Deck Replacement in Wells, Maine

Census estimates put Wells' median home built around 1989, the newest housing stock among the towns in this service area, with only about 8 percent of homes predating 1940 and roughly 18 percent predating 1960. Most of Wells' housing was built from the 1960s onward, as the town grew along its beaches and the Route 1 corridor rather than around an older mill or shipbuilding economy. Beach cottages at Wells Beach, Moody Beach and Drakes Island Beach range from smaller older camps to larger, newer builds raised up on pilings, while inland neighborhoods hold a straightforward mix of capes, ranches and contemporary homes.

Building permits in Wells go through the Code Enforcement Office on Sanford Road, covering siding, roofing, window and deck work. Because Wells has roughly seven miles of Atlantic coastline, the town maintains an active Shoreland Overlay Zone plus FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps that are directly relevant to construction near the shore, particularly at Wells Beach, Moody Beach and Drakes Island. Properties near the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge or the Wells Reserve at Laudholm Farm can face added shoreland-zoning review given the ecological significance of that land.

With seven miles of Atlantic coastline, Wells takes nor'easters and wind-driven rain directly along its entire beachfront, and salt air corrodes fasteners, flashing and roofing hardware faster near Wells Beach, Moody Beach and Drakes Island than it does along the inland stretches of Route 1. The Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge and the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve at Laudholm Farm add extensive marsh and tidal frontage to the town's exposure profile. Winters bring standard Maine freeze-thaw cycling and snow load, and because most of Wells' housing is newer, ice damming at the eaves is less common here than in towns with an older, less-insulated housing stock.

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.

For a deeper walkthrough of materials, code details and photos, see our full Deck Replacement: When to Rebuild vs. Re-Deck guide.

Back to the Wells exterior services overview, or see every town on our service areas page.