Deck Building in New Gloucester, Maine

New Gloucester spells out its deck requirements in writing. The code office's building permit checklist asks for a foundation plan, framing cross sections and a signed, dated plot plan showing setbacks, measured from the property line rather than the road. It also says deck footings on sonotubes must be at least 48 inches below grade and fastened, with a length of #4 rebar run through an 8-inch tube, and it recommends 10-inch tubes.

The town's FAQ adds the details a finished deck must meet: guards at least 36 inches high with balusters no more than 4 inches apart, stair risers no taller than 7 3/4 inches and treads at least 10 inches deep. Work within 100 feet of a water body may need Maine DEP approval as well. Most New Gloucester decks face a backyard, a field or woods rather than water, so the design questions are usually about sun, privacy and snow storage. Cardinal Exteriors builds new decks only, in composite, PVC, pressure-treated lumber or cedar, and an owner prices each one in a fixed written proposal after measuring the site.

Census estimates put New Gloucester at about 2,260 housing units with a median year built of 1991. About 11 percent of homes predate 1940 and roughly one in five predates 1960, but the largest share, about 31 percent, has been built in 2000 or later. Only about 15 percent date from 1960 to 1979, a much thinner mid-century layer than in neighboring Gray. Around 70 percent of units are single-family detached houses, and about 83 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied. Seasonal homes are rare, about two dozen by the survey's count, so nearly every house here is lived in year-round. The oldest houses are notable: the village holds many wood-frame houses built before 1810 in Georgian and Federal styles, and Intervale Farm's circa-1811 brick farmhouse is joined to its barn by a string of wood-frame additions.

New Gloucester's Code Enforcement Officer, who also serves as plumbing inspector and health officer, issues building permits. Under Article 6.1.1 of the zoning ordinance, no structure may be erected, moved, added to or structurally altered without one. The office's handout says regular maintenance such as roofing, siding and window replacement needs no permit when it does not alter the structure. Decks do: the permit checklist asks for a foundation plan, framing cross sections and a signed plot plan with setbacks. The town's FAQ notes that work within 100 feet of a water body may need Maine DEP approval.

New Gloucester is inland farm country, with the town center at roughly 364 feet and no salt exposure. The nearest long-term record is next door: NOAA's 1991-2020 normals for the Gray station list about 84 inches of snow a year, and January there averages near 22 degrees. The town's own code enforcement handout gives the figures it builds to, a total snow load of 70 pounds per square foot and a 100 mph wind speed. Open fields along the Intervale and around the farms let wind drive snow and rain against the long walls of connected farmhouses, and repeated freeze-thaw cycles work into any joint that holds water.

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