Decks / Bend, Oregon
Some decks need a new coat of stain, some need new boards on the old frame, and some need to come down. We tell you which one yours is, then build it to stand up to Bend's snow and summer sun. Free written estimates.
Free Estimate / 01
Tell us about the deck you have or the one you want. A few details up front help us bring the right measurements and samples to the site visit:
We reply within 48 hours on business days to set up the visit. Office hours are Monday to Friday, 7:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Prefer to talk? Call (541) 497-0123
Your Options / 02
Most homeowners call us asking for a new deck. A good share of them do not need one. The frame underneath decides which of these three jobs makes sense.
01
Frame and boards are sound
The deck is gray, rough or splintering, but the boards are solid and the railing is tight. We clean, sand, replace the odd cracked board and apply a penetrating stain. This is the least expensive way to make an old deck look new again.
02
Frame is sound, boards are not
Boards are cupped, rotting at the ends or soft underfoot, but the joists, beams and posts are still in good shape. We strip the surface down to the frame, fix what needs fixing and lay new wood or composite boards and railing. You get a new deck surface without paying for a new structure.
03
The structure has failed
Rot in the joists or ledger, posts sitting on blocks that have shifted, or a railing that moves when you lean on it. Then the safe answer is a new deck from the footings up, usually with a better layout and better stairs than the one it replaces.
Before you call anyone, take a flashlight and a screwdriver under the deck. What you find tells you which of the three jobs above you are probably looking at.
If a railing moves or the ledger is pulling away from the house, keep people off the deck until it has been looked at. Most serious deck failures start at the railing or at the connection to the house, not in the middle of the deck.
Materials / 03
At 3,600 feet the sun is strong, the air is dry and winters swing above and below freezing all season. That is hard on any deck surface. Here is the honest version of the tradeoff.
Cedar or pressure treated
Capped composite boards
Whichever surface you choose, the frame underneath is pressure treated lumber, and it is the frame that decides how long the deck lasts. We bring board samples to the estimate so you can see colors in your own light.
Construction / 04
The parts of a deck that matter most are the ones you never see after it is finished. This is where we spend the time.
Permits / 05
Under Oregon's residential code, a deck generally needs a building permit if any one of these is true:
Inside city limits the permit comes from the City of Bend. On rural property it comes from Deschutes County. Simply refinishing a deck, or replacing boards on the same frame, usually does not need one. If your project does, we handle the drawings, submit the application and schedule the inspections. Rules get updated, so we confirm the requirements for your project before we quote.
Many Bend neighborhoods also have an HOA that reviews deck size, railing style and color. Get that approval in writing before materials are ordered. We will give you the specs and samples you need to submit.
Shade / 06
A deck that faces west in Bend can be too hot to use from mid afternoon until the sun goes behind the Cascades. A pergola over part of the deck fixes that, and it is easiest and cheapest to plan while the deck is being built, because the posts can carry down to their own footings. A solid patio cover is also an option, but once a structure has a roof it has to carry Bend's snow load, so it is engineered differently from an open pergola. See our pergola and shade structure work for examples.
Process / 07
Most of our business is siding, and we also handle roof replacement and repair in Bend, which makes us a good fit when the deck project turns up rot in the wall behind it.
FAQ / 08
The biggest drivers are size, height off the ground, decking material, railing style, the number of stairs, and whether an old deck has to be torn out first. A low, ground level deck with wood boards and a simple rail costs far less per square foot than a second story deck with composite boards and cable or metal railing. Putting new boards on a frame that is still sound is usually the least expensive option of all. We do not give square foot prices over the phone, because the frame and the site change the number too much. The estimate is free and comes in writing after we see the deck.
If you want to use the deck this summer, call in late winter or early spring. That leaves time to design it, get a permit if one is needed, and order materials before the busy season. We build through spring and fall as well. The one real limit is concrete: new footings need to be poured when the ground is not frozen, so a full rebuild in the middle of winter usually waits for a thaw.
With a semi-transparent oil stain, plan on every two to three years for the walking surface and a little longer for railings, which do not take foot traffic. Decks facing south or west fade fastest. A simple test: sprinkle water on the boards. If it beads, the finish is still working. If it soaks in and darkens the wood right away, it is time.
Often, yes. We pull a few boards, check the joists, beams, ledger and posts, and tell you whether the frame has another twenty years in it. If you are switching from wood to composite, the joists may need to be closer together than the original builder spaced them, and we can add joists between the existing ones rather than rebuilding the whole frame.
Yes. Demolition and disposal of the old deck are part of our estimate, listed as their own line so you can see what they cost.
Yes. Deck work in all three towns is part of our regular schedule. If you are in Redmond, our Redmond siding, roofing and deck page covers what we see on homes there. In Sunriver and in neighborhoods with an HOA, plan for design review on color and material before we order anything.
Next Step
Phone Tim at the office, or use the deck request form above and attach a photo of the framing if you can. After one site visit you will know whether it is a refinish, new boards or a rebuild, and what each would cost.