Deck builders for Coeur d'Alene and Kootenai County

How it works

1. Call or send a request

   Tell us your town and the deck you want, or what's going wrong with the one you have.

2. We connect you

   We pass it to an independent deck builder that covers your part of Kootenai County.

3. They call you back

   The builder comes out, measures and gives you a quote directly.

Who is this site for?

Homeowners in Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls, Hayden, Rathdrum and the rest of Kootenai County who want a deck built, fixed, replaced or covered. Coeur d'Alene had 54,628 residents at the 2020 census and is the seat of a county that counted 171,362. A lot of that growth is newer houses on the Rathdrum Prairie that came with a sliding door and nothing outside it, while older homes near the lake and up the hillsides often have decks that are decades old.

What kinds of deck work can a builder take on?

• Custom wood decks. Treated framing on footings set below the frost line, with treated, cedar or other wood decking. Ground-level platforms, second-story decks and multi-level layouts. More on new decks.
• Composite and PVC decking. Boards that skip the stain-and-seal routine, on new framing or on an existing frame that checks out. More on composite.
• Repair and replacement. Swapping out rotted boards, fixing joists and ledgers, re-setting heaved footings, or tearing off an old deck and building new. More on repairs.
• Railings and stairs. Wood, aluminum, cable, glass-panel and composite guards, plus stair runs with even steps and solid landings. More on railings and stairs.
• Covered decks. Pergolas and solid roofs, framed for North Idaho snow loads. More on covered decks.

What makes building a deck here different?

• Heavy design snow. The City of Coeur d'Alene designs for a 60 psf ground snow load and a 40 psf roof snow load. That matters most for a roof over a deck, but snow piled on any deck adds real weight.
• Frost. The city, Post Falls and Kootenai County all list a 24-inch minimum frost depth for footings. Posts set on blocks or footings that stop short can move as the ground freezes and thaws.
• Wet winters, dry summers. The city averages a little over 25 inches of precipitation a year, most of it in the cool season, followed by hot, dry summers. Wood swells, then dries and checks, and stain on sunny faces wears through.
• Rocky ground. The Rathdrum Prairie sits on coarse gravel, cobbles and boulders left by Ice Age floods, according to Idaho DEQ. Digging footing holes can mean working around rock.
• Wildfire. Many homes back onto timbered hills. Idaho's wildland fire guide says decking within 10 feet of the house should be ignition resistant.
• Lakefront rules. Kootenai County limits what can go within 25 feet of the high water mark on its lakes and rivers.

When should someone look at your deck?

• Boards that flex, feel soft, or have dark, punky ends
• A guard post or railing that shifts when you push on it
• Stairs that lean, bounce or have separated from the deck
• A gap opening between the deck and the house, or rot at the ledger
• Posts on loose pier blocks, or a deck that slopes more each spring
• Rusty hangers, nails backing out, or bolts missing at the ledger
• Sagging joists after a heavy snow year

Do decks need a permit in Coeur d'Alene?

Most do. The city follows the 2018 International Residential Code, which exempts only decks that are 200 square feet or less, no more than 30 inches above grade at any point, not attached to the house and not serving a required exit door. An attached deck needs a permit no matter how small. Post Falls, Hayden and Rathdrum each run their own building departments, and Kootenai County handles unincorporated areas. Ask your builder who will pull the permit. The Coeur d'Alene deck guide walks through the details.

Wood or composite?

Both are common around the lake. Wood costs less to start with and is simple to patch, but it needs washing and a fresh coat of stain every few years to keep up with wet winters and strong summer sun. Composite and PVC cost more up front and still need cleaning, but no staining, and they don't rot. The frame underneath is almost always treated lumber either way, so footings, ledger and joists deserve as much attention as the boards. A builder can lay out the trade-offs for your house and how much upkeep you want.

What about a lakefront or riverfront deck?

Lots on Lake Coeur d'Alene, Hayden Lake, the Spokane River and other county waters come with extra rules close to the water. Kootenai County's shoreline management area runs 25 feet landward of the ordinary high water mark, and inside it the county caps stairways at 4 feet wide and landings at 6 feet. Ground-level wood or composite decking can be allowed there if it doesn't concentrate runoff. Plan the main deck on the house side of that line and talk to the builder and the county early.

When do builders here schedule decks?

Footing work happens once the ground has thawed, so most building runs from spring into fall. Calendars fill fast as the weather turns, and permit review takes time too. If you want to use the deck by summer, start the conversation in winter: design, material choices and the permit application can all get done before the first hole is dug.

Are you a deck company?

No. Coeur d'Alene Deck Builders is a referral service. We connect you with an independent builder who serves your address, and that builder designs, prices, builds and stands behind the work. Read our tips for hiring a deck builder before you sign a contract.

Areas we cover

• Coeur d'Alene
• Post Falls
• Hayden
• Rathdrum

Planning ahead? Read our Coeur d'Alene deck guide.