Deck Builders in Smithfield, ME
Deck builders in Smithfield, ME begin at the Town Office, because the town asks for a free Notice of Intent to Build before any structure goes up, and a lot on North Pond or East Pond adds the shoreland ordinance. We file the notice, measure from the water and price only after walking the yard.
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This page covers new decks and deck replacement in Smithfield, Maine, a Somerset County town on North Pond and East Pond where 37.5 percent of the housing is held for seasonal use.
Deck Builders Waterville files the town's free Notice of Intent to Build before work starts, measures a pond lot's setback before the deck is drawn, and sets footings 4 feet down, on helical piles on most jobs.
The figure to keep: a simple pressure-treated deck in Smithfield averages about $79 per square foot, and composite or PVC builds start from $15,000. Both figures are averages drawn from many quotes, not a price for your lot.
Why Does a Smithfield Deck Start at the Town Office?
A Smithfield deck starts at the Town Office because the Building Notice Ordinance says no one may build a structure without first filing a Notice of Intent to Build, and filing is free. Skipping it carries a $300 after-the-fact fine, a poor trade for a form that costs nothing.
- A free Notice of Intent to Build, filed before the first footing
- Shoreland applications at 10 cents a square foot, $75 minimum
- Pond-lot setbacks measured from the water before any sketch
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Which Towns Touch Smithfield on Our Map?
See all 22 towns we serveWhat Decks Fit Smithfield's Camps and Farmhouses?
Smithfield deck work splits three ways, and the distance to the water usually picks.
Composite Decks for North Pond and East Pond Camps
Composite decks suit a Smithfield camp that stays shut all winter, since composite and PVC boards are not stained or sealed on a schedule. The East Pond Association calls its water an 1,800-acre spring-fed lake shared with Oakland, and a deck on that shore works hard all summer, then sits under snow.
Smithfield's shoreland ordinance counts a deck's footprint against the 20 percent of a lot that structures and bare ground may cover, so on a small camp lot space runs out before budget does. We size the deck to the lot first, then space its joists every 16 inches, or every 12 where PVC boards go down.
Pressure-Treated Decks for Smithfield Farmhouses
Pressure-treated decks are the smart buy on a year-round Smithfield house away from the ponds, where the deck takes daily use and the budget leads. The median year built for Smithfield's housing is 1983, and a wood deck that old is well past the 20 years after which we call one done.
Treated lumber carries the frame on every deck we build, so a treated deck is that frame with treated boards and rail on top. Off the water, we still ask the code office whether anything beyond the notice applies.
Replacing a Tired Deck on a Smithfield Camp
Deck replacement beside a pond is a permit job in Smithfield even on the old footprint, because the shoreland ordinance bars expanding, changing or replacing a structure there without one. Repairs that add nothing need no permit, but we replace a deck from the footings up, never with new boards on a tired frame.
A camp already inside the setback faces a second limit: nothing within 25 feet of the water may grow, and under 75 feet the footprint is held to 1,000 square feet, or the January 1, 1989 footprint plus 30 percent if that is greater. We draw the replacement on the old outline and price any growth as its own item.
What Deck Services Do We Offer in Smithfield?
Most Smithfield deck jobs we take on fall under three of our services.
Smithfield's Building Notice Ordinance excuses only work under $1,000 in a year and repairs that restore a structure, and the code enforcement office handles shoreland permits. We file what applies and leave every approval to the town.
- Composite and PVC decks for pond camps
- Footings below the frost, a flashed ledger
- Tear-out and rebuild inside the shoreland zone
How to Go From a Smithfield Notice to a Finished Deck
We read the lot before we sketch.
We walk the yard, study the wall the deck would meet, probe any old posts for soft wood, and on a pond lot measure to the high-water line first.
The price and the contract, in writing.
You see a written price before the notice is filed, and once that price tops $3,000, Maine law requires a signed contract, and a deposit larger than a third of the total is not allowed.
Footings first, boards last, then a walk.
Piles or piers come before any framing, then decking, rail and stairs, and the old deck goes off with us. The last step is a slow walk with you across every board of the finished deck.
What Should Deck Builders in Smithfield, ME Check First?
Deck builders in Smithfield, ME should check what the posts will stand on before anything else, since a post on a block in the yard rides the frost up each winter and settles crooked in mud season. Our footings go 4 feet down, under the frost line (the depth to which the soil freezes in winter), most often as a helical pile: a steel shaft turned into the soil like a giant screw.
The house wall comes second. A ledger (the timber that ties one edge of the deck to the house) needs sound framing behind it and metal flashing above it, and on an older camp we open the siding to check, so where the wall falls short, the deck stands free on a second beam.
The town's paper comes third. Smithfield's shoreland ordinance defines a deck extending the house as part of the house, and holds new structures 100 feet off great ponds classified GPA and the rivers feeding them, Great Meadow Stream among them.
Who Approves a Smithfield Pond Deck, Where and When?
Which Smithfield office rules on a North Pond deck?
The Smithfield office that rules on a North Pond or East Pond deck is either the code office or the Planning Board, and the district plus whether the deck attaches to the house decide which. An attached deck counts as part of the house, so we plan for the board.
Where does a Smithfield shoreland setback start?
A Smithfield shoreland setback starts at the normal high-water line, measured flat, inside a zone running 250 feet up from a great pond or river, or 75 feet from a stream. For a structure sitting under 100 feet from the water already, the town says a pre-construction visit with the code officer is often needed before the board decides.
When should a Smithfield shoreland application go in?
A Smithfield shoreland application should go in at least two weeks ahead of the Planning Board's monthly meeting, held the second Wednesday. The shoreland application also wants site photos, a sketch with every setback and an erosion control plan, so we build the packet early.
How Much Will a Smithfield Deck Cost?
A Smithfield deck will cost, on the average of many quotes, about $79 per square foot when it is plain pressure-treated, and $99 to $118 per square foot once the layout grows larger or trickier. A full treated build bottoms out at $10,000, and the floor for composite or PVC with composite railing is $15,000.
| Deck | What it usually means | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Pressure-treated, simple layout | one level, a short set of steps, treated boards and rail | about $79 per square foot, nothing new under $10,000 |
| Bigger or more complex layout | two levels, angles, a wraparound, a tie-in, longer stairs | $99 to $118 per square foot |
| Composite or PVC | composite or PVC boards with composite rail | from $15,000 |
Installed Smithfield averages from many quotes, covering footings, frame, boards, rail and stairs, so read them as ranges, not a quote. Height, the stair count and what an old camp deck conceals can each move a real price.
Why is a small Smithfield deck pricier per square foot?
A small Smithfield deck is pricier per square foot for one reason: footings cost close to the same under a small deck as under a big one, so they weigh heavily on a small total. A 12x16 commonly comes in near $1,000 over a 10x10, so we talk size before you settle.
What turns a Smithfield deck price up or down?
A Smithfield deck price turns up or down first on a ramp, then on the stair count, then on whether usable footings are already in the ground. Layout follows (shapes, levels, tie-ins), and height comes last: once the deck floor rises past about 2 feet, setting up staging eats close to a crew day, which a small job feels most.
What does replacing an old Smithfield deck add?
Replacing an old Smithfield deck brings in demolition and disposal, footings below the frost wherever the old ones fall short, and the shoreland permit on a pond lot. Any old post that might stay gets judged standing over it, and the price follows that look.
Ready to Price a Deck for Your Smithfield Lot?
Request a free estimate. We walk your Smithfield yard, tape the distance to any water and write the price for footings, frame and boards before anyone digs.