Deck Building in Biddeford, Maine

Biddeford's median home dates to about 1952, with roughly 41 percent of the housing stock built before 1940 and 56 percent before 1960, among the oldest profiles of any town in this service area. That reflects the mill era: dense triple-deckers, duplexes and worker cottages fill the neighborhoods around the old Pepperell and Lincoln Mills downtown, many with original wood clapboard, early asbestos-cement shingle, or an aging vinyl overlay from a past renovation. Outside the mill district, West Biddeford and the areas toward Route 1 hold newer capes, ranches and colonials built through the second half of the 20th century, and Biddeford Pool adds a smaller cluster of coastal cottages and shingle-style summer homes.

Building permits in Biddeford go through the Code Enforcement Office, which enters near the City Theater on Main Street, for siding, roofing, window and deck work alike. Maine's Mandatory Shoreland Zoning Act applies within 250 feet of the Saco River and Biddeford's Atlantic coastline, including Biddeford Pool and Fortunes Rocks, which restricts how close new construction and some rebuilding can sit to the water. Exterior work on buildings within the Biddeford-Saco Mills Historic District downtown can face added design review, though most residential streets in the city fall outside that district's boundary.

The Saco River runs through downtown Biddeford before reaching the Atlantic, and Biddeford Pool, at the city's southeastern tip, takes ocean weather directly: nor'easters, wind-driven rain and salt air that accelerates corrosion of fasteners and flashing faster than it does a few miles inland. Winters bring the usual freeze-thaw cycling that works on old clapboard, paint and roof shingles all over the city, and older, poorly insulated mill-era attics are especially prone to ice damming at the eaves during a hard winter. Away from the water, exposure is more typical for coastal York County, but the age of the housing stock means storm damage often reveals problems that have been building for decades.

A new deck starts below ground. Footings have to reach below the frost line so the deck does not heave, the ledger that ties the deck to the house has to be flashed so it never rots the rim, and the framing has to carry snow as well as people. On top of that structure goes the part you see: composite and PVC boards, pressure-treated lumber or cedar, with railings, stairs and landings. Cardinal Exteriors builds new decks and full replacements only; it does not take on deck repairs or staining.

• An owner visits, looks at the yard and the house, and talks through size, layout, stairs and material.
• Permits are pulled where the town requires them.
• Footings are dug or set below frost; posts, beams and joists are framed to span and load.
• The ledger is flashed and fastened with structural fasteners, or the deck is built freestanding.
• Decking, railings, stairs and landings go on, with hidden or face fasteners to suit the boards.

• You want outdoor living space where there is none
• An existing deck is too small or poorly laid out for how you use it
• A new door, addition or view calls for a deck to reach it

• Deck size, height and shape
• Decking material: composite, PVC, pressure-treated or cedar
• Railing style and stair runs
• Footing type and site conditions: ledge, slope, access
• Permits and any shoreland or setback requirements

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 new deck building overview.

For a deeper walkthrough of materials, code details and photos, see our full Deck Building in Maine: Frost-Depth Footings and Ledger Flashing guide.

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