You step onto the deck and find another soft board. Replacing the whole thing sounds expensive, but putting new boards over a failing frame would be an expensive mistake too.
So a deck rebuild starts at $23 to $30 per square foot in pressure-treated wood or $38 to $53 in composite at RBJ Contracting in metro Atlanta. Demolition, disposal, railings and stairs come on top.
I will work through a replacement example, then compare it with keeping the frame. The first decision is what can safely stay, because the decking you walk on is only one part of the structure.
Can You Replace the Boards and Keep the Frame?
RBJ’s rehab price is $20 to $25 per square foot for new boards and railings on a sound frame. That is a different package from its rebuild rate, where rails are extra.
The frame needs its own inspection. The ledger connects an attached deck to the house; joists carry the boards, beams support the joists, and posts carry the load down to footings.
RBJ’s inspection starts with the ledger, then posts, beams and joists. Rot at the house connection or widespread frame damage can rule out a simple surface replacement.
A few damaged members can be a smaller job. RBJ charges $75 to $95 to replace an individual joist. Have the contractor check what caused the damage before covering the frame again.
If the deck moves away from the house, sags or has soft structural wood, keep people off it until it is assessed. A fresh surface does not fix a weak connection or a moving footing.
What a Full Rebuild Costs
These are RBJ’s published Atlanta rates for labor and materials. The company uses cost-plus pricing, passing material costs through without a markup.
For a 300-square-foot wood deck, RBJ’s rates give 300 × $23 = $6,900 to 300 × $30 = $9,000 for the new build. Demolition is 300 × $5 = $1,500.
Add RBJ’s disposal fee and the sums are $6,900 + $1,500 + $300 = $8,700, or $9,000 + $1,500 + $400 = $10,900. Railings, stairs and permits are still separate.
For the same area in composite, RBJ’s rates give 300 × $38 = $11,400 to 300 × $53 = $15,900 before those extras. You are paying for a deck system, not just the boards.
Railings and Stairs Can Change the Total
A square-foot price does not tell you how much railing a deck needs. Two decks with the same floor area can have different open edges, stair runs and landings.
Forty linear feet of RBJ’s wood-and-metal railing adds 40 × $28 = $1,120 to 40 × $60 = $2,400. Count railing length separately from the deck’s floor area.
For stairs, get a drawing and a total for the complete run, including handrails and landings. Confirm how the contractor measures the stair area before using a square-foot rate yourself.
Footings, the Ledger and Hidden Work
Water can get behind a poorly flashed ledger and damage the house framing. That work needs to be identified separately from replacing the boards above it.
Footing depth and capacity depend on the site and the approved design. A proposal to keep the old footings should explain how they were checked, especially if the new deck will be larger or carry heavier loads.
For movement in the house itself, our foundation repair guide covers that separate job. Deck posts and footings are not interchangeable with underpinning a house.
A City Permit Fee Table
Rochester, New York, publishes these deck fees on its building permit page. They show a real local fee schedule, rather than a guessed national allowance.
Use your own city’s requirements for the project. Structural rebuilding and surface repairs can be treated differently; the contractor should include the required application, drawings and inspection visits in the scope.
What Owners Reported for Their Decks
In a 2025 DC Urban Moms discussion, owners shared these prices. The sizes and extras help explain why one total cannot stand in for every replacement.
- A Delaware owner paid $14,000 for a 6-by-14-foot deck, posting April 26, 2025, at 12:21. The short reply does not specify demolition or the board product.
- A DC owner reported $44,000 for a complete tear-down and rebuild, posting April 26, 2025, at 14:07. The 21-by-17-foot Trex deck included metal rails, lighting, inspections and permits.
- A close-in Maryland owner paid $22,000 for a 25-by-15-foot Trex Enhance deck, posting May 1, 2025, at 11:28. Built the previous July, it included hidden fasteners and fascia, with no old deck to remove. In a later reply, the owner explained that they sourced the materials and hired a carpenter directly.
The Maryland project was a new build, while the DC project included demolition and more equipment. Keep those differences beside the price when comparing the work proposed for your home.
Questions You Might Have About Replacing a Deck
Is resurfacing cheaper than rebuilding?
It can be if the frame is sound. RBJ’s $20 to $25 per square foot rehab includes boards and railings; its rebuild rates exclude separate rails, demolition and disposal.
Does a deck need replacing just because the wood is gray?
Weathering alone is different from soft, rotten wood. Have the boards and the structure checked separately before deciding how much to replace.
Will the new deck need the same permit as the old one?
The city must confirm the current requirements. Keeping the same footprint does not by itself establish whether a structural rebuild needs approval.
Where These Prices Come From
- RBJ Contracting, Atlanta deck pricing and repair versus rebuilding, checked October 17, 2026.
- City of Rochester, building permit fees, deck table, checked October 17, 2026.
- DC Urban Moms, Cost of a new deck (composite material), April and May 2025 owner posts linked above.
I hope you can now separate a worn surface from a deck that needs rebuilding. If you have a question about your estimate, email costcheckr@gmail.com.
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