Deck Builder
in Kansas City

Most deck projects turn on one question: how much of the structure under your feet is sound enough to keep. The answer decides which service fits, what the estimate should cover and whether the city needs to review the work.

We build new decks and repair, replace, resurface and expand existing ones. KC Deck Builds is a locally owned, licensed and insured deck builder serving the Kansas City metro.

If there's no deck yet, the project is new deck construction, and every part of it is designed from the footings up. If a deck is already there, the frame decides the service, not the boards. The joists, beams, posts, footings and the connection to the house carry the load, and their condition sets how much of the old deck can stay.

Isolated damage on a sound deck

a repair fixes the failed part, such as a soft board, a loose railing post or a decayed joist end, and the cause behind it.

Worn surface on a solid frame

resurfacing replaces the decking and trim and keeps the frame, after it has been tested for condition, level and joist spacing.

A failed structure or house connection

a replacement takes the deck down and rebuilds it to current code.

A sound deck that's too small

an expansion adds area or a level and ties the new framing to the old.

The surface can mislead in both directions. Gray, weathered boards often sit on a frame that's fine, while freshly stained boards can hide rot along the ledger or at the base of the posts. That's why we look at the structure before recommending a service. Stairs and railings can also be rebuilt on their own when the rest of the deck is staying, which our stair and railing pages explain.

Contractor licensing in this metro is set by cities and counties, so the rules change at the state line and sometimes at the city limits. On the Kansas side, Overland Park issues building permits only to contractors with an active Johnson County contractor's license of the type that matches the permit, and Olathe's adopted code also requires a Johnson County license for permitted work. That means deck builders in Overland Park and Olathe have to be listed in the county's licensing system before the city will issue a permit in their name. Homeowners acting as their own contractor in Overland Park don't need a license, but any subcontractors they hire do.

Kansas City, Missouri licenses contractors through its own City Planning and Development department, with separate licenses by trade. Its code requires a residential building contractor license to contract to construct, structurally alter or enlarge a one- or two-family home, and electrical, plumbing and mechanical work each require their own license. Smaller cities add their own rules. Smithville, for example, requires a contractor occupation license from the city.

The Attorney General's guidance recommends at least three written estimates based on the same work, and a contract that states exactly what will be done, the quality of the materials, the names of any subcontractors, the total price and the payment schedule. For a deck, "the same work" is harder to pin down than it sounds, because two estimates for "fixing the deck" can describe a repair and a full replacement.

A complete deck estimate makes the scope comparable by naming what happens to each part of the structure:

What stays and what's new

which framing, footings, decking, stairs and railings are kept, repaired or replaced

The house connection

how a ledger will be fastened and flashed, or whether the deck will stand free on its own posts

Footings and framing

footing depth, joist size and spacing, and the decking product the frame is built for

Guards and stairs

the railing system and the stair layout, built to the dimensions the city enforces

Permits and inspections

whether the work needs a permit and who is responsible for applying and scheduling inspections

Hidden damage

how damage found after the old boards or ledger come off will be documented and priced before the work continues

When one estimate leaves out the footings or the ledger, its lower total usually reflects less work rather than a better price for the same deck.

Permit thresholds differ across the ten cities we serve, so the address matters more than the size of the deck. Kansas City, Missouri exempts decks no more than 30 inches above grade at any point that aren't over a basement or a story below. Overland Park requires a permit to build or replace a deck, with a narrow exemption for small, low, detached decks, and it doesn't require one to repair the walking surface, guards or handrails. Olathe's exemption also applies only to small, low decks that aren't attached to the house. Grain Valley requires a permit for any deck more than 30 inches above grade and for any deck attached to a house, at any height.

Construction rules shift too. Kansas City, Missouri, Olathe and Overland Park set footing depth at 36 inches, while Lawrence's adopted code sets its frost depth at 30 inches. Replacements and expansions are more likely to need a permit than board repairs, because they create new structure. Our service area pages cover the rules for Belton, Grain Valley, Harrisonville, Kansas City, Lawrence, Leavenworth, Olathe, Overland Park, Smithville and St. Joseph.