Deck Replacement in Bath, Maine

Census estimates put Bath's median home built around 1938, with about 58 percent of the housing predating 1940 and roughly 67 percent predating 1960, the oldest housing profile of any town in this service area. Bath's sea-captains' houses and worker cottages from the height of the Bath Iron Works and wooden shipbuilding era make up a large share of the city's stock, many carrying original wood clapboard behind one or more later layers of siding. Outside the historic core, Bath's newer neighborhoods, built through the mid-to-late 20th century, hold a smaller share of more ordinary capes and ranches.

Building permits in Bath go through the Code Enforcement Office at 55 Front Street, covering siding, roofing, window and deck work for the whole city. Because so much of Bath's core falls within the Bath Historic District, exterior modifications to buildings inside the district require Planning Board review, though the city notes that review is often completed administratively within about three days rather than requiring a full public hearing. Part of Bath's sewer system uses combined sewers that can overflow during heavy rain, a factor mainly relevant to site and drainage work rather than siding, roofing, window or deck permitting directly, but it does mean the city pays close attention to stormwater management on any project that changes how water sheds off a property.

The tidal Kennebec River runs directly past downtown Bath, and river weather, wind, fog and occasional storm surge, affects houses close to the water more than those set back on higher ground. Winters bring the usual Maine freeze-thaw cycling and a real snow load, and Bath's older, less-insulated 19th-century housing is especially prone to ice damming at the eaves during a hard winter. Bath sits a few miles up the Kennebec from open water, so it takes less direct ocean salt spray than a town right on the Atlantic, but river humidity and wind still matter for exterior materials, especially near the waterfront and Bath Iron Works.

When an old deck is soft, wobbly or pulling away from the house, a full replacement is treated as a new build: the old deck comes off, the footings and framing are built new, and the new surface, railings and stairs go on. That is the only way to deal with hidden rot at the ledger and frost-heaved footings, and it is how Cardinal Exteriors approaches it. It lets you change the size, shape and material at the same time.

• The existing deck is removed and disposed of, and the house wall behind the ledger is inspected.
• Rotted rim or sheathing behind the old ledger is repaired and the wall is flashed.
• New footings go below frost; new posts, beams and joists are framed.
• New decking, railings, stairs and landings are installed in the material you choose.
• Permits are pulled where required and the site is cleaned up.

• Soft or spongy boards and joists
• A ledger pulling away from the house or rust-streaked fasteners
• Posts that have heaved, leaned or rotted at the base
• Railings that wobble or are lower than today's code expects

• Removal and disposal of the old deck
• Repairs to the house wall behind the ledger
• New size, height and shape
• Decking and railing materials
• Footing type and site access

Every job is priced from a free on-site visit. Typical ranges for the trade are on our deck building page, and the details of this service are on the deck replacement overview.

For a deeper walkthrough of materials, code details and photos, see our full Deck Replacement: When to Rebuild vs. Re-Deck guide.

Back to the Bath exterior services overview, or see every town on our service areas page.