Deck Removal
Deck removal is the residential trade that dismantles a wood deck top-down — surface boards first, joists next, ledger board at the house wall, then posts and footings — and hauls the lumber sorted for recycling, from $1,200 for a 100 sq ft ground-level deck to $4,000 for a 400 sq ft elevated deck with stairs and a 6-foot drop. Concrete post footings are cut at grade by default (a power-cut at ground level leaves the buried concrete cylinder in place); full dig-out and pull is an upgrade and adds dig time, priced separately. Pressure-treated lumber sorted from cedar at the dump trailer — both go to the right transfer-station bins. The ledger flashing where the deck meets the house gets patched or handed off to the wall-repair trade; we tell you on the booking call which one fits your siding type and exposure.
Service
What Does a Deck Removal Include?
A Handis deck removal is the full top-down dismantle of a residential wood deck — surface boards, joists, ledger at the house wall, posts, and footing strategy (cut at grade by default, dig-out as an upgrade) — from $1,200 for a 100 sq ft ground-level deck to $4,000 for a 400 sq ft elevated deck with stairs. Lumber sorted pressure-treated from cedar at the dump trailer. Ledger flashing at the house wall patched or handed off to the wall-repair trade depending on siding type and exposure. We do not modify the home's exterior framing or sheathing in the demo; structural repair to the rim joist where the ledger was attached routes to a licensed Washington L&I contractor where it is required.
Surface Boards First
Surface deck boards (5/4 cedar, 5/4 pressure-treated, composite, hardwood) pried up with a flat bar one at a time. Fasteners (screws or nails) extracted from the joists below or knocked through the joist tops with a punch. Boards stacked on the lawn or driveway for sort and haul. Composite decking goes to a separate disposal stream (no current recycling for composite in most PNW counties).
Joists Next, Then Beams
With the surface boards off, joists (typically 2x6, 2x8, or 2x10) unscrewed or pried off the supporting beams and the ledger. Joist hangers pulled from the ledger and the beams. Beams (typically built-up 2x10 or 2x12) dismantled from the post caps. Lumber stacked by species (cedar separate from pressure-treated) for the dump trailer.
Ledger Board at the House Wall
The ledger is the most important interface in the demo — that is where the deck loads transfer to the house. We unscrew the ledger lag bolts or carriage bolts, pull the ledger off the rim joist, and address the ledger flashing per the siding type. Wood lap siding usually accepts a fresh strip of siding patch and a new flashing line; fiber cement and vinyl siding may require a siding contractor to do the patch right. We tell you on the booking call which path fits your house.
Posts and Footings
Posts (typically 4x4 or 6x6 PT) cut at grade with a reciprocating saw by default — the buried concrete footing cylinder stays in place under the sod. Full footing dig-out and pull is an upgrade (digs the concrete cylinder out of the ground, hauls it to a concrete-recycling transfer station) and adds dig time per footing. Cut-at-grade is usually the right call when a new deck or hardscape is going in over the same footprint and re-using the area; dig-out is the right call when the area is going back to lawn or garden.
Stairs, Railings, Pergolas, Attached Benches
Stairs (stringers, treads, risers) dismantled with the deck. Railings (post caps, top rail, balusters or cable infill) unscrewed and stacked. Attached pergolas and bench seating dismantled with the deck. Hot tubs on the deck route to hot tub removal for the haul.
How a Deck Removal Works
Six sequential steps from the booking-call ledger-flashing decision through the cleaned site handoff — the actual sequence we follow on every Handis deck removal.
Booking-Call Ledger and Footing Strategy
On the booking call we identify two decisions — what happens to the ledger flashing at the house wall (we patch lap siding ourselves; fiber cement and vinyl usually route to a siding contractor for the patch), and what happens to the post footings (cut at grade by default, dig-out as an upgrade). Both decisions affect the quote and the schedule. Stairs, railings, pergolas, and attached features get counted in the scope.
Surface Boards Lifted
Surface boards pried up one at a time with a flat bar. Screws or nails extracted from the joists below or punched through the joist tops. Boards stacked on the lawn or driveway by species — cedar separate from pressure-treated, composite separate from wood. Composite decking goes to a separate disposal stream where the local transfer station accepts it.
Joists, Hangers, and Beams Off
Joists unscrewed or pried off the supporting beams and the ledger. Joist hangers pulled. Beams dismantled from the post caps. Lumber stacked by species for the dump trailer. Anything attached to the deck (benches, planters, pergolas) comes off with the joists.
Ledger Off the House Wall
Ledger lag bolts or carriage bolts unscrewed from the rim joist. Ledger pulled off the house. Ledger flashing patched on lap siding (we handle the patch and the new flashing line), or handed off to a siding contractor on fiber cement or vinyl. Holes in the rim joist exposed; structural rim-joist repair routes to a licensed Washington L&I contractor where rot is present.
Posts Cut at Grade or Footings Dug Out
Posts cut at grade with a reciprocating saw by default — the buried concrete footing stays in place. Full footing dig-out (concrete cylinder dug out and hauled to a concrete-recycling transfer station) is an upgrade and adds about 45 minutes per footing depending on depth and soil. We pick the strategy on the booking call based on what is going in over the footprint after the demo.
