What to know before you build a deck.

Decking materials compared

If you love real wood and enjoy a weekend of upkeep every couple of years, pressure-treated wood and cedar look beautiful. If you’d rather spend your weekends on the deck than working on it, composite or PVC is the way to go.

How long a deck lasts

• Three things decide it: the boards, the frame underneath and the care the deck gets.
• Composite and PVC boards carry limited residential warranties of 25 to 50 years, depending on the line.
• Wood and cedar decks stay strong for years with a cleaning, a fresh finish on schedule and a yearly look-over.
• The frame is the part you don’t see. Posts, beams, joists and the ledger board that ties the deck to the house hold everything up, so they get the same care as the boards on top.
• Give it a look every spring. The North American Deck and Railing Association calls May Deck Safety Month and puts out a free homeowner checklist covering railings, stairs, connections and signs of wear.

Permits and inspections in Anne Arundel County

• Attached decks need a building permit. The county counts a deck as attached when it touches the house or sits within 3 feet of it.
• Replacing a deck, its railings or its structural parts needs a permit too. Swapping out deck boards alone does not.
• Small freestanding decks, under 200 square feet and less than 3 feet high, can go without a permit when the lot is outside the Critical Area and the Bog Contribution Drainage Area.
• Three inspections: the county checks the footings, the framing and the finished deck.
• Footings for attached decks go at least 30 inches deep, on undisturbed soil.
• Homes in the county’s Critical Area include a Critical Area worksheet with the permit.
• Before any digging, Miss Utility marks the buried lines. The county asks for that call at least two days ahead.
• Railings: decks more than 30 inches off the ground get guards at least 36 inches tall, with openings under 4 inches. Stair handrails run the full length of the stairs.

The permit and the inspections are your proof the deck was built right. We pull the permit and schedule the county inspections for you.

Planning tips

• Start with how you’ll use it. Dinners outside, a grill, a spot for morning coffee: the deck gets sized and shaped around that.
• Set your furniture out in the yard where the deck will go, to get a feel for the space.
• Watch the sun. Notice where it hits in the afternoon and evening, when you’re most likely out there.
• Plan where the stairs land: toward the yard, the path or the gate you use most.
• Planning a hot tub? Say so up front. The county’s deck guide does not approve standard decks for a hot tub added later, so it gets planned from the start.
• Think about power and light. Decks within 4 inches of the house get at least one outlet you can reach from the deck, and post and stair lights make evenings easy.
• Check with your HOA. If you have a homeowners association, find out whether it approves the design first.
• Hire a licensed contractor. Maryland’s Home Improvement Commission suggests checking the license, getting a written contract, paying no more than one-third down and asking to see the building permit before work starts. Our MHIC number is 162881.