Deck Building in Kennebunkport, Maine

Census estimates put Kennebunkport's median home built around 1982, with about 13 percent of the housing predating 1940 and roughly 29 percent predating 1960, on a year-round population of well under 4,000 that swells considerably each summer. The town's defining houses are the early-1900s shingle-style cottages of the Cape Arundel Summer Colony, running from Chick's Creek toward Walker's Point, built as grand seasonal retreats rather than year-round homes. Cape Porpoise, the town's working fishing harbor, holds a more modest mix of older cottages and captain's houses, while Goose Rocks Beach and the town's inland areas add a range of newer, more ordinary coastal homes built through the second half of the 20th century.

Building permits in Kennebunkport go through the Planning and Development Department's Code Enforcement Office at Town Hall on Elm Street. With a population under Maine's 4,000-resident threshold, Kennebunkport is not required to enforce the statewide Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code, though the plumbing and general permitting process still applies to every exterior job here. Because the whole town sits on the coast, the Kennebunkport shoreline falls under Maine's Mandatory Shoreland Zoning Act, and the town maintains a separate Flood Hazard Development Permit for construction in shoreland and flood-zone areas, plus added review inside the Cape Arundel Summer Colony Historic District.

Kennebunkport's whole coastline, from Cape Arundel to Cape Porpoise Harbor and Goose Rocks Beach, takes weather directly off the Atlantic: nor'easters bring storm surge and wind-driven rain, and salt air corrodes fasteners, flashing and metal roofing faster here than it does even a short distance inland. Winters bring the usual Maine freeze-thaw cycling, and the shingle-style summer cottages, many built with lighter framing meant for warm-weather use, need special attention to insulation and moisture control if an owner uses the house through a Maine winter. Coastal wind load also matters more here than in most of this service area, given how exposed Cape Arundel and Cape Porpoise are to open ocean.

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 Kennebunkport exterior services overview, or see every town on our service areas page.