Deck Builders in Freedom, ME
Deck builders in Freedom, ME work under the town's 2006 Building Ordinance, which counts decks or patios larger than 200 square feet as structures and sends the code enforcement officer out to inspect them two or three times. Composite and pressure-treated decks are what we build in Freedom, along with tearing out tired ones, by Sandy Pond and on the farms around the village, and the permit is filed with the officer before work begins.
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- 143 Silver St, 2nd Floor, Waterville
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- Decks only, footings to rail
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- 22 central Maine towns, Waterville to Skowhegan
This page covers deck building and deck replacement in Freedom, Maine, a Waldo County town of 711 people around Sandy Pond, whose 2006 Building Ordinance treats decks larger than 200 square feet as structures that need a permit.
Deck Builders Waterville sets footings 4 feet down on helical piles or piers, flashes the ledger or builds the deck freestanding, holds each deck to Freedom's road and lot-line setbacks, and never resurfaces a worn frame.
The figure to keep: a Freedom pressure-treated deck averages about $83 per square foot, and composite or PVC begins at $15,000. Both are averages drawn from many quotes, not a quote for your house.
Why Is 200 Square Feet the Line for a Freedom Deck?
Two hundred square feet is the line for a Freedom deck because the Building Ordinance's definition of a structure takes in decks or patios only once they are larger than that. A deck past the line needs the officer's permit before work starts, and the ordinance gives the officer 30 days from a completed application to issue it or put a denial in writing.
- Decks over 200 square feet counted as structures
- 50 feet from the road's center, 20 from each lot line
- Two or three officer inspections, site visit to final
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Where Else Do We Build Near Freedom?
See all 22 towns we serveWhat Deck Choices Suit Freedom Homes?
A Freedom deck usually comes down to the lot, the age of the house and how much upkeep the owner wants, and these three cover it.
Composite Decks for Sandy Pond Lots
Composite decks suit the houses and camps on Sandy Pond, which the town's 2011 plan summary puts at 440 acres, because a pond-side deck takes more sun and wet than any other spot on the lot and composite or PVC boards never need restaining. We frame for them with joists every 16 inches, tighter at 12 when the boards are PVC, and seal the top of each Freedom joist with tape before a board goes down.
The same summary calls Sandy Pond susceptible to pollution and blames erosion from the watershed for silt and algae, one reason a footing of ours by the pond is a helical pile screwed in rather than a wide hole dug open. Inside the shoreland zone, the 2009 ordinance lets structures, parking and other surfaces without vegetation cover no more than 20 percent of a lot, and it reads a deck as part of the principal structure it is attached to.
Treated Decks on Freedom's Two-Acre Lots
Pressure-treated decks are the usual fit for Freedom's farms and rural homes, where most residents live and where a 2-acre lot leaves room to build wide when the budget leans toward wood. The 2006 ordinance lets treated supporting posts carry a building when they sit on "a reasonable footing to support building stress," and for a deck we take that to mean a helical pile or a pier 4 feet down.
Every structure in Freedom stays 50 feet back from the middle of a road's legal right-of-way and 20 feet off any adjoining property line, and the town has no zoning districts that move those numbers. On a farmhouse set close to its road, the 50 feet can push a new treated deck around to the side or the back.
Replacing Decks on Freedom's Older Houses
Deck replacement on a Freedom house, where the 2011 plan summary puts about 28 percent of the houses before World War II, starts by pulling the old deck to the ground and setting new footings below the frost, never by laying new boards on its old frame. A bouncy deck or a wobbly stair traces back to the joists, the posts or the footings, and a fresh surface over those fixes nothing.
The ordinance's scope runs from new construction through reconstruction and replacement of a structure, in whole or in part, so a rebuilt deck over 200 square feet goes through the officer's inspections like new work. We ask the officer how a smaller rebuild is treated before the price is final.
What Deck Services Do We Offer in Freedom?
Freedom deck jobs fall into three services for us.
Freedom's 2006 Building Ordinance counts decks larger than 200 square feet as structures and asks for a permit from the code enforcement officer before work begins. Its fee list names no deck, so we ask the town clerk for the current fee, pull the forms from the town's ordinances page and file the plot plan with you.
- New treated decks off farmhouse doors
- Railings and skirting for raised decks
- Replacement decks on new footings
How to Take a Freedom Deck From Permit to Final
We see the place before we draw.
At your Freedom house we look over the yard, the wall the deck would fasten to and any deck already there, and we measure to the road's center and to the property lines, because the plot plan needs both.
