Deck Building in Harpswell, Maine

A new deck is often the most-used room in a Harpswell house, facing the water or a wooded yard. Planning starts with the building envelope: the town's permit guide requires structures in shoreland zones to stay 75 feet from the highest astronomical tide and 25 feet from boundary lines, and in interior zones 40 feet from a traveled way and 20 feet from boundaries. Many waterfront lots have less room than owners expect.

Decks require a Harpswell building permit, even when built off-site, and the application needs an accurate plot plan and about 14 business days of review, with inspections through a final. Footings must go below frost depth, and where a footing lands on ledge it may need to be pinned to the rock instead. Stairs down a sloped lot toward the water add landings and guards, and they count toward the design the town reviews. Fasteners, joist hangers and connectors should be rated for salt exposure. Cardinal builds new decks and full replacements in composite, PVC, pressure-treated and cedar, with railings, stairs and landings. An owner visits, measures and writes a fixed-price proposal, and financing is available.

Census estimates count about 4,300 housing units in Harpswell with a median year built around 1979. Roughly one in five units predates 1940, about 29 percent predates 1960, around 22 percent was built between 1960 and 1979, and about 19 percent dates from 2000 or later. More than 91 percent of units are single-family detached houses, and about 83 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied, both far above most Cumberland County towns. The most distinctive number is seasonal use: around 1,440 units, about a third of the housing stock, are held for seasonal or recreational use. That means cottages and camps that sit closed for months, next to year-round capes, farmhouses and larger newer homes on the water, often clad in cedar shingles or clapboard.

The Harpswell Code Enforcement Office requires a building permit to alter, repair, renovate or replace any existing structure. Its permit guide specifically lists decks, even when built off-site, and window and exterior door replacement. The permit must be posted before work starts, review takes about 14 business days, and an accurate plot plan is expected. Structures must stay within the building envelope: in shoreland zones, 75 feet from the highest astronomical tide and 25 feet from boundary lines. Permits run one year, or up to five with a substantial start, and inspections include a final.

Few towns in Cumberland County are as exposed. Harpswell's land area is about 24 square miles against more than 100 square miles of water, so much of the town sits close to the bay and the wind has a long open run to reach them. Salt spray settles on siding, glass and roof metal, fog keeps surfaces damp for days, and nor'easters push rain sideways into east- and north-facing walls. Snowfall at the Portland Jetport, the closest long-record National Weather Service station, averaged about 69 inches a year over the 1991 to 2020 normals, and wet coastal snow loads roofs and decks quickly. Repeated freeze-thaw cycles still split paint, loosen shingles and heave shallow footings.

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 Harpswell exterior services overview, or see every town on our Cumberland County service areas page.