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Southern Maine Deck Builders: Owner-Led Decks Planned for Your Yard

At Southern Maine Deck Builders, we design and build pressure-treated, composite and PVC decks across all of Cumberland and York counties, including the islands. We plan every deck around your actual yard and how your household will really use the space.

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Southern Maine Deck Builders: wood-tone composite deck beside a white home, broad steps to a lawn and black dining furniture.
Wood, composite & PVC
Cumberland & York counties
Written project scope

What decking material fits your home and budget?

Most of our decks follow one of three paths. The right one depends on sun, salt air, how much upkeep you want, and what is already standing in your yard.

Pressure-treated wood deck beside a gray shingle home, with wood guards, a stairway to a paved landing and concrete footings.

Pressure-treated wood

Pressure-treated southern yellow pine is the standard choice for framing and a sensible choice for decking. It is affordable, strong, and easy to repair one board at a time.

Expect some checking and color change as it weathers, and plan to clean and seal it every couple of years. We fasten with coated or stainless hardware rated for treated lumber, because the chemicals in modern treatment corrode plain steel.

Basic pressure-treated decks run about $80 per square foot, with a $10,000 project minimum.

Brown composite deck on a shingle-sided coastal home, with black metal guards, broad stairs and salt-marsh scenery.

Composite and PVC

Composite and PVC boards skip the sanding and staining. They hold their color, resist splinters, and handle wet Maine springs without cupping the way wood can.

They still sit on a pressure-treated frame, so the structure underneath matters as much. These boards expand and contract with temperature, so the gaps at butt joints and against the house have to follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Hidden fasteners give a clean surface. Composite projects start at a $15,000 minimum, and we price them after seeing the site and choosing the board line.

Rebuilt wood-tone deck and stairs with white rails beside a white Maine house and mature lilacs.

Deck replacement

Many southern Maine decks have reached the point where the boards look tired and the frame underneath is worse. We start by checking the ledger connection, joists, posts and footings before recommending anything.

Sometimes a sound frame can take new decking and railings. Other times, rot at the ledger, undersized footings or rusted hardware means a full tear-out and rebuild is the honest answer.

Replacement is also a chance to fix an awkward step down from the door or a stair that never felt right.

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How Does Southern Maine Deck Builders Handle Hidden Work?

Near the coast, salt air works on metal faster than most people expect. We choose fasteners, joist hangers and post bases with the coating or stainless grade the location calls for.

We also flash the ledger where it meets your house so water sheds away instead of into the rim.

The step from your kitchen door onto the deck should feel easy and predictable. We set the deck height around the door threshold, leaving room for drainage and the door swing.

Boards get consistent gaps so water and leaves clear and the boards can move with the seasons.

Stairs need even risers, solid stringers, and a graspable handrail that follows the slope. Footing size and depth depend on your soil, the loads, and what your town requires.

We also plan how equipment reaches the backyard so lawns, septic fields and plantings take as little damage as possible.

Close view of wood decking, an outlined board border and a short stairway beside a cedar-shingle house.
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What should your deck plan account for?

How will the deck be supported and attached?

Ledger attachment and flashing

A deck fastened to the house needs a sound rim board, correct structural fasteners, and flashing that sheds water away from the framing behind the siding.

Footings and framing

Footing locations, beam sizes, and joist spacing depend on deck height, span, and the decking you choose, so these are worked out for your specific site.

Railings and stairs

Deck height affects guard requirements, and stairs need consistent risers, solid landings, and graspable handrails. Plan these early because they change both cost and layout.

How will the deck fit your house and yard?

Door transitions and layout

Decide how the deck surface meets your door threshold, then size the layout around the way you actually walk, cook, and sit outside.

Access and drainage

Note how a crew and materials will reach the build area, and where roof runoff and surface water travel once the deck is in place.

Sun exposure and upkeep

Full sun, shade, and nearby trees affect surface heat, drying time, and cleaning. Those conditions help decide how much upkeep a given material will ask of you.

Which choices shape cost and schedule?

Materials and fasteners

Pressure-treated, composite, and PVC boards each have fastening options. Compare face screws and hidden fastener systems on samples before you settle on a board and color.

