Deck Builders in Belgrade, ME
Deck builders in Belgrade, ME plan most lake decks around one line on the town's shoreland worksheet, the line for patios and decks, because every square foot of deck counts toward the cap on bare, unplanted ground near the water. We size that number with you on the first visit, along with the slope, the soil and the house wall, before any deck is drawn or priced.
- (207) 679-0381
- 143 Silver St, 2nd Floor, Waterville
- [email protected]
- Decks only, footings to rail
- Free estimate requests
- 22 central Maine towns, Waterville to Skowhegan
This page covers deck building and deck replacement in Belgrade, Maine, a lakes town of 3,250 people where 42.8 percent of the housing is held for seasonal use and Great Pond, at 8,239 acres, is the largest water.
Deck Builders Waterville sets footings 4 feet down on helical piles on most jobs, frames heavier than the minimum, and on a Belgrade shore lot fills in the town's coverage worksheet, where every square foot of deck counts, before drawing anything.
The figure to keep: a simple pressure-treated deck in Belgrade averages about $79 per square foot across many quotes, and composite or PVC builds start from $15,000. Treat both as averages for planning, not as a quote.
Why Does a Belgrade Lake Deck Get Measured Twice?
A Belgrade lake deck gets measured twice because the shoreland ordinance limits both how much of a lot is covered and how tall a structure stands. Bare surfaces, decks included, are capped at 20 percent of whatever part of a lot falls in the zone, and structures there top out at 25 feet.
- Line 7 of the town's shoreland worksheet is decks and patios
- A 25-foot height cap on shoreland structures
- Photos of all four sides of the house with the application
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Which Lake Towns Beside Belgrade Do We Serve?
See all 22 towns we serveWhat Deck Work Fits Belgrade's Camps and Houses?
Belgrade's summer population roughly doubles as owners come back to camps on Messalonskee Lake, Long Pond and Great Pond, so its deck work splits between lake camps and year-round houses, and three jobs cover both.
Composite Decks for Belgrade's Lakefront Camps
Composite decks are our pick for a Belgrade camp that sits empty from fall to spring, because nobody is there to stain boards or sweep off the leaves. A closed camp's deck also holds the whole winter's snow with no one to shovel it, so the frame under it gets built heavier than the minimum.
On a camp lot we usually lay a border board around the outside so no cut end shows, set the joists 16 inches apart (12 under PVC) and put joist tape, a sticky strip that keeps water out of the fastener holes, along the top of each joist. Hidden clips hold most composite boards, and PVC gets screwed through the face and plugged, because PVC moves more as the air warms and cools.
Pressure-Treated Decks Off Belgrade's Year-Round Houses
Pressure-treated decks are the sensible buy for the year-round houses in North Belgrade, Belgrade Depot and the Village, in a town whose median house dates from 1985, where the deck is a back door step-out used every day. Treated lumber keeps a big deck affordable, and it takes stain well once the wood has dried.
Converting a seasonal camp for living in all year is the other time a treated deck earns its place. Belgrade's shoreland use table asks for a Local Plumbing Inspector permit for that conversion, and the project is a natural time to replace a summer deck with one framed and footed for twelve months of use.
Replacing a Belgrade Camp Deck Close to the Water
Deck replacement near Belgrade's lakes runs into Section 16(B) of the shoreland ordinance, which requires a permit to relocate, reconstruct or replace a structure, and decks are structures there. A deck that grows counts as expansion too, and on a non-conforming building no part may grow within 25 feet of the water.
So the old camp deck comes apart board by board, new footings reach past the frost, and a new frame goes up, never new boards over the old joists. The ordinance also bars moving an accessory structure closer to the water than the house, which keeps a rebuilt deck from creeping toward the shore.
What Deck Services Do We Offer in Belgrade?
Three pieces of work make up most Belgrade jobs.
Belgrade's shoreland ordinance says no one may "erect any structure" or "relocate, reconstruct, or replace an existing structure" without first obtaining a permit. We bring your deck to the town before the first pile goes in, file the permit it needs, and approval stays a decision for Belgrade.
- Footings and frame sized for lake winters
- Composite, PVC or treated boards and rail
- Camp stairs and landings down the slope
How to Plan a Belgrade Lakes Deck Before Anyone Digs
Measure the lot, photograph the house.
At the first visit we walk the slope, look at the soil, check the wall and any old deck, and take the photos of all four sides of the house that the town's permit application asks for.