The number on paper, then a contract.
You hold a written Freedom price before any date is talked about, and for work over $3,000 state law calls for a written contract with your signature and ours, and lets no more than a third of a Freedom price change hands as a deposit.
Frame, boards, then the final walk.
The footings and frame go in and get looked at first, the decking and rail and steps come after, the old deck is carted off, and after the officer's final, you and we take one last walk across the new deck.
What Should Deck Builders in Freedom, ME Check First?
Deck builders in Freedom, ME should check the ground first, since Freedom's 2006 ordinance asks only that posts sit on a reasonable footing and that chimney supports reach below the frost line, without naming a depth. So we name one: every Freedom footing of ours reaches 4 feet below grade, as a helical pile, the steel shaft set by turning, on most lots, or as a poured concrete pier where the soil asks for it.
Next comes the ledger, a treated plank bolted to the house rim to carry one side of the deck, and it gets flashing over it, or, where the wall cannot take one, the deck is built freestanding with a beam and posts of its own. With 711 residents, Freedom is far under the 4,000 at which state law requires a town to enforce MUBEC, and its ordinance names no code edition, so every guard we set here meets the 2021 IRC: 36 inches high wherever the deck stands more than 30 inches off the ground, and no gap wide enough to pass a 4-inch sphere.
The town's paper comes last: a Freedom permit is void unless work starts within six months, and the job has to be substantially complete within two years. On Sandy Pond the 2009 shoreland ordinance adds its own permit and setbacks, and we confirm with the town which edition is current and where its map puts your lot.
Who Inspects a Freedom Deck, Where and When?
Who carries out deck inspections in Freedom?
Deck inspections in Freedom are carried out by the code enforcement officer, who makes two inspections of accessory structures, alterations and repairs and three of all other structures, and may add more at no cost to the owner. We set those visits up through the town office, open Monday through Thursday and on the first Saturday of each month.
Where does a Freedom deck have to sit?
A Freedom deck has to sit at least 50 feet from the center of the road's legal right-of-way and 20 feet from any adjoining property line, the same as every structure in town. On Sandy Pond, the 2009 shoreland text sets a 100-foot setback for new structures where a great pond carries the GPA class, and 75 feet for other waters, so we check the state's shoreland rules and the town's map for the line your lot takes.
When can a Freedom deck permit come through?
A Freedom deck permit can come through within 30 days of a completed application, the time the ordinance gives the officer to issue it or deny it in writing. Inside the shoreland zone, the 2009 text gives the officer or the Planning Board 35 days to rule, so we file well before the footings are due.
How Much Does a Freedom Deck Usually Cost?
A Freedom deck usually costs about $83 per square foot for a basic pressure-treated deck, while a bigger Freedom plan with levels, angles or a wraparound runs $103 to $124 per square foot, both averages from many quotes. In Freedom no full treated build starts under $10,000, and composite or PVC decking on a composite rail starts at $15,000.
| Deck | What it usually means | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Pressure-treated, simple layout | a single level, a short run of steps, treated boards and rail | about $83 per square foot, nothing new under $10,000 |
| Bigger or more complex layout | a second level, angled sides, a wraparound, a tie-in, extra stairs | $103 to $124 per square foot |
| Composite or PVC | composite or PVC boards with composite rail | from $15,000 |
Freedom averages for a deck built and installed, taken from many quotes, so read them as a range and never as a quote for your lot. A tall frame, a long stair or decay hidden under an old deck can raise them.
Why is the per-foot cost higher on a small Freedom deck?
The per-foot cost is higher on a small Freedom deck because a Freedom deck's footings price out about the same whether the deck is landing-sized or large. A Freedom 12x16 usually prices only about $1,000 above a 10x10, which makes the larger size worth pricing.
What decides where a Freedom deck lands in the range?
Where a Freedom deck lands in the range comes down to a ramp first, the number of stairs second, whether footings in the yard are good enough to use third, the plan's angles and levels fourth, and height last. A deck built higher than about 2 feet in Freedom needs staging, roughly one crew day, which is a heavier share of a small job.
What does a Freedom replacement add to the price?
A Freedom replacement adds tearing out and hauling off the old deck and setting new footings, and it raises one more question, whether any existing post can stay. We probe the posts before we answer, and only then do we write the price.
Who Should Look at Your Freedom Deck First?
We should, before anyone digs: a free estimate request brings us to your Freedom place to see the soil, the wall the deck would meet and any old deck, and the price follows on paper.