Field Notes
What we've learned building decks here.
Plain-spoken guides on materials, climate, warranties, and the questions homeowners ask Pete most.
Repair & Maintenance
Symptoms, fixes, and honest repair-vs-replace calls for aging decks.
Deck Ledger Board Rot and Flashing: What to Check Before It Fails
Deck ledger board rot starts behind missing or failed deck ledger flashing. How to spot it from below, what good flashing looks like, and Denver repair costs.
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Can You Use Ice Melt on a Composite Deck?
Trex, TimberTech, and Fiberon all allow calcium chloride but disagree on rock salt and sand. Brand-by-brand ice melt rules, plus how to shovel a composite deck.
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Deck Post Rotting at the Base? Why It Happens and What It Costs to Fix
A deck post rotting at the base almost always means water is trapped against the wood. Causes, how to judge severity, the fix, and 2026 Denver repair costs.
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Rotting Deck Stair Stringer? How to Tell, What to Fix, and What Code Requires
How to tell a deck stair stringer is rotted, when sistering beats a full rebuild, 2026 Denver repair costs, and the IRC code rules that apply when you rebuild.
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Soft Spots in Deck Boards? What's Actually Rotting, and What It Costs
A soft or spongy deck board usually means rot — in the board, or the joist underneath it. How to tell which, and what repairs cost in Denver in 2026.
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How Much Snow Can Your Deck Hold? The Colorado Answer
Front Range decks are built to a 30 psf snow load. What that means in feet of snow, the five cases where the math doesn't apply, and how to clear it safely.
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Deck Boards Cupping or Splitting? What It Means and What to Do
Why Colorado sun and freeze-thaw cup and split wood deck boards, what each fix costs, and when a re-deck in capped composite beats replacing boards one by one.
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Why Does My Deck Feel Bouncy? Causes, Fixes, and What They Cost
A bouncy deck usually means undersized joists, missing blocking, or failing hardware. What each cause costs to fix in Denver — and when bounce means danger.
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Deck Pulling Away From the House? Read This Today, Not This Spring
A gap between your deck and house means the ledger connection is failing — the top cause of deck collapse. What to check today and what repairs cost in Denver.
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What Deck Repairs Cost in Denver (2026): Real Numbers by Fix
Itemized 2026 Denver deck repair prices — boards, railing posts, joists, ledgers, footings, stairs — plus how to decide between repair, re-deck, and replace.
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Winterizing Your Colorado Deck: The 20-Minute Fall Checklist
A 20-minute fall checklist for Colorado decks — drainage, flashing, fasteners, snow-shovel rules, and the ice-melt mistake that corrodes deck hardware.
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Wobbly Deck Railing? How to Fix It (and When It's a Bigger Problem)
Why deck railings loosen, what each fix costs in the Denver metro, and the wobble that means structural trouble — not hardware. Honest ranges, real code.
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Cost & Budget
Real 2026 Denver-metro numbers — per-square-foot ranges, labor, financing.
Deck Resurfacing Cost in Denver: What New Composite Boards on Your Old Frame Runs
Resurfacing a deck in the Denver metro costs $20–$35 per sq ft in 2026 — what the money buys, when your frame qualifies, and when to replace instead.
Read the guideDoes a Deck Add Value to a Denver Home? The Real Numbers
Sourced cost-recouped numbers for wood and composite decks from the 2025 Cost vs. Value report and NAR's Remodeling Impact study, for Denver home sellers.
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Deck Railing Replacement Cost in Denver (2026): By Material, With the Code Math
What replacing a deck railing costs in the Denver metro in 2026 — per-foot prices by material, the code your new rail must meet, and when to fix posts first.
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What a Covered Deck Costs in Denver (2026): Roof Types, Real Ranges, and the Math
Real 2026 Denver-metro covered deck prices — pergolas, polycarbonate roofs, solid pavilions — plus the snow-load engineering a real quote has to include.
Read the guideHome Deck Financing in Colorado: How Homeowners Actually Pay
How Colorado homeowners pay for a $15k–$50k deck in 2026 — HELOC, home equity, and personal loan APRs, with real monthly-payment math on a $20,000 build.
Read the guideDeck Labor Costs in Denver: What the Build Itself Is Worth
How much of a Denver deck quote is labor in 2026, what crews actually charge, and why the cheapest labor line is the most expensive part of a bad deck.
Read the guideDeck Replacement Cost in Denver: What Tearing Out and Rebuilding Really Runs
What it costs to replace a deck in the Denver metro in 2026 — teardown, rebuild, and re-decking prices, plus how to tell which one your deck actually needs.
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Second-Story & Walk-Out Deck Costs in Colorado: Why Height Changes the Math
What an elevated, second-story, or walk-out deck costs in Colorado in 2026 — real ranges, why height adds 20–40%, and what a covered lower level adds.
