If your deck went up in the '80s or '90s — and across Centennial, Littleton, and the rest of the south metro, a huge share did — you're not researching a luxury. You're pricing overdue maintenance on the most-used room of the house. Here's what deck replacement actually costs across the Denver metro in 2026, and the one question that swings the price by tens of thousands of dollars.
The one question: replace, or re-deck?
Two very different projects hide under the phrase "deck replacement":
- Re-decking (resurfacing). The framing underneath is sound, so the old boards and railings come off and a new surface goes on over the structure you already own. Typical Denver-metro range: $20–$35 per square foot installed for capped composite.
- Full replacement. Teardown to grade, haul-off, new engineered footings and framing, new surface and code-current railings. This is new-deck pricing plus demolition: $40–$70 per square foot for composite, plus roughly $1,500–$3,500 for teardown and disposal, depending on size and access.
Run against the three most common deck sizes, that's:
| Size | Re-deck (sound framing) | Full replacement (with tear-out) |
|---|---|---|
| 12×16 (192 sq ft) | $3,800–$6,700 | $9,500–$16,500 |
| 16×20 (320 sq ft) | $6,400–$11,200 | $14,500–$28,500 |
| 20×24 (480 sq ft) | $9,600–$16,800 | $20,500–$40,500 |
On the average 16×20, the framing verdict is worth roughly $8,000–$17,000 — and it isn't a preference, it's a structural fact. That's why every replacement quote we give starts with a real inspection: ledger, footings, posts, joists, hardware. If the bones are good, we say so and quote the cheaper job.
How to tell which job your deck needs
The short version of the inspection, in decision-rule form:
- Re-deck qualifies when joists pass the screwdriver test (a blade that sinks in means rot), the ledger is bolted and flashed, footings sit at frost depth, and the hardware is surface-rusted at worst.
- Replacement wins when rot has reached more than one or two framing members, the ledger is nailed or unflashed, or footings were poured shallow and have heaved — common on pre-code builds.
- The 16-inch catch. Most composite boards require joists at 16 inches on center (12 inches for diagonal layouts). Plenty of older wood decks were framed at 24 inches — sometimes sistering new joists in fixes it, but past a point the "re-deck" quietly becomes a rebuild and honest pricing should say so.
Want a preview before anyone shows up? Our 10-minute deck safety inspection guide walks the same checkpoints.
What pushes a replacement toward the top of the range
- Height. Walk-out and second-story decks carry taller posts, bigger footings, and engineered railing loads. Expect elevated builds to run 20–40% above a ground-level deck of the same size — our second-story deck cost guide breaks this down.
- What the old deck is hiding. Rotted rim joists, an unflashed ledger, or footings poured shallow of frost depth get discovered at teardown, not before. A builder who inspected first will have warned you; one who bid off a photo will change-order you.
- Code, since your last deck. Today's rules: guardrails required above 30 inches of height, at 36 inches minimum, with no opening that passes a 4-inch sphere; stair rises capped at 7¾ inches; footings at 30–36 inches for Front Range frost depth. A replacement brings all of it current — that's a feature, and it's permitted and inspected like one, typically $150–$500 in permit fees and three inspections (footing holes, rough framing, final).
- Add-ons. Railing runs $30–$90 per linear foot installed and stairs $150–$400 per step — same as on a new build. Our stairs and railings cost guide has the full numbers.
What an honest replacement bid looks like
For a common project — a worn 16×20 wood deck replaced with capped composite, mid-height, 36 linear feet of aluminum railing, four steps — an itemized quote lands around $18,800: roughly $900 for plans and permit, $2,000 demo and haul-off, $2,600 footings and posts, $4,900 framing, $4,300 decking, $2,300 railing, $1,100 stairs, $700 lighting rough-in. The full line-by-line version is in our deck cost guide. If a bid you're holding can't be broken into lines like those, you can't compare it to anything.
Timeline runs shorter than most people expect: 1–3 weeks for the permit in most south-metro cities, then a one-to-two-week build from tear-out to final inspection for a typical single-level replacement. Plan on four to six weeks door to door — which is why the smart replacements get signed in winter and built before the first barbecue.
Is replacement worth it?
Against the alternative — annual patch-and-stain triage on a deck that's structurally done — almost always. A pressure-treated deck wants a $400–$900 clean-and-restain every 2–3 years plus board and fastener repairs; call it $3,000–$5,000 per decade to maintain a surface that's aging anyway. A capped-composite rebuild resets the clock by decades on soap-and-water upkeep, carries 25–50 year fade-and-stain warranties, and reads as a straight asset on an inspection report instead of a red flag. For calibration, the 2025 Zonda Cost vs Value report puts a national-average 16×20 composite deck addition around $25,000 with ~68% recouped at resale. And unlike the original builder-grade deck, a replacement is designed for how you actually use the space, not for the cheapest possible line on a spec sheet.
Want a planning number for your square footage before talking to anyone? Run it through our deck cost calculator. Ready for a real one? We'll come look at what you've got — if it's a re-deck, we'll tell you that too.