Budget and scope

Basic pressure-treated work plans at about $80 per square foot with a $10,000 minimum. Composite starts at a $15,000 minimum, and final pricing follows a property review.

Timing and municipal approval

Local review, material lead times, and weather all shape a start date. Your town decides what approval the project needs, so build that step into your plans.

How does a deck project go from first visit to final board?

  1. Adam Bennett considering a deck layout beside a white home, holding a clipboard and tape measure.

    Site visit and measurements

    We walk the yard with you, measure the house wall and door heights, check grade and access, and talk through how you plan to use the deck. Photos of decks you like are always helpful.

  2. Pressure-treated deck framing on timber posts and concrete piers beside a house, before decking boards are installed.

    Drawing, scope and price

    We sketch the layout, choose materials with you, and write up a scope and price based on the site visit. If your town requires a permit or plan review, we prepare the drawings it asks for.

  3. Finished wood deck stairs with even treads, timber handrails and black vertical metal balusters.

    Framing, decking and walkthrough

    We lay out and set footings, frame and flash the structure, and install decking, stairs and railings. Afterward we walk the deck with you, check every stair and guard, and clean up the site.

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How much does a new deck cost in southern Maine?

Use these numbers to set a realistic budget before we meet. A basic pressure-treated deck runs about $80 per square foot.

Complex or upgraded decks, such as multiple levels, angled or curved edges, built-in benches or more involved railings, run about $100 to $120 per square foot. Composite decks have a $15,000 minimum and are priced from the board line and the site.

Deck projectPlanning figureProject minimum
Pressure-treated woodAbout $80 / sq ft$10,000
Complex or upgraded workAbout $100–120 / sq ftScope dependent
CompositePriced for your project$15,000

All figures are planning estimates, not quotes. Wood projects have a $10,000 minimum.

Final pricing requires a site review and a written scope, and it can change with deck height, soil, demolition, stair runs, access and town requirements.

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What do homeowners ask before building a deck?

Raised wood deck and long stairway on a rocky waterfront site, with timber posts set on concrete footings.
How do permits work for a new deck?

Many towns in Cumberland and York counties review deck projects, but the rules differ from one municipality to the next. Footing depth, guard height, setbacks from property lines, and shoreland zoning near water can all come into play.

We check what your town asks for during planning and design around those requirements rather than one number used everywhere.

When is the best time to build a deck in Maine?

Deck work can happen through much of the year, though frozen ground in deep winter can complicate digging footings. Spring and early summer are the busiest stretch for outdoor contractors here, since most people want to use their deck by July.

Planning over the winter, with measurements, drawings and town review handled early, tends to give you the most scheduling flexibility once the ground thaws.

How do island deck projects work?

Island projects, such as on Chebeague, Long Island, Peaks or Frye Island, take extra planning because lumber, concrete, tools and crew all have to arrive by ferry or barge. We build transport, ferry schedules and material staging into the scope, so island work typically costs more than a similar mainland deck.

We review these details during the site visit.

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Adam Bennett, Founder and Owner of Southern Maine Deck Builders

Who leads your deck project?

Adam Bennett

Founder and Owner, Southern Maine Deck Builders

Adam Bennett leads deck projects for Southern Maine Deck Builders. He is a carpenter who cares most about the parts of a deck nobody sees once it is done: the ledger, the joist layout, the footings, and the fasteners holding it all together.

On a site visit, Adam focuses on the practical questions. Where does the sun hit in late afternoon?

How far is the step from the slider? Can a machine reach the backyard without crossing the septic field?

Those answers shape the plan.

Outside of work, Adam is slowly rebuilding a cedar-strip canoe in his garage, one weekend at a time. He says it has taught him patience with curves and a lot of respect for a clean glue line.

Where in southern Maine do we build decks?

All of Cumberland and York counties

See every town we serve
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We work in all 57 municipalities across Cumberland and York counties, from Kittery and the Berwicks up through Bridgton, Harrison and Baldwin, and out to the islands of Casco Bay. Expand either county below to see every covered town.

Cumberland County 28 towns and cities
York County 29 towns and cities

How do you get started on your deck?

Send us your town, a few photos of the house wall and yard, and a rough idea of size. We will set up a site visit and talk through materials, layout and a planning budget.

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