Deck Repair & Restoration
A Pacific Northwest deck lives a hard life. Eight months of damp shade-moisture, three months of freeze-thaw that walks every screw a half-turn out of its joist, summer UV that drives the cedar tone gray, the chronic moss bloom on the north-side boards, the ledger flashing that was installed wrong in 1998 and has been wicking water behind the siding ever since. Deck repair and restoration is the trade for keeping the structure sound and the surface presentable — board-by-board replacement when the surface is failing, joist sister-up when the rim has gone soft, ledger re-attach with proper lag screws and flashing when the old nailed ledger is the actual deck-collapse risk, staining and sealing inside the narrow May-to-June dry window, pressure-wash tuned to the material, composite resurface over a still-sound frame, railing repair to the four-inch sphere code, and the inspection-and-safety walk that decides which of those visits the deck actually needs. Eight service families, every one with an honest scope. From $250 for a written inspection and safety walk to $65,000 for a full composite resurface with new fascia, hidden fasteners, and a code-compliance rail rebuild. Handis self-performs the carpentry, board work, staining, pressure-wash, and inspection scope; structural failures that require an engineer's sign-off on permit route to a licensed Washington L&I general contractor — we coordinate and pass the engineer's fee through transparently on the quote.
Services
What Deck Repair & Restoration Covers
Deck repair and restoration is the residential trade for keeping a Pacific Northwest deck structurally sound and surface-presentable through the freeze-thaw and chronic-moisture cycle that defines outdoor lumber here. Eight service families, each with its own scope, price floor, and honest handoff when the work crosses into permit-required structural rebuild. Handis self-performs the board, carpentry, staining, pressure-wash, and inspection scope. Structural ledger or joist failures that require an engineer's sign-off on permit route to a licensed Washington L&I general contractor — we coordinate the engineer site visit, pass the engineer fee through transparently on the quote, and stay in the project for the finish carpentry after the structural portion is signed off.
Deck Board Replacement
Cracked, split, soft, or rotted boards pulled and replaced with matched cedar, pressure-treated, or composite. The joist-bay underneath gets probed with an awl and a moisture meter before the new board goes down — a surface board over a wet joist is a temporary cover that fails again inside a year. Stainless or coated deck screws sized to the original hole; hidden-fastener systems (Cortex, Camo) replaced from truck stock. From $500 for a single board with joist check to $2,500 for a multi-board run with end-grain treatment.
Deck Board Replacement — matched lumber, joist check, stainless fasteners
Joist & Substructure Repair
Sister-up of rotted joists with matched dimension stock (typical 2x8 or 2x10 pressure-treated) fastened with structural screws fully spanning the compromised section. Joist-hanger replacement with Simpson ZMAX or HDG hardware where the original galvanized hanger has rusted through. Inspection from below — most joist failures we find start at the rim and the ledger, hidden from the top side. From $1,500 for a single sister-up to $6,000 for a multi-joist substructure rebuild with hanger replacement.
Joist & Substructure Repair — sister joists, ZMAX hangers, rim inspection
Deck Ledger Repair
The deck-to-house tieoff is the single most common deck-collapse failure point in residential construction — old nailed ledgers, missing flashing, water wicked between the ledger and the rim joist for ten or fifteen years. We re-attach old nailed ledgers with LedgerLOK or GRK structural lag screws to the current residential deck code spacing, install Z-flashing or vinyl L-flashing at the deck-to-house tieoff so future water sheds away from the siding, and cut out and replace rotted ledger sections with pressure-treated stock. Structural permit work on a full ledger replacement routes to a licensed Washington L&I general contractor. From $1,200 for a re-fasten and flash to $4,500 for a partial ledger cut-and-replace.
Deck Ledger Repair — structural lags, Z-flashing, current deck code
Deck Staining & Sealing
Low-PSI wash, full board screwdown, end-grain rot check at every cut end, and a single coat of semi-transparent oil or water-based stain (Cabot Stain, Olympic Maximum, Sikkens Cetol, Penofin) applied inside a 48-hour rain-free dry window. The PNW stain coat fails the same way every year — applied to the wrong week and peels by August. We hold flexible slots in May and June and call the date 72 hours out when the forecast firms. From $900 for a small deck stain to $3,000 for a large deck with full prep and two coats on the rail.