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The Cost to Build Stairs Off a Deck — Plus Railings, Lighting & Extras
The real cost to build stairs off a deck, what a new stair railing costs, and what lighting, built-ins, and a second level add to a Denver deck budget in 2026.
Read the guideHow Much Does a Composite Deck Cost in Denver? Real 2026 Ranges
What a composite deck actually costs in the Denver metro in 2026 — real installed price ranges, what drives the number up or down, and where the money goes.
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Design & Materials
Composite vs. wood, brand comparisons, and designs that fit Colorado lots.
How Long Does Composite Decking Last? Trex, TimberTech, and Fiberon Compared
Composite decking's real Colorado lifespan, Trex/TimberTech/Fiberon warranty years by product line, and the framing failure that usually ends a deck first.
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Floating Decks in Colorado: When a Ground-Level Deck Is the Right Answer
What a floating deck is, the under-200-sq-ft permit exemption, how frost heave changes the rules, and what a ground-level deck costs in the Denver metro.
Read the guideHot Tub Decks: Engineering a Deck for 6,000 Pounds of Water
A filled hot tub weighs as much as two SUVs in one spot — 100+ psf on framing designed for 40. What a hot-tub-ready deck needs and costs in the Denver metro.
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Can You Build a Deck Over a Concrete Patio? Usually — Here's How and What It Costs
How a deck gets built over an existing concrete patio — sleeper heights, drainage slopes, when cracked or heaved slabs still work, and 2026 Denver-metro costs.
Read the guideTrex vs. TimberTech vs. Fiberon: An Installer's Honest Comparison
Fiberon vs. Trex vs. TimberTech, from the installer's side — board costs by line, warranty years, heat performance, and which fits Colorado.
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Composite vs. Natural Wood Decking: A No-Nonsense Guide for 2026
Composite vs. wood with real Denver installed prices — $/sq ft by material, lifespan, the 10-year cost math, and a decision tree to pick your board.
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300 Days of Sun: What Colorado's Climate Really Does to Your Deck
Colorado's 300 days of sun are the best reason to build a deck — and the single biggest enemy of every deck we build. Here's how to plan for it.
Read the guideConcrete or Pavers? The Real Comparison for Patios and Walkways
Poured concrete or pavers? Installed $/sq ft, lifespan, maintenance costs, and the freeze-thaw and clay-soil realities that decide it in Colorado.
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Covers & Pergolas
Roofs, pergolas, and screened rooms — what shelter actually costs and solves.
Patio Cover Styles: Gable, Shed, Flat, Hip, or Pergola — Which Fits Your House
Gable, shed, flat, hip, or pergola — which style fits a one-story vs. two-story Denver home, and how Colorado snow, hail, and HOA rules change the pick.
Read the guideUsing Your Deck All Winter in Colorado: What Actually Works
Colorado winters hand out sunny 45-degree afternoons all season. The cover, heat, windbreak, and lighting upgrades that keep a deck in use past November.
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Adding a Roof to an Existing Deck: What It Takes and What It Costs
What it costs to add a pergola, polycarbonate roof, or solid roof to an existing Denver deck — plus the structural check every honest retrofit starts with.
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Screened Porch or Three-Season Room? The Colorado Decision Guide
What separates a screened porch from a three-season room, what each costs in the Denver metro, and how to build the first so it can become the second.
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Polycarbonate Roof Covers: The Honest Guide for Patios, Decks, and Pergolas
Panel types, mm thicknesses, light transmission, hail performance, and real installed costs — why polycarbonate is the right cover for most Colorado homes.
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Hiring, Permits & Warranties
How to vet a builder, what your city requires, what's covered.
Can You Build a Deck in Winter in Colorado? (Yes — Here's How It Actually Works)
Yes, decks get built all winter in Colorado. How footings, concrete, framing, and composite installs actually work in the cold — and what really pauses a build.
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How to Choose the Best Deck Builder in Denver — What Actually Separates Them
Checkable signals that separate a pro deck contractor from a risky one — $1M+ insurance, certification tiers, deposit norms, lien waivers, bid red flags.
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The Best Time of Year to Build a Deck in Colorado (It's Earlier Than You Think)
When to build a deck in Colorado: why fall and winter starts win, real permit timelines and lead times by season, and how to be on the deck by Memorial Day.
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Deck Permits in Centennial, Arapahoe & Douglas County: 2026 Guide
Do you need a permit for a deck in the Denver metro? What Centennial, Arapahoe County, and Douglas County require in 2026 — and how the process actually works.
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What to Know About Warranties
Three warranties cover every Haka deck — ours, the board manufacturer's, and the railing's. Here's exactly what each one does, and what it doesn't.
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Got a question we haven't answered yet?
If you've got a question about Colorado decks that isn't covered above, send it our way. Pete reads every message.