Deck checklists

Planning checklist. Square footage and deck height decided. Material chosen against installed ranges of $15 to $55 per square foot. Railing material chosen ($30 to $210 per linear foot installed). Stair count known ($75 to $450 per step). Local building department called about permits ($100 to $500) and frost depth. 811 utility locate scheduled before any digging.

Contractor vetting checklist. License verified directly with the issuing agency. Liability and workers' compensation insurance verified with the insurer, not the contractor. Three itemized bids on the same drawing. Framing questions answered in writing: joist species, size, spacing, ledger attachment and flashing, guard post attachment. Permit responsibility named in the contract. Payment schedule tied to inspections. Exclusions listed.

Seasonal maintenance checklist. Spring: inspect, then clean at $0.25 to $0.50 per square foot. Restain if you're at the two-to-three-year mark. Summer: move furniture and planters. Fall: clear the roughly 1/8 inch board gaps. Winter: clear snow gently, no unverified deicers.

Annual safety checklist. Push every guard section — 36 inches minimum height on decks over 30 inches above grade, no 4-inch sphere passage. Probe the ledger and post bases for soft wood. Check fastener and connector corrosion. Measure stair risers (7 3/4 inches maximum, no more than 3/8 inch variation) and confirm a handrail exists on stairs with four or more risers.

How to choose

Verify insurance with the insurer

A certificate handed to you by the contractor proves nothing about whether the policy is still in force. Call the carrier.

Never sign a bid without an exclusions list

Demolition, haul-away, permit fees, and grading are the usual omissions, and each becomes a change order.

Tie money to inspections

Framing inspection and final approval are natural payment milestones. The deck should not be occupied until final approval anyway.

Do the safety list on the same day every year

Pick a date in spring. It takes fifteen minutes and it's the difference between a $300 and a $5,000 rot repair.

Keep one folder

Permit, inspection sign-offs, contract, product warranty PDFs, and photos of the framing before decking went down. That folder is worth real money at resale.