Deck Building in Cape Elizabeth, Maine

A deck on a Cape Elizabeth lot is usually built for the view, whether toward Casco Bay, the ocean, a marsh or open field. Every new deck needs a building permit from the Code Enforcement Office, and on waterfront lots the Shoreland Performance Overlay District applies. It covers land within 250 feet of tidal waters, Great Pond and the Spurwink River, sets a 75-foot setback for new structures from most water bodies, and caps impervious coverage within the district at 20 percent of the lot.

Near protected wetlands the rules tighten further: a deck is counted as a footprint expansion and may not come within 25 feet of the wetland edge, with larger setbacks depending on the district. Footings must go below frost depth, and their locations have to respect the same setbacks as the deck itself. A deck facing the water also takes wind load, so framing, ledger attachment and railings should be designed for exposure. Cardinal Exteriors builds new decks in composite, PVC, pressure-treated lumber and cedar, with railings, stairs and landings.

The Census Bureau's 2020-2024 American Community Survey estimates about 3,980 housing units in Cape Elizabeth, and roughly 90 percent of them are single-family detached houses. About 88 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied. The estimated median year built is 1967. Close to 40 percent of the stock predates 1960, including about one in five homes built before 1940, and another quarter went up between 1960 and 1979. Only around 7 percent was built in 2000 or later, so most houses here are old enough to have outlived at least one roof and one round of siding. The older layer includes summer houses from the late nineteenth century, when Portland architect John Calvin Stevens designed Shingle Style cottages along the Casco Bay shore. The survey also counts roughly 210 seasonal units, homes that may sit closed through the winter.

Permits run through the Cape Elizabeth Code Enforcement Office, 320 Ocean House Road, which has accepted building applications online since May 2025. Its FAQ states that a building permit is required to construct, structurally alter or enlarge a structure, and that no permit is required to replace siding or roofing. A new deck needs a building permit. The town's Shoreland Performance Overlay District covers land within 250 feet of tidal waters, Great Pond and the Spurwink River, with a 75-foot setback for new structures from most water bodies. Resource protection permits go through the Planning Office, and work in a mapped flood zone needs a Flood Hazard Permit.

Cape Elizabeth has almost no shelter from the sea. The land faces open ocean to the east and south, so wind off the Gulf of Maine arrives with salt spray and nothing to break it, and nor'easters push rain sideways into siding joints, window heads and roof edges. Portland, just to the north, averages about 69 inches of snow a year, with large swings between winters, and storms that bring a foot or more are a regular part of the season. The ocean moderates temperatures near the shore, which means more winter days that hover around freezing and more freeze-thaw cycles on shingles, flashing and deck footings. Fog and damp air keep north-facing walls and shaded roofs wet longer than inland houses see.

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.

Back to the Cape Elizabeth exterior services overview, or see every town on our Cumberland County service areas page.