Floors & Exterior
Decks, Stairs, Porches & Fences in Portland, OR & Vancouver, WA
New decks, porches, patio covers, and stairs built complete — plus deck repair and staining, cedar fences, and rotten posts and boards replaced before the rain finds them.
What's Included in Decks, Stairs, Porches & Fences
Outdoor and structural carpentry, built complete. New decks, porches, verandas, patio covers, and staircases inside and out — plus the repair side wet winters demand: soft boards and wobbly railings replaced, decks washed and stained in the dry months, rotten fence posts reset, sagging gates rebuilt, new cedar fence sections, and rot cut out of deck framing before it spreads.
- New deck construction — framing, decking, railings, and stairs, built complete
- Stair building inside and out — stringers, treads, risers, railings, and carpet-to-wood conversions
- Porch and veranda builds, patio covers, pergola kits, and small outdoor structures, anchored to last
- New cedar fences built complete — posts set, sections, and gates — or replacement sections matched to what you have
- Deck board, fastener, and railing repair — single boards or full sections
- Deck restoration: wash, repair, then stain or seal
- Fence post replacement and reset, set in new concrete
- Gate repair, rebuild, and rehang, including hinges and latches
Common Problems We Solve
A soft spot in a deck board
One spongy board usually means water has been sitting there for seasons. We probe the board, the neighbors, and the joist beneath — if the framing is sound, new boards and fasteners finish the job; if the joist is soft, we sister or replace it and tell you exactly what we found.
A leaning fence after a winter storm
The wind gets the blame, but the failure is almost always a post rotted off at grade. We pull the stub, dig out the old footing, and set a new post in concrete, then re-attach the rails. Panels that are still solid get reused; we only replace what is actually gone.
A gate that drags
First we check the hinge post — if it has heaved or rotted, no hinge adjustment will hold. A solid post gets heavier hinges and a diagonal brace so the gate stops sagging into a parallelogram. A failed post gets reset, and badly racked gates get rebuilt on a square frame.
A gray, furry deck surface
That fuzz is weathered wood fiber plus algae, and it is slick when wet. We wash at low pressure with a cleaner so the wood is not shredded, replace anything too far gone, let the deck dry fully, then stain or seal it in the dry season.
How It Works
Walk the site and probe for rot
For a repair, we go over the deck or fence with an awl and check the places rot starts here: post bases at grade, board ends, ledger and railing connections, trim joints. For a new deck, fence, or porch, we walk the site instead — grade, drainage, the property line, and where posts and footings will land. Either way, you get photos of what we found, good and bad.
Confirm the scope
Before anything comes apart or gets ordered, we agree on what gets repaired, what gets replaced, and what can honestly wait a season — or, for a new build, the layout, materials, and railing and stair details. Repairs are matched to the existing wood so they do not shout. If a design looks like it will need a permit or zoning review, we say so now.
Build, repair, and treat
New posts and deck footings go into fresh concrete, framing is squared and fastened with exterior-grade hardware, and, on repairs, rotten wood comes out past the visible damage with the cuts sealed. Rot in joists, posts, and stringers is cut back to sound wood, not patched over.
Stain or seal in dry weather
Stain only grips dry wood, so finishing waits for the dry window. If your build or repair lands in the wet season, we do the structural work now and schedule the finish for when the weather can hold it.
Typical Projects & Pricing
Labor pricing. Materials are itemized in your estimate. Estimates are not final contracts.
What's Not Included
- Concrete beyond post and deck footings — poured slabs, patios, pavers, and retaining walls are referred out
- Permit applications and zoning review — height and setback rules vary by city and county, so that step stays with the homeowner; we build once it is settled
- Siding, window trim, and fascia rot — see Siding, Exterior Trim & Dry Rot Repair
What Affects the Price
- How far the rot has traveled
- A soft board is a small job; a soft joist or post under it is a bigger one. We price what the probe finds, not the hoped-for case, and show you the photos before we open anything up.
- Linear feet of fence
- Fence work scales by the foot — posts, rails, and boards all multiply with the run. A single leaning section prices very differently from forty feet of replacement.
- What the posts are set in
- Pulling a rotted post out of a big old concrete footing takes real digging; a post set in bare dirt comes out fast. Access matters too — a fence line behind mature shrubs is slower than an open run.
- Stain scope
- Deck boards only is one price; adding railings, balusters, stairs, and skirting can double the surface area. Solid stains and dark colors also need more careful prep than a clear seal.
- Material choice
- Tight-grain cedar costs more than fence-grade, and pressure-treated framing sits between them. We quote the option that fits the job and tell you where the cheaper board is a false saving.
Decks, Stairs, Porches & Fences — Frequently Asked Questions
Do you build interior stairs and railings too?
Yes — stairs are stairs to a carpenter. Carpet-to-wood conversions, new treads and risers, railings, newel posts, and balusters, or a full staircase rebuilt to the opening, matched to the flooring it meets. Straight runs price one way; landings and turns add template work, which is why turned staircases start higher.
Do you build porches, verandas, and patio covers?
Yes — framed and anchored to last through wet winters: front porches, verandas, patio covers, and pergola kits set on proper footings. Whether a porch or cover needs a permit depends on its size, its height, and your city or county — we tell you up front when a design calls for one.
When is deck staining season here?
Roughly June through September. Stain needs dry wood and a stretch of dry weather to cure — wood that soaked all winter will not take it, and rain on fresh stain ruins the finish. We do repairs year-round and book washing and staining into that dry window.
Cedar or pressure-treated — what do you recommend for fences?
For boards and rails, cedar: it weathers well, takes stain nicely, and resists decay. For posts in our wet ground, pressure-treated lasts longer — cedar posts rot at grade sooner. The common local build is PT posts with cedar everything else, and that is usually what we suggest.
Do I need a permit for a fence?
It depends on the height, where the fence sits on the lot, and your city or county. Taller fences and fences along a street or front setback are the ones most likely to need a zoning review first — that piece is on the homeowner, and we build once it is settled.
Can you match my existing fence?
Yes. We match the board profile, height, rail layout, and cap detail, then blend the stain as closely as fresh wood allows. New cedar starts lighter than weathered boards and grays toward them over a season or two.
How long does a deck restoration take?
It is not a single visit. The deck gets washed and repaired first, then has to dry fully before stain goes on, so there are dry days between steps. We set the actual schedule at the estimate, once we see the deck and the forecast window.
Do you build new decks?
Yes — full new decks and complete rebuilds: footings, framing, decking, railings, and stairs, built to be stained or sealed once the wood is ready. Whether a deck needs a permit depends on its height above grade, how close it sits to a property line, and your city or county — we tell you up front when a design calls for one, before anything is ordered.
How much does a new cedar fence cost per foot?
Our new cedar fences start at $40 per linear foot, built complete — posts set in concrete, rails, boards, and gates. The final price scales with the length of the run, the height, gate count, and whether an old fence has to come out first. We measure on site and give a written estimate before any wood is ordered.
Is it cheaper to repair a leaning fence or replace it?
Usually, yes. A leaning fence is most often one or two posts rotted off at grade — we reset those for $300–450 each and reuse the panels that are still sound. Full replacement only wins when boards and rails are failing along most of the run. We probe the whole line first and show you exactly where that cutoff falls.
Areas We Cover
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