Deck Staining & Sealing — dry-window protocol, semi-transparent stain, full prep
Deck Pressure Wash & Restore
Deck-cleaner scrub (sodium percarbonate or a manufacturer-approved composite cleaner) followed by a low-to-medium PSI rinse tuned to the board material — cedar and pressure-treated at one pressure, composite at a much lower one. Composite warranties void above the manufacturer-rated pressure; we set the wand to the deck, not to a single number. Optional brightener-neutralize after the wash to lift the gray and balance the wood pH for stain. From $600 for a small wash-only visit to $1,800 for a larger deck with brightener and screwdown.
Deck Pressure Wash & Restore — material-correct PSI, brightener, screwdown
Composite Deck Resurface (over existing frame)
Full board removal, frame inspection and sister-up where the joist or beam has gone soft, new composite (Trex, TimberTech, Fiberon, or Azek) installed with Cortex or Camo hidden fasteners, new fascia board, and new post caps. The scope assumes the structural frame is still sound — when the frame is failing, the project crosses into permit-required structural rebuild and routes to a licensed Washington L&I general contractor. From $28,000 for a small-to-medium deck (200-400 sq ft) with mid-tier composite to $65,000 for a large deck (600-800 sq ft) with premium composite, hidden fasteners, fascia, and post caps.
Composite Deck Resurface — Trex, Cortex, fascia, post caps
Railing Repair
Loose rail hardware tightened, wobbly posts re-fastened or replaced, balusters replaced to the four-inch sphere code (a four-inch sphere must not pass through any opening on a residential rail per current code), rotted top-rail or post sections cut out and replaced, and code-compliance check on grandfathered installs. Full code-compliance rework on a non-compliant rail system is its own quote. From $400 for a loose-baluster tighten and hardware refresh to $1,500 for a section rail rebuild with new top-rail and posts.
Railing Repair — sphere test, post sister, top-rail replacement
Deck Inspection & Safety Check
Full structural walk — ledger and lag inspection, joist-hanger check from below, board and rail probe with an awl and a moisture meter, end-grain rot check, hardware inventory, and a written punch list with photos and a recommended repair sequence. The diagnostic visit before any repair scope is committed. From $250 for a standard residential deck inspection up to $600 for a large multi-tier deck with under-deck access and a full code-compliance writeup.
Deck Inspection & Safety Check — ledger, joist, hanger, rail, written punch list
Deck Repair & Restoration Pricing
Final pricing depends on deck size, board material, the extent of structural damage, whether ledger or joist work crosses into engineer-permit scope, and whether a stain or seal coat is booked into the dry-window forecast. Each child page lists detailed pricing for that service family. Licensed-GC and engineer fees pass through transparently with the line item named. Request a free estimate for an accurate quote.
Send us photos of the deck, the ledger, and the joist hangers — we will tell you what stage the deck is actually in.
Why Seattle Homeowners Book Handis for Deck Repair & Restoration
Most deck calls we get are eight to fifteen years in the making. A 2008-vintage cedar deck whose builder used nails at the ledger instead of structural lag screws (the residential code required lags after the Chicago porch collapse in the early 2000s — most builders did not catch up until later), a 1990s pressure-treated deck whose joist hangers were never the right galvanization grade for ACQ-treated lumber and have been rusting through for a decade, a 2015 composite resurface whose installer never replaced the underlying joists and now the boards are flat but the frame is sagging. The path from a surface failure to a structural one runs through the ledger, the joist hangers, and the rim. Catching the failure at the board stage is a $500 visit. Catching it at the ledger or joist stage is a $1,500 to $4,500 visit. Catching it at the full-frame-replacement stage is a $40,000 project with a permit and an engineer. Handis is honest on arrival about which stage the deck is actually in.
Diagnostic walk before any board comes off
Every deck repair visit starts with a structural walk. Moisture meter readings at the ledger, at the rim joist, and at every board end. Awl probe into every visible joist through the board gap. Visual inspection of every joist hanger from below. Tap test on every rail and post. Visual inspection of the deck-to-house ledger flashing where reachable. We tell you on arrival whether the deck is a $500 board fix, a $1,500 joist sister-up, a $4,500 ledger replacement, or a permit-and-engineer structural rebuild. The diagnostic walk takes 30 to 60 minutes and is included in the estimate.
Ledger and lag work to current deck code, not what the original builder did
The current International Residential Code (the deck-ledger section, updated repeatedly across the last two decades) requires structural lag screws or through-bolts at the ledger-to-house connection, with proper flashing above to keep water out of the rim joist. The single most common deck-collapse cause in residential construction is a nailed ledger that lost its connection in a wet rim joist. We re-attach old nailed ledgers with LedgerLOK or GRK structural lags spaced to the code-required pattern, install Z-flashing or vinyl L-flashing at the deck-to-house tieoff, and route full ledger replacement work that requires an engineer's sign-off to a licensed Washington L&I general contractor.
