjust expectations & budget if necessary, and repeat.

Eventually you will find someone who seems reliable, and who you can afford, or else the deck will literally fall down and force your hand. *shrug* And you're off!

(N.b.: I am totally not kidding here: I will probably be rebuilding my own deck this summer in New England, since I didn't want to pay a dude ten grand last summer -- and it will only be more expensive this year.)
posted by wenestvedt at 7:28 AM on April 5, 2021

My best contractor recommendations come either from neighbors (if I know them) or from neighborhood social media groups (Facebook, NextDoor, etc.). On the social media, you DO have to be very careful of the contractors or family members recommending themselves. Generally the first thing I do is search the group for recommendations, because most common things have been discussed several times in the past. I look for contractors who have been consistently recommended by a number of different people (one person recommending the same contractor every time the topic comes up does not count). I try to find people who have had similar jobs done. Sometimes I will send them a message and ask for some more details. Then I try to have at least 2-3 of them out to look at the job, talk about it, and give an estimate. 3 or more is ideal, but honestly it can be hard to find 4 great contractors, let alone convince them all to come out and bid. The flakiness is through the roof in this business.

Also as wenestvedt alluded to, prices are ridiculous right now. Lumber prices especially are very high, but everything is higher than it was, and also supply chains and availability are all messed up. So a project that already would be expensive and take a long time is now even more expensive and take even longer. There's no guarantee of when (if ever) it will return to "normal" so I'm not necessarily suggesting waiting, but it's something to take into account.
posted by primethyme at 8:30 AM on April 5, 2021

There are many, many things to consider. Your first trip/inquiry should be at you local planning office, to see if you need a permit for the work, and to find our what the requirements are for you deck. In our neck of the woods, these permits are not cheap, so that could be expense #1.
You say you want something that will last “...a very long time”. Considering your climate, you may want to look at composite decking, instead of wood. Wood decks take a fair amount of maintenance to make them last (periodic sanding, cleaning, and treatment), and they all rot in the end. Composite decking is expensive, but will never rot, or need refinishing.
Lastly, regardless of how you find the contractor, make SURE (ask to physically see evidence) they are licensed, insured, and bonded, and ask for at least three references from non-relatives/friends, including phone numbers, so you can all, an maybe even see their work. Look them up to see if they have any BBB complaints, or judgements against them in local courts. This is a very important step. As prices have gone up, so have the scammers come out of the woodwork.
Also, your payment schedule should be for no more than 25% up front, with payments after that reflect work complete.
posted by dbmcd at 8:56 AM on April 5, 2021 [1 favorite]

If I were you I would use composite decking for the new one, and I would not do it this year if possible because material prices are currently about 3x higher than they were pre-covid. Lumber, concrete, everything. It is a very expensive time to do large home improvement projects.
posted by zdravo at 10:12 AM on April 5, 2021 [3 favorites]

I also suggest using composite decking, like TREX. We replaced a new-construction pressure treated deck after living in the house for about 8 years. We decided on TREX because the cost of labor and hassle of finding a good carpenter was something we didn't want to repeat in another decade, and when we eventually move I believe it will be a selling point. The construction was properly done and TREX was the best choice for us. It's been about 12 years and the deck looks like new. No maintenance needed - we pressure wash yearly and that's it.

We found our carpenter via a friend who had just had a large renovation done. If you are new to the area you probably know fewer locals to ask, but asking for advice is a great icebreaker to chat with your new neighbors. As dbmcd advises above, follow up on all the details (permits, contractor licence, insured, bonded) and on references. Ask to see other decks he or she has built. Pay only (!) incrementally and following specific milestones and approvals. Check that the materials used match the material specified in the contract. Good luck!
posted by citygirl at 12:40 PM on April 5, 2021

Howdy, neighbor! For most services - roofers, painters, plumbers, tree trimming, etc - sign up for NextDoor and ask for recommendations. There are usually a few highly-recommended service providers in each category who are local to the Coastside. Subscribe to the HMB Review and you'll start to recognize some of the "bigger" providers. Ask your neighbors, as citygirl mentions above.

Contractors and carpenters are more plentiful than more specialized folks like plumbers & roofers. Get several quotes - they can vary in what they include and price quite a bit. You probably want them to handle permits, for instance. My guy did a great job on our fence, but not sure if he does decks. (Feel free to MeMail me.)

A good provider can advise on materials and permitting. We're wet and foggy out here; I mostly see redwood or composite decking.
posted by troyer at 4:33 PM on April 5, 2021

... and if you go the wood way, research your redwood (around here, it will be made of redwood). There are different grades, the most expensive of which is clear heart (clear meaning no knots, heart meaning the tougher heartwood part of the tree). Your contractor should tell you what they would use, and why they would use that.

And yes, prices are definitely up judging on how much I just paid for deck work. I don't think the people I use will cover your area (they're SJ based) but memail me if you want to try.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 8:13 PM on April 5, 2021

Sites like this one (the one we use) not only have reviews by previous customers but also vet the contractors themselves, so you don't have to dig into licensing/insurance.
posted by troywestfield at 10:08 AM on April 6, 2021 [1 favorite]

Seconding that you should start with the planning office to find out both the rules and the costs. I've lived in places where people felt that licensing was optional (as long as they didn't get caught) and contractors who would refuse to deal with the planning department - if we hired the and wanted it to be licensed (and inspected to make sure it is up to code) we would have had to go into the planning department and deal with them ourselves. (In the long run, we did nothing to the deck for the five years we owned it, our real estate agent hired someone to reinforce what was there for sale and the year after we sold it, the whole house burned to the ground in a California wildfire. So the deck never did get replaced.)
posted by metahawk at 10:14 PM on April 6, 2021