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Deck Builders in Boise

Boise sits about ten miles east of Meridian, fifteen to twenty minutes outside of rush hour. It is the older city of the two by a long way, and the deck work reflects that: pre-war bungalows in the North End, mid-century ranches on the Bench, and foothills lots where the ground falls away hard behind the house.

The foothills are the real difference. Meridian is flat, but Boise's north and east edges climb, and a house on a sloped lot there often needs an elevated deck rather than a ground-level one. Elevation changes the whole build: taller posts, deeper and larger footings, a full guard system, a longer stair run, and sometimes a mid-flight landing, which the code requires once total stair rise passes 12 feet. An elevated deck of the same square footage routinely costs 30 to 60 percent more than its flat-lot equivalent in Meridian.

The North End and the Bench bring the other Boise variable, which is age. A 1940s house has a different rim joist than a 2015 house, and the ledger detail has to suit what is behind the siding. On older stock it is common to find that a previous deck was nailed to the sheathing rather than bolted through to structure, which is not a repairable condition. Non-ledger deck framing, where the deck stands free on its own posts and beams next to the house, is the standard answer where the wall cannot be trusted to take the load.

Boise runs its own permits through Planning and Development Services rather than through Meridian, and it publishes the valley design criteria most builders here work to: a 20 psf ground snow load, a 25 psf minimum roof design load, a 24 inch minimum footing depth, seismic design category C, and a 90 mph basic wind speed, all under the 2018 International Residential Code that Idaho adopted effective January 2021.

Deck scopes in Boise

Working out a budget for a Boise project? Start with the deck cost estimator, then read the permit guide for how the approval side runs in the valley.

Planning a deck in Boise?

Call (208) 314-4914 or use the quote form for a free written price on any deck project in the Treasure Valley.