New decks · Repairs · Replacements
New decks, repairs and replacements across the Kansas City metro, built in wood or composite to the code your city enforces.
KC Deck Builds is a locally owned, licensed and insured deck builder serving the Kansas City metro on both sides of the state line. We build new decks and repair and replace existing ones in wood or composite, along with the covered decks, porches, railings, stairs and gazebos that go with them.
Every project starts with the structure. Footings below the frost line, framing sized for its spans and a sound connection to the house decide whether a deck is safe, and on an existing deck, their condition decides what work it needs.
What we build
Most deck projects are one of three jobs: a new deck, a repair to a deck worth keeping or a full replacement. On an existing deck, the condition of the frame usually decides which.
Wood or composite decks on new footings, posts and framing, with stairs and railings built to the dimensions your city enforces.
The deck's height above the yard, the wall it attaches to and the decking material set most of the design.
Soft boards, loose railing posts, failing stairs and decayed joist ends can be fixed without rebuilding the deck.
A lasting repair also fixes the cause, which is usually water held against wood or a connection that was never built for its load.
When the posts, beams, footings or ledger connection have failed, new boards won't fix the deck. A replacement rebuilds the structure to current code.
Because the deck is being rebuilt, its size, height and stair location can change at the same time.
A closer look at our work
Explore a few projects from our portfolio. Switch between the before and after photos to see what changed.
Wood decking · Railings · Backyard access
Elevated deck · Stairs · Railings
KC Deck Builds
We build, repair and replace decks in ten communities, from Smithville and St. Joseph in the north to Belton and Harrisonville in the south, and from Grain Valley in the east to Lawrence in the west. KC Deck Builds is locally owned, licensed and insured.
The parts that decide whether a deck stays safe are the ones that disappear once it's finished: footing depth, beam and joist sizing, and how the ledger is fastened and flashed against the house. We build those parts to the code each city enforces, on new decks and on the decks we repair and replace.
More about KC Deck Builds ↗︎As deck builders in Kansas City, we center our work on three kinds of projects. New deck construction starts from bare ground, with footings below the frost line, framing sized for the deck's height and spans, and stairs and railings built to the dimensions the city enforces. Deck repair fixes specific damage on a deck worth keeping, such as a soft board, a loose railing post or a decayed joist end, along with the water or connection problem that caused it. Deck replacement takes down a deck whose frame, footings or house connection has failed and rebuilds it to current code.
We build all three in wood or composite, and the choice affects the frame as well as the surface, because composite boards need closer joist spacing than many older wood decks were built with.
On an existing deck, the condition of the frame decides which service fits. Gray, splintered boards often sit on joists, beams and footings that are sound, and that deck may only need resurfacing. A freshly stained deck can hide rot along the ledger or at the base of the posts. Because the surface misleads in both directions, we look at the structure before recommending a service. A sound deck that's too small is a candidate for expansion, and our deck builder page compares all five deck services side by side.
Many projects add a structure to the deck or stand beside it, and each one changes what the frame and footings have to carry:
Railings and stairs can also be their own projects when the rest of a deck is staying. Railing installation covers guard heights and how railing posts are fastened to the frame, and stair installation covers rise, run, stringers and landings. The general contractor, carpenter and gazebo builder overview pages group these services, and the services directory lists all fifteen on one page.
When you call or send the form, the first two details we need are the address and whether the job is a new deck, a repair or a replacement. The address tells us which city or county will review the work.
On an existing deck, the site visit is about the structure: soft or decayed framing, joists that have sagged out of level, corroded hangers, and whether the ledger is bolted and flashed or nailed over the siding. On bare ground, the questions are about the lot and the house: the door's height above the yard, whether the wall can carry a ledger, the slope and drainage, and the property lines and easements.
The estimate follows from that visit. A deck estimate is useful when it names what happens to each part of the structure: which framing stays and which is new, how the deck attaches to the house or stands free, the footing depth, the joist spacing for the decking chosen, and the railing and stair work. That level of detail is what makes estimates from different deck contractors in Kansas City comparable, since two estimates for "fixing the deck" can describe a repair on one hand and a full replacement on the other.
We work in ten communities: Belton, Grain Valley, Harrisonville, Kansas City, Smithville and St. Joseph in Missouri, and Lawrence, Leavenworth, Olathe and Overland Park in Kansas. The construction is the same in each, but the rules around it are set locally.
Permit thresholds are the clearest example. Kansas City, Missouri exempts a deck from a building permit only when it is no more than 30 inches above grade at any point and isn't over a basement or a story below. Overland Park and Olathe exempt only small, low decks that are detached from the house and don't serve the required exit door, and St. Joseph's local amendments delete the residential code's list of permit exemptions entirely. Footing depth varies as well. Most of the cities we serve set the frost line at 36 inches, while Lawrence's adopted code sets it at 30.
Licensing and jurisdiction follow the same pattern. Overland Park and Olathe issue deck permits only to contractors with an active Johnson County contractor's license, while Kansas City, Missouri licenses residential building contractors through its own planning department. A mailing address doesn't always settle which rules apply, because a "Kansas City, MO" address can sit in a neighboring city with its own building department, and land just outside Harrisonville's city limits falls under Cass County instead. Each service area page covers one community's permits, code details and inspections.
Most of what decides how a deck holds up is hidden once the boards are down. Footings that stop short of the frost line get lifted as the soil freezes and thaws, which is a common reason older decks lean or pull away from the house. A ledger without working flashing lets water run behind it, so it rots from the back, often along with the house's rim joist. Wood posts decay fastest just below the soil or concrete line, where a post can be soft while it still looks sound.
The parts people touch come next. A railing's strength comes from posts fastened into the framing with hardware, not from the balusters between them. Stairs depend on evenly sized steps and on two connections: where the stringers attach at the top and what they rest on at the bottom. Underneath all of it, pressure-treated lumber has to be rated for its exposure, with ground-contact lumber near the soil and fasteners compatible with the treatment.
Get a deck estimate
How it works
Call (913) 687-7031 or send the form with your address and whether the project is a new deck, a repair or a replacement.
The door height above the yard, the wall the deck meets, the slope and drainage, and on an existing deck, its framing, footings and house connection.
The estimate lists the materials and the work on each part of the deck, so you can compare it with other estimates item by item.
Across the Kansas City metro
We build, repair and replace decks in these Missouri and Kansas communities. Call to confirm your address is within our service area.
View all service areasCommon questions
Often, when the joists, beams, posts, footings and house connection are sound. Boards, railings and stairs can be replaced on a solid frame, and a worn surface on a good frame can be resurfaced. When the frame or the ledger has failed, repairs tend to move from one part of the deck to the next, and a replacement is the lasting fix.
Wood costs less up front and needs cleaning and a renewed finish on a regular schedule. Composite costs more and doesn't need staining, but its boards need joists spaced to the manufacturer's instructions, typically 16 inches on center, or 12 inches when the boards run diagonally. Both are usually built on a pressure-treated wood frame.
Not to the brick or stone itself. The 2018 International Residential Code, which most of the cities we serve enforce, doesn't allow a deck ledger to be supported on stone or masonry veneer, and the Johnson County and Overland Park deck guidelines add stucco. On those walls, the deck is built freestanding, with its own beam and posts along the house.
Size and height above the ground come first, because a taller deck needs longer posts, more stairs and guards along every open edge. Decking and railing materials, removal of an old deck, site access, permit requirements and the condition of any existing structure also affect the scope.
Get an estimate
Call or send a request for an estimate. We build, repair and replace decks and outdoor structures across the Kansas City metro.
(913) 687-7031 ↗︎Prefer to talk it through? Give us a call.