Deck Replacement in South Portland, Maine

Plenty of South Portland decks and porches were added decades ago to houses whose median build year is 1968, and many are now past their useful life. Older pressure-treated decks were often built with ledgers fastened straight to the house without flashing, shallow footings, and railings that no longer meet guard height or baluster spacing rules. Water collecting at the ledger rots both the deck and the house framing, and posts on shallow footings heave in freeze and thaw.

Cardinal replaces aging decks completely rather than repairing them. The old structure is removed, new footings go in below frost, the ledger is attached with proper fasteners and flashing or the deck is made freestanding, and new framing, decking, stairs and railings are built to the current code. A full replacement needs a building permit from Code Enforcement, and a house built in 1940 or earlier may face the city's exterior-permit delay, so plan ahead for spring or summer work. Replacement is also a chance to change the size or shape of the deck, add a landing, or switch to composite. Decks near the harbor or bay may need a shoreland zoning check first.

South Portland has about 12,800 housing units, and the American Community Survey estimates a median year built of 1968, two decades newer than Portland across the harbor. About 25 percent of homes predate 1940 and about 45 percent predate 1960. Roughly 16 percent went up between 1960 and 1979, and close to 19 percent date from 2000 or later, a larger share of newer construction than on the peninsula. Owners occupy about 58 percent of occupied homes, and single-family detached houses make up a little over half the stock, with apartments, condominiums and two-family houses filling out the rest. Seasonal homes are rare, only about 100 units. The older waterfront villages hold the city's early wood-frame houses, while the neighborhoods farther inland are largely post-war and later.

Building permits in South Portland come from Code Enforcement, part of the Department of Planning and Development, which issues permits and conducts inspections for building, electrical and plumbing work. Applications can go through the city's online portal or by email. The city enforces the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code, based on the 2021 International Residential Code, and a permitted project must make a substantial start within 180 days. Since 2019, a building permit for exterior work on a designated historic property or any structure built in 1940 or earlier may be delayed up to 90 days. Shoreland zoning applies along the harbor and bay.

South Portland faces Portland Harbor and the Fore River on its north side and Casco Bay to the east, so houses in Ferry Village, Willard and the streets near Spring Point take salt air and onshore wind, while western neighborhoods near the Maine Mall are more sheltered. The city shares its weather with the Portland International Jetport, whose main runway lies inside South Portland, and the Portland area averages about 69 inches of snow a year, with some winters far lighter or heavier. Nor'easters drive rain and snow sideways against exposed walls, and repeated freeze and thaw loosens caulk, paint and shingles. Near the water, salt speeds corrosion of flashing and fasteners.

When an old deck is soft, wobbly or pulling away from the house, a full replacement is treated as a new build: the old deck comes off, the footings and framing are built new, and the new surface, railings and stairs go on. That is the only way to deal with hidden rot at the ledger and frost-heaved footings, and it is how Cardinal Exteriors approaches it. It lets you change the size, shape and material at the same time.

• The existing deck is removed and disposed of, and the house wall behind the ledger is inspected.
• Rotted rim or sheathing behind the old ledger is repaired and the wall is flashed.
• New footings go below frost; new posts, beams and joists are framed.
• New decking, railings, stairs and landings are installed in the material you choose.
• Permits are pulled where required and the site is cleaned up.

• Soft or spongy boards and joists
• A ledger pulling away from the house or rust-streaked fasteners
• Posts that have heaved, leaned or rotted at the base
• Railings that wobble or are lower than today's code expects

• Removal and disposal of the old deck
• Repairs to the house wall behind the ledger
• New size, height and shape
• Decking and railing materials
• Footing type and site access

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 deck replacement overview.

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