Deck Removal in Everett, WA

Deck removal is the demolition and hauling of an existing deck, from the railings down to the footings. It is for homeowners in Everett with a rotted, unsafe or unused deck who want it gone, either for a new build or to get the yard back.

What deck removal covers

Deck removal means taking an old deck apart and carrying it off the property. It is the first step of Deck Replacement, and it also stands alone if you no longer want a deck. [Everett Deck Repair](/) handles the demolition, the hauling and the cleanup of the ground underneath.

A removal normally includes the decking boards, railings, stairs, joists, beams, posts and the ledger board that fastens the deck to the house. Concrete footings can be cut off at grade or dug out, depending on what you plan to do with the space afterward.

Signs a deck should come down instead of being repaired

Plenty of decks can be saved. Some cannot, and the difference is almost always in the frame, not the boards.

Rot in joists, beams or posts

Soft boards are often a surface problem. Soft framing is not. If a screwdriver sinks into a joist, the ends of joists crumble, or a post is hollow at the base, the structure has lost strength and patching rarely holds for long.

A ledger board pulling away from the house

The ledger is bolted to the rim joist of the house. When flashing fails, water runs behind it and rots both the ledger and the house framing. A deck that gaps from the wall, or shows rust streaks around the bolts, should not be used until it is taken down or properly assessed.

Posts and footings that have moved

Posts set straight into soil, shallow footings and heaved or settled piers leave a deck sloping or leaning. Correcting every support on an old deck can end up as much work as starting over.

A deck you no longer use

Sometimes there is nothing wrong except that the deck has no purpose. Removal gives you lawn, garden beds or a clear wall back.

How a deck demolition goes, step by step

The order matters, because a deck is taken apart roughly in reverse of how it was built.

Walk-through and site check

We look at how the deck is built, where it meets the house and what sits close by: gas meters, dryer vents, hose bibs, outdoor outlets, air conditioning units and plants you want to keep. Any wiring on the deck has to be made safe before work begins.

Railings, stairs and decking come off first

Railings and stairs are removed, then the decking boards. Screws are backed out where possible so boards can be sorted by material. Badly rotted boards are cut up on site.

The frame is cut down in sections

Joists and beams are cut into lengths that can be lowered by hand, not dropped. The ledger is unbolted and pulled with care so the siding and rim joist take as little damage as possible. We then check the wall behind it for rot.

Posts, footings and ground cleanup

Posts come out, and footings are cut flush or dug out. The ground is raked and swept with a magnet to pick up nails, screws and brackets before anyone walks on it.

Hauling away and disposing of deck materials

An old deck makes a large, bulky load, and not all of it goes to the same place. Materials are sorted because transfer stations and recyclers handle them differently. Pressure-treated lumber should never be burned or chipped into garden mulch, since it carries preservatives.

• Wood decking and framing: treated and untreated lumber are kept apart.
• Composite and PVC boards: taken to a facility that accepts them where one is available.
• Metal: joist hangers, bolts, brackets and railing posts go to scrap metal.
• Concrete: footings and piers are broken up if they are dug out.

Removal before a new deck, or resurfacing instead

If the frame is sound, you may not need full removal at all. Deck resurfacing replaces only the boards and railings over a good frame, which is the lighter job. Removal makes sense when the structure itself is the problem.

Once the old deck is gone, a new one can start clean: new footings, a ledger with correct flashing and a layout that fits how you actually use the space.

What wet Everett winters do to old decks

Everett gets 35.71 inches of rain a year, mostly from October to March, and the city sits at the north end of the Puget Sound Convergence Zone, which brings heavier rain and stronger winds than much of the region. A deck that stays damp for half the year rots from the inside, especially where boards meet framing and where the ledger meets the house.

The soil on the Port Gardner Peninsula is generally loamy, with gravelly sand in the glacial outwash, so drainage under a deck varies from one lot to the next. Neighbourhoods that grew south and west of the peninsula from the late 1960s onward often have decks that are now decades old. That age, plus the damp, is why many of the removals here start with a frame that no longer holds a screw.