Stainless or hot-dipped galvanized hardware, interior or cheap-galv rusts through
The deck hardware that rusts through in Seattle is almost always the wrong grade for the lumber. ACQ-treated pressure-treated lumber (the post-2004 standard after the old chromated copper arsenate was phased out) is significantly more corrosive to fasteners than the old stuff — generic galvanized hangers rust through in three to five years. We install Simpson ZMAX galvanized or stainless joist hangers, stainless or coated deck screws, and HDG ceramic-coated lag bolts on every deck repair. The hardware lasts as long as the lumber.
Stain coat scheduled to a real forecast, not a calendar
The single most common DIY deck-stain failure in the PNW is a coat applied to the wrong week. We hold flexible stain slots in May, June, and early July and call the date 72 hours out when the 48-hour rain-free forecast firms — the National Weather Service Seattle office and the Cliff Mass blog both call these well. Better to slip a week than apply a coat that peels by August. Water-based stains need 24 hours walk-on, 48 hours furniture, 72 hours rain-cure. Oil-based stains run longer.
Honest GC and engineer handoff, named on the quote
Structural ledger replacements that require an engineer's sign-off on permit, full joist-and-beam re-frames, footing replacement, and any new deck construction route to a licensed Washington L&I general contractor — we name the GC and the engineer on the quote, schedule their site visits, and stay in the project for the finish carpentry after the structural portion closes. We do not do permit-required structural framing ourselves. The line items on the quote tell you exactly who is touching what.
Insured, background-checked, written warranty
Handis carries general liability and workers' compensation; every technician has cleared a background screening before the first job. Board and stain work carries a 30-day workmanship guarantee. Carpentry, ledger, joist, and rail rebuild work carries a one-year project warranty. The licensed-GC and engineer portions carry their own Washington L&I-trade warranty, named on the quote so you know whom to call for what.
Estimate
Tell us the deck (size in square feet, height off grade, single-tier or multi-tier), the board material (cedar, pressure-treated, composite, brand if known), what scope you have in mind (single board, full stain, ledger inspection, full composite resurface), and any known issues (soft boards, leaning rail, ledger flashing damage, visible rim joist rot). Send phone photos if you can. We will tell you on the response whether it is a Handis-only visit or whether the scope crosses into engineer-permit work, and we will quote both portions line by line.
What Our Customers Say
Recent deck repair and restoration reviews from verified Seattle-area customers.
2003 cedar deck off our Wedgwood craftsman, ledger was nailed and the flashing had been wicking water behind the siding for years. Handis pulled the bottom course of cedar siding, exposed the ledger, found the rim joist behind it was soft for about four feet, named a licensed Washington L&I GC for the rim repair, the GC came in for the structural portion, then Handis returned to re-attach the new ledger with LedgerLOK lags, install proper Z-flashing, and re-side the cut-back area. Two trades, one coordinated project, no surprises.
Full composite resurface on a 380 sq ft cedar deck off our Bellevue house. The structural frame inspection showed two joists needed sister-up before the new boards went down — Handis did the joist work in the same visit. New TimberTech composite, Cortex hidden fasteners, new fascia, new post caps. Three working days. The deck looks like a furniture-store catalog and the underframe is more solid than it was when the deck was built.
Just the inspection and safety walk. Tech spent about 45 minutes on the deck and another 20 under it with a flashlight and an awl. Came back with a written punch list — four soft boards near the steps, one joist hanger rusting through, a baluster missing, the ledger flashing reversed (water draining behind the siding instead of away). Recommended sequence and budget for each. We hired Handis back the next month to do the work and they hit the quote on the nose.
Cedar deck on our 1996 split-level had not been stained in five years and looked gray and mossy. Handis washed it at the right PSI (low — the tech said high pressure raises the cedar grain and the next stain coat sheets right off), screwed down 28 popped fasteners, replaced six rusty galv ones with stainless, and rolled a cedar-tone Cabot stain coat the next week against a 72-hour clean window. Deck is still presentable in October.
Multi-joist sister-up on a 12-year-old pressure-treated deck where the original hangers had rusted through and two joists had gone soft at the rim. Handis sistered up the affected joists with matched 2x10 pressure-treated, replaced 11 Simpson ZMAX hangers, and screwed the existing surface boards back down where the fastener bite had failed. Honest about which joists needed work and which were still solid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Handis deck repair and restoration — pricing, scope, ledger and joist work, stain timing, composite resurface, and the licensed-GC handoff.