Site Cleared, Lumber Sorted, Hauled
Site swept, fasteners and small debris collected with a rare-earth magnet on a wheel where the soil allows. Lumber sorted PT from cedar at the dump trailer (different transfer-station bins and tip fees). Hauled to a licensed King County or Snohomish County transfer station with a weight receipt. Site ready for the next trade (landscape, hardscape, new deck build).
Deck Removal Pricing
Final pricing depends on deck square footage, elevation (ground-level vs raised), stair count, attached features (pergola, benches, railings), and the footing strategy (cut at grade vs dig-out). Ledger flashing patch on lap siding is included; fiber cement and vinyl siding patch routes to a siding contractor. Request a free estimate for an accurate quote.
Send a photo of the deck and the house wall — we will quote the demo, the footing strategy, and the ledger patch.
Why Handis for Deck Removal
Most deck removals get quoted off square footage and end up under-priced because nobody walked the footings. A 300 sq ft elevated deck with sixteen 4x4 posts on individual concrete footings is a very different job from a 300 sq ft ground-level deck with eight 6x6 posts on the same footings — and a 300 sq ft deck with a ledger bolted to fiber cement siding needs a siding contractor in the loop that the lap-siding job does not. After hundreds of deck tear-downs across Seattle, Mercer Island, and the Eastside, every deck quote starts with a photo of the footings and the house wall — and the price reflects what is actually there.
Ledger flashing decision made on the booking call
The ledger is where the deck meets the house, and the flashing line is where water either runs down the outside of the siding or behind it. We patch lap siding ourselves — pull a board, patch the flashing, install a fresh siding strip with the right shadow line. Fiber cement and vinyl siding usually need a siding contractor for the patch (the cut profile and fastener pattern matter), and we tell you on the booking call which path fits your house. The ledger does not come off until the flashing plan is set.
Footing strategy matches what is going in over the footprint
Cut-at-grade is the right call when a new deck is going in over the same footprint and the existing footings can be re-used; or when a hardscape patio is going over the area and the buried concrete does not interfere. Full dig-out is the right call when the area is going back to lawn, garden, or anything that needs deep root soil. We pick the strategy on the booking call and adjust the price for the dig-out where it applies — usually 45 minutes per footing depending on depth and soil.
Lumber sorted by species at the dump trailer
Pressure-treated and cedar go to different transfer-station bins with different tip fees. Composite decking goes to a separate stream where the local transfer station accepts it (many counties currently send composite to landfill — we route to recycling where it is available). Salvageable boards — cedar in good condition, dimensional lumber under 8 feet — staged for the homeowner where you want to keep them for projects.
Site swept with a magnet sweep on the soil
Deck demo leaves dropped screws, nails, and small fastener debris in the soil under and around the deck. We sweep the site with a long-handled magnet sweeper where the soil and turf allow, collect what comes up, and dispose with the metal stream. Lawn mowers and bare feet appreciate it.
Insured, background-checked, 30-day workmanship guarantee
Every Handis demolition tech carries liability insurance and has cleared a background screening. The 30-day workmanship guarantee covers what we did to the site — a poorly patched ledger flashing that lets water behind the siding, a scuff or dent on the siding adjacent to the ledger, a lawn divot from a footing pull that should have been backfilled, a missing fastener swept up. Demolition damage to the deck itself is by design — that is the demo target.
Estimate
Tell us the deck square footage, the elevation (ground-level or raised), the post count, the stair count, the attached features (railings, pergola, benches), the siding type at the ledger (lap, fiber cement, vinyl, stucco), and what is going in over the footprint after the demo (new deck, hardscape, lawn). We will quote the demo, the footing strategy, and the ledger patch.
Customer Reviews
Deck removal reviews from real Handis customers.
350 sq ft elevated deck off the back of a 1980s rambler — rotted through, scary to walk on, time to come down. Crew dismantled top down across two days. Cedar surface boards came off clean, joists out, ledger off the wall, lap siding patched with a fresh course (they did it themselves — looked like the deck had never been there). Eight 4x4 posts cut at grade because a paver patio was going in over the footprint. Lawn cleaner than when they started.
Ground-level deck about 150 sq ft, came down with the garden remodel. PT lumber sorted from the few cedar boards at the trailer, six 4x4 posts dug out (we wanted the soil clean for raised beds), site swept with a magnet for the kids' play area going over the spot. Half-day job done in five hours including the dig-out. Dump receipt in the inbox by evening.
Big deck — 400 sq ft, full second story, two stair flights, a built-in bench, a pergola, the works. Three days. Crew was three people. Ledger was on fiber cement siding so they coordinated a siding contractor for the patch (the siding guy came the day after Handis finished). Composite decking went to a separate disposal stream. Everything quoted upfront held.
Storm took down a tree branch through the corner of our small ground-level deck. We just wanted the whole thing gone before the lawn restoration. Crew came out two days after I called, took the 100 sq ft deck down in a morning, swept the site with a magnet for the toddler. Posts cut at grade because we are putting a small patio over it. Quote held to the dollar.
Multi-level deck on a Mercer Island home — upper deck about 250 sq ft, lower deck about 180 sq ft, both with railings and stairs. The lower deck had attached planter boxes. Two days, two-person crew on day one, three-person on day two for the upper level. Ledger flashing was on cement lap siding — they patched it themselves. Lumber sorted PT/cedar at the trailer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about deck removal — pricing, scope, footing strategy, ledger flashing, and lumber disposal.