Deck Replacement in Kirkland & the Eastside
Most Eastside decks built in the 1980s and 1990s are reaching the end of their framing, not just their boards. Replacing a deck costs $50 to $120 per square foot installed, including demolition and disposal, and the replacement is a chance to fix what the original got wrong: an unflashed ledger, undersized footings, a layout that never matched how the family used the yard.
Get a Free Design & Quote — we will inspect what is there before we price what comes next.
Get a Free Design & Quote Call +1(425) 518-1187
Replace or resurface?
Resurfacing means new boards and railings on the existing framing. It is worth doing only when the framing is sound, which we confirm by probing the ledger, rim joist, joist ends and posts. The common findings on a thirty-year-old deck:
- Rot in the rim joist and ledger behind the boards, invisible from above.
- Posts set in soil or buried concrete, rotted at grade.
- Joists at 24-inch spacing, too wide for composite boards.
- Footings that are too shallow or too small for the current code.
- No lateral connection between deck and house.
If two of those are present, full replacement costs little more than resurfacing and gives a deck that lasts as long as the new boards. Repair or Replace an Old Deck? walks through the checks.
The replacement sequence
- Inspection and design: what stays (sometimes a sound beam or footing), what goes, and what the new deck looks like.
- Permit: replacement framing usually needs one where the original did; we prepare the drawings.
- Tear-out: boards, railings, framing and old footings removed and hauled; recyclable cedar separated.
- Siding repair at the ledger: the house sheathing behind an old ledger is often damaged and is repaired before the new ledger goes on.
- New footings, framing, joist tape, flashing.
- New boards, railings, stairs.
- Final inspection and walkthrough.
Tear-out takes one to two days; the new build follows the same timeline as a new deck of that size.
Deck replacement costs on the Eastside
| Scope | Installed range |
|---|---|
| Resurface only, sound framing, composite boards and new railing | $35 – $65 per sq ft |
| Full replacement, ground level, composite | $60 – $115 per sq ft |
| Full replacement, second-story, composite with aluminum rail | $85 – $160 per sq ft |
| Demolition and disposal, if quoted separately | $6 – $12 per sq ft |
| Rim or sheathing repair behind the old ledger | $800 – $4,500 |
Changing the layout while you are at it
A replacement does not have to copy the old footprint. The common improvements: a wider deck that fits a table and chairs with room to walk around, stairs moved to where people actually walk into the yard, a covered section over the door, or a step-down to a ground-level patio. The permit drawings cover the new design either way.
A deck replacement we built
1990s pressure-treated deck replaced with TimberTech and aluminum rail
Deck replacement questions
My boards look fine. Should I still worry?
The boards are the last thing to fail on a cedar deck and the first thing people check. The ledger and rim joist are where decks collapse. A probe test at the house connection takes ten minutes and is part of every quote.
Can you reuse my concrete footings?
If they are at the right depth, size and location for the new design, yes. Most footings poured before the mid-1990s are not, and we replace them.
What happens to the old wood?
Pressure-treated wood goes to an approved disposal site. Sound cedar can be separated for reuse or recycling where a facility accepts it.
Will the siding need repair?
Often a strip of siding and sheathing behind the old ledger is damaged. We include an allowance in the quote and show you the condition when it is opened.
How long will the yard be torn up?
One to two weeks for a typical replacement, from tear-out to the last railing.
Send three photos: the deck from the yard, the ledger, and underneath. We will tell you replace or resurface.