Tearing Out the Deck for a Patio: Weighing the Trade-Off in New Braunfels
When the deck on your New Braunfels home has failed, a patio can take its place. That works if the yard sits close to the level of the back door. If the ground slopes or the door sits high, a new deck usually fits better. Either way the old deck comes out first: the boards, then the joists, beams and posts, down to the footings.
The boards have gone soft and gray, the railing gives when you lean on it, and the frame underneath is no better. At that stage a lot of people here stop asking how to fix the deck and start asking if they want one at all. A patio is the obvious other choice.
Why does the door height matter when choosing a patio or a deck?
The door height sets how far the new surface has to rise to meet the house. Once an existing deck has failed, that one measurement often decides it. A door a step or two above the yard suits a patio laid on the ground. A door well above it needs a deck framed on posts and footings to reach the threshold.
What is left after an old deck is removed?
Bare ground, ready for a patio or a new deck. The boards, joists, beams and posts are gone, and the ledger board is off the wall. What's left in the yard is the footing question: pull them, or plan the new deck around the sound ones. We haul the old lumber off before anything new goes in.
At what point does a failing deck raise the patio question?
Usually when repair stops making sense. Once wood rot has spread through the framing, the old deck is coming out anyway. The real decision is what goes in its place.
These are the signs a structural deck check looks for to tell if a deck can still be fixed:
- boards that feel soft or spongy underfoot
- a deck that sways or moves when you walk across it
- a gap opening between the ledger board and the house wall
- posts that lean, or footings that have shifted or cracked
What does taking out an existing deck involve?
Tearing out a deck mostly runs in reverse of how it went up. The usual order:
- The deck boards and railing come off.
- We cut the joists and beams free and lower them.
- The posts come out, and we take the ledger board off the house.
- We pull the footings or leave them, depending on what goes in next.
With the ledger board off, the house wall behind it can finally be checked. It's been hidden for years. A new deck will cover it again, so now's the time to look.
Then the old lumber has to go somewhere, so we haul it off as construction and demolition debris. We never burn pressure-treated wood, because the smoke and ash can carry toxic chemicals.
What tips the choice toward a patio or a new deck?
Three things settle it for most yards: the slope, the height of your back door, and where water goes in a rain. Walk your own yard with them in mind:
- If the yard is flat and the door sits low, a patio works, and it can often be larger for the same budget.
- If the yard slopes away from the house, a deck on posts and footings gives you a level floor over uneven ground.
- If the back door sits well above the yard, a deck brings the floor up to meet it.
- If water collects where the old deck stood, a deck keeps your outdoor space up off the wet ground.
A floodplain lot doesn't get a pass either way. The city's floodplain management rules require a permit for any development in the floodplain, and a patio counts as much as a deck. Find out about the permit before you pick the design.
Think about daily use, too. If you carry food or a full tray out that door, a deck at door height saves you the step every time. A new deck is also your chance to move to composite decking on a new frame. Get removal priced alone and removal with a new deck, and you can compare the two on paper.
Is a patio or a new deck right for your yard?
If your yard is level and the door sits low, a patio is a fair answer. If the ground slopes, the door sits high or water collects, a new deck usually serves your home better.
For the tear-out on its own, see what deck removal costs. A new deck in its place is work for Comal Decks.
Frequently asked questions
Is it a good idea to remove decking and replace it with a patio?
It can be, when the old deck is past repair and your yard sits about level with the back door. Then a patio on the ground does the job. On a slope, below a high door or where rain pools, a new deck usually suits you better. It holds the surface up where you need it.
Do the old deck footings have to come out for a patio?
Usually some do, because a patio needs a clear, even base where the old footings stood. Which ones depends on where the patio goes and how deep they sit. Settle that before the work starts, and you won't be guessing about what's left under the new surface.
Can a new deck reuse the old deck's footings?
Sometimes. If an old footing is sound, big enough and sits right where the new frame needs a post, the frame may be planned around it. If it's cracked, too small or in the wrong place, a new footing goes in. Footings carry the whole deck, so a doubtful one isn't the place to save money.
What happens to the wood from a removed deck?
It leaves the yard as construction and demolition debris, the waste from building and tear-out work. It doesn't go out with the household trash, so it's hauled off instead. Hauling it away is part of the removal job, and the amount of old lumber is one of the things that moves its price.
Want an old deck gone?
Call, or send the details through the form, and we'll call you back to plan the tear-out and the haul-off.