Deck Building in Saco, Maine

Census estimates put Saco's median home built around 1982, with about 22 percent of the housing stock older than 1940 and roughly a third older than 1960. That mix reflects two different building eras: modest worker housing and duplexes from the York Manufacturing and Saco-Lowell mill years clustered near downtown and Factory Island, and a much larger ring of capes, colonials and split-levels built from the 1960s onward as Saco filled in along Route 1 and Route 112. At Camp Ellis and Ferry Beach, small older cottages sit alongside newer, larger houses built up on pilings after decades of storm damage.

Building permits in Saco go through the Code Enforcement Department at City Hall on Main Street, which handles siding, roofing, window and deck permits alongside other building work. Because Saco has both river and ocean frontage, Maine's Mandatory Shoreland Zoning Act applies within 250 feet of the Saco River and the Atlantic coastline, which affects what can be built or rebuilt at Camp Ellis, Ferry Beach and along the riverbanks. Property near the water may also fall under FEMA flood-zone rules, which matters most for deck framing and any work that touches the foundation.

Camp Ellis takes the brunt of Saco's weather. A 19th-century Army Corps jetty at the river mouth has driven well-documented beach erosion there, and nor'easters push storm surge and wind-driven rain straight at the row of houses along Ocean Avenue. Winters bring damaging freeze-thaw cycles and a snow load that has to be planned for on any roof, while salt air off the Atlantic and the Saco River estuary accelerates corrosion on fasteners, flashing and gutters closer to the water. Inland, away from the coast, the exposure is a more ordinary Maine winter, but ice damming at the eaves is still a factor on any roof with poor attic ventilation.

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