Write it down, then sign it.
The written price lists every part of the deck, and Maine's home construction contract law asks for a signed written contract on anything over $3,000 and holds your up-front payment to one third. When digging is part of a shoreland job, the town wants a soil and erosion control plan, so we include one with the application.
Build from the piles up.
Piles and framing come first and the decking, rail and stairs follow, with the old deck leaving the lot on our load. Then you and we walk the new deck from one end to the other.
What Should Deck Builders in Belgrade, ME Check First?
Deck builders in Belgrade, ME should check the ground first, since a camp lot on the lakes is often a slope, and a footing (the concrete or steel each post stands on) that sits above the frost line, the depth winter's freeze reaches, gets heaved. Our footings reach 4 feet, and most are helical piles (steel shafts a machine screws down into the slope), with a poured concrete pier where the ground suits one better.
Next is how the deck meets the building. We hang a ledger (a heavy board bolted through the rim of the house to hold the deck's near side) only with flashing over it, and on a camp whose old sill or rim will not take bolts, the deck gets a second beam and stands free of the wall.
The town's paper is the third check. Belgrade's ordinance keeps new structures and expansions 100 feet back from a great pond or a river flowing into one, 75 from other waters, 25 in the General Development District and 250 in Resource Protection, and the Planning Board "shall increase" that distance where slopes or soils call for it, so we confirm the numbers with the town before drawing.
Who Reviews a Belgrade Deck, Where Can It Sit and When?
Which town body looks at a deck on a Belgrade shore lot?
The town body that looks at a deck on a Belgrade shore lot is the code officer in some cases and the Planning Board in others, set by district and by lot: the use table puts a house on a conforming lot in the Limited Residential, Limited Commercial and General Development districts with the code officer, and on a non-conforming lot in the first two with the Planning Board. A deck fastened to the house goes with the house under Belgrade's definitions, so we learn from the town which column your lot sits in.
How close to the lot lines may a Belgrade deck go?
A Belgrade deck must stay at least 10 feet off every lot line under the Minimum Lot Size Ordinance, and it keeps back from a road by the greater of two numbers: 25 feet measured from the right-of-way's near edge, or 2 feet from the centerline for every foot of its height. A deck on a house counts as part of that house, so those distances apply to it.
When does Belgrade decide on a deck permit?
Belgrade decides on a deck permit within 60 days of a properly completed application, according to the permit form, and all applications are subject to an on-site inspection. So a deck you want by July should be filed while the lake is still frozen.
How Much Should a Belgrade Deck Cost?
A Belgrade deck in plain pressure-treated lumber should come to about $79 per square foot, while larger or more complicated layouts average $98 to $118 per square foot, both averages pulled from many quotes. Full treated decks have a $10,000 floor here, and the floor for composite or PVC boards with composite rail is $15,000.
| Deck | What it usually means | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Pressure-treated, simple layout | one deck level, a short stair, treated boards and rail | about $79 per square foot, nothing new under $10,000 |
| Bigger or more complex layout | stepped levels, angles, a wrap, a tie-in, long camp stairs | $98 to $118 per square foot |
| Composite or PVC | composite or PVC boards with composite rail | from $15,000 |
These Belgrade numbers are installed averages from many quotes, useful for a budget and never a quote: piles, frame, decking, rail and stairs are counted, and a steep camp lot, a long flight of steps or rotten framing in the old deck can change them.
Why is a little Belgrade camp deck dearer per square foot?
A little Belgrade camp deck is dearer per square foot since its piles run close to what a much bigger deck's would, and that fixed cost lands on fewer square feet. A 12x16 instead of a 10x10 often comes to only about $1,000 more.
Which features lift a Belgrade deck price within its range?
A ramp lifts a Belgrade deck price within its range more than any other feature, then the number of stairs, whether any existing footings are usable, a layout with levels or tie-ins, and the deck's height. A floor more than about 2 feet above grade takes staging and roughly a crew day, which a small camp deck feels most.
What does a Belgrade deck replacement add?
A Belgrade deck replacement adds the tear-out, the hauling away and new footings, along with the shoreland permit for replacing a structure. Any old posts that might stay get judged at the visit, and the written price tells you what we kept.
Is Your Belgrade Camp Deck Ready to Be Rebuilt?
Ask us for a free estimate, and we will go over your Belgrade lot with you, work out its coverage and setbacks, and give you one written price for the deck.