Deck Repair and Replacement in Jacksonville, FL

Signs a deck needs work

• Boards that flex, feel spongy or crumble when you press a screwdriver into them.
• Railings that move when you lean on them.
• Stairs that shift, or stringers that are cracked or split at the bottom.
• A gap or stain where the deck meets the house wall.
• Screws or nails that have backed out, or bolts and brackets with heavy rust.
• Thin tubes of mud on posts or on the house near the deck, which can mean termites.

Take a few phone photos of each problem. The builder can tell a lot from them before the visit.

Repair or replace

Replacing a few surface boards is usually a repair. The rest of the structure is the question: posts, beams, joists and the ledger. If those are rotted, loose or eaten, the surface will not last on top of them.

Damage to the frame points to a rebuild, while damage to the boards alone points to a repair. The builder decides this after looking underneath, where most of the rot hides.

Rot, moisture and termites

Wood needs to stay dry to last. UF/IFAS Extension says keys to termite prevention include minimizing moisture and eliminating wood-to-ground contact, and it names posts and decks among the places that contact happens. It also advises keeping an inspection space of at least 6 inches between wall siding and the soil or mulch line.

If you see signs of termites, ask for a termite company to look as well. A deck builder replaces wood, but does not treat an active colony.

Planters, mulch and downspouts that send water toward the deck add moisture. Moving them is simple, and a builder will often point them out.

Does a repair need a permit?

Swapping surface boards in kind often does not. Replacing posts, beams, stairs or the ledger usually does. The permits page covers how it works, and the builder can say which side your job falls on.

Questions to ask

• Did you check under the deck, including the ledger and the tops of the posts?
• Which parts are repaired and which are replaced, and why?
• Is the old material hauled away and listed as its own line?
• What will keep the new wood from rotting the same way?