Decks & Porches contractors in Massachusetts

A deck in Massachusetts is a permitted structure, not a weekend project. The state building code requires footings below the frost line, which in Massachusetts means 48 inches, a ledger board that is flashed and bolted rather than nailed, guards on any surface more than 30 inches above grade, and an inspection of the framing before decking goes down. Farmers porches and screened porches follow the same rules plus roof snow loads and a roof permit. Because of that, prices start higher than national averages: a pressure-treated deck of 200 to 300 square feet runs about $10,000 to $22,000 installed, composite adds $4,000 to $12,000 to that, and a three-season porch or screened porch on an older cape or colonial runs $25,000 to $60,000 depending on structural work and glazing. Mahogany and cedar, common in coastal and historic towns, price between pressure-treated and composite.

Site conditions drive the rest. Ledge is common from Worcester County east and adds rock drilling to the footing bill; wetlands buffer zones, which cover a surprising share of suburban lots, add a Conservation Commission filing of $1,000 to $2,000 before a permit issues; Dig Safe 811 marking is required by law before any footing is dug. Historic district commissions review porches on the front elevation and often require wood.

Older decks are a subject of their own. Many Massachusetts decks built before the 2000s have ledgers nailed to the house with no flashing, undersized footings and rotted posts, and a home inspector will flag them at a sale. The choice between retrofitting an old deck to code and rebuilding depends mostly on the ledger and footings; if both fail, a rebuild usually costs little more than the repair. Unpermitted decks can be legalized after the fact through the building department, generally with an engineer's letter and an inspection.