Coastal Deck Refresh

Project Overview

The existing deck had soft rim joists, undersized footings and a ledger that was never flashed. We rebuilt the frame, corrected the footings, flashed and bolted the ledger, then surfaced it in composite decking with a new code-compliant railing system.

This ocean-side deck had been patched three times and was reaching the end of its life. Inspection showed rim joists rotted through at several points, footings undersized for the span, and a ledger board attached with the wrong fasteners and no flashing \u2014 the kind of detail that eventually causes the whole structure to move.

We corrected the structure first: new footings, properly sized rim joists, and a ledger that was bolted, flashed and detailed as an engineered connection rather than simply screwed into the house. Only then did we turn to the finish work.

The client chose composite decking to eliminate annual sealing while keeping the look of wood, paired with a railing system designed to code. The finished deck now serves as the primary outdoor living space for the home.

Key Outcomes

• Rebuilt frame with corrected footings
• Code-compliant railing and stairs
• Composite decking \u2014 no annual sealing
• Flashed and bolted ledger connection
• Completed without disturbing the yard

Why This Project Matters

The difference between a repair that lasts and one that fails is almost always in the details that are easy to skip. On this project we addressed structure and drainage before any finish work, so the visible improvements rest on a foundation that will hold through Cape Cod’s freeze-thaw cycles and coastal summers.