Deck Replacement in Boise, ID

Which Boise decks are due for replacement now?

Replacement demand in Boise follows the building booms. Subdivisions in West Boise, Northwest Boise and Southeast Boise, from Columbia Village and Surprise Valley to the streets around Bown Crossing, went up in large numbers in the 1990s and 2000s, and most came with a pressure-treated deck off the main-floor slider. Those decks are now 20 to 35 years old. On a two-story house the deck is often a second-story platform on tall posts, which matters for the permit, as covered below.

Two older groups show up too. Ranches on the Bench and in Collister and Vista usually carry a second- or third-generation deck that sits just above the yard, often resting on precast pier blocks. In the North End and East End, rear decks were added over decades to houses that were never designed for them, sometimes bolted to a century-old rim joist. Each group fails differently, so each gets a different replacement plan.

What does Boise require when a deck is torn out and rebuilt?

The same thing it requires for a new deck. Boise's permit rule covers any deck more than 12 inches above grade, and a rebuild is construction, not maintenance. The drawings follow the city's #406 checklist: site plan, framing plan, elevations and a section from the bottom of the footing to the top of the guard.

The detail that catches Boise homeowners off guard is height. The #406 checklist calls for calculations stamped by an Idaho-licensed engineer for any deck taller than 6 feet above grade. Most second-story decks on 1990s two-story homes sit well above that line, so replacing one is an engineered project even when the new deck matches the old footprint exactly. Getting the engineering done during design keeps it from stalling the permit. The Boise deck permit guide walks through the rest of the submittal.

Can the new deck reuse the old footings?

Rarely without proof. Boise's adopted frost depth is 24 inches, and the 2018 IRC sizes footings by the load each post carries. Builder decks from the 1990s often have footings that are shallower or smaller than a modern design calls for, and nobody kept a record of how deep they went. We dig beside at least one footing to see its depth and diameter before counting on any of them.

Pier blocks are a firmer no. The IRC allows them only under freestanding decks of 200 square feet or less that stay within 20 inches of grade. An attached Bench-era deck sitting on pier blocks gets new footings, and the Bench neighborhood guide explains why those lots so often land right at the permit line.

Should the replacement change the deck's height or footprint?

Sometimes the best time to rethink a deck is when it is already coming down. On a ranch with a back door only a step or two above the yard, a replacement that keeps the walking surface 12 inches or less above grade needs no Boise building permit, though setbacks still apply and the step down from the door has to work. On a two-story house, a wider stair or a lower landing can turn a second-story platform into something the family actually uses.

Changing the footprint changes the approvals. A bigger or relocated deck is a new request to the HOA, needs fresh setback checks and, in a historic district, a new Certificate of Appropriateness. Boise's historic design guidelines count decks among the allowable projections left out of lot-coverage math, but the certificate still reviews size, placement and materials.

Does a like-for-like replacement still need HOA approval in Boise?

Check your CC&Rs before assuming it doesn't. Many West and Southeast Boise covenants require architectural approval for any exterior change, and switching from stained wood to gray composite is a change in color and material even on the same footprint. Get the approval in writing and build to it. In 2019 the Idaho Supreme Court upheld an injunction that the Eagle Springs HOA, a Boise subdivision, won against an owner who enlarged a conditionally approved fence project and added a retaining wall; the court found the HOA had not approved the project as built. Third-party guidance puts committee review at one to six weeks. HOA deck approval in the Treasure Valley covers what a packet should contain.

What happens to the old deck?

It has to be taken apart, sorted and disposed of, and that work should appear as its own line on every replacement bid. Ada County's landfill for Boise is at 10300 N. Seaman's Gulch Road, and the county's tonnage fee is $34 per ton as of October 1, 2026, with a $15 minimum. Tonnage depends on the size and material of the old deck, so removal can only be priced after someone has seen it. Check with the landfill on how it wants treated lumber and broken concrete delivered before the load goes out.

Age matters for the lumber. The EPA notes that manufacturers stopped producing chromated copper arsenate (CCA) treated wood for residential use in December 2003, so a pressure-treated deck built before 2004 may contain it. The EPA does not require removing existing CCA structures, but it warns never to burn the wood or reuse it as mulch. Boards from a 1990s Boise deck should not end up in a fire pit or a garden bed.

How long does a Boise deck replacement take from first call to final?

Plan in phases. Design and any engineering come first, then approvals: Boise's #406 checklist says online permit applications are typically reviewed within two weeks, and HOA or historic review runs alongside. The build itself fits best between the April 24 median last freeze and the October 21 median first freeze, because footing concrete and finish work prefer warm ground. The old deck stays usable until the permit is in hand, so a fall design and a spring tear-out lose the least summer.

Cost and next steps

Replacement costs combine removal, any footing and ledger work, and the new deck itself. The Boise deck replacement cost guide breaks those pieces down. If your frame might be sound enough to keep, read deck repair in Boise first; if the plan is new boards on a new frame, composite decking in Boise covers board choice for this climate. Owners of Southeast Boise homes will recognize most of the scenarios above.