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Thinking about a composite deck in Santa Maria? We build them new or as a replacement.

Santa Maria Deck Builders puts composite boards on new decks and on replaced ones, with composite railing and stairs to match.

The frame underneath is built the same way as any deck we build: footings, posts, beams and joists.

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  • Over 10 Years in Business
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Gray composite deck with matching railing behind a single-story stucco home, golden hills beyond

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Tell us your town and the deck work you have in mind. Estimates are free.

Brown composite deck boards laid across the joists of a new backyard deck

Where composite goes on a deck

Composite is a choice of boards and railing. Everything under it is a regular deck frame.

  • Composite boards on a brand-new deck
  • Composite boards when an old deck is replaced
  • Composite railing
  • Stairs to match
Get Your FREE Estimate See the typical prices

What composite decking is

Composite decking, which a lot of people call Trex, is a deck board made from a blend of wood fiber and plastic instead of solid lumber. It goes on top of a deck frame the same way wood boards do.

That frame is the part you don’t see. Under a composite deck, we build footings, posts, beams and joists just like we would for any deck, and the composite boards, stairs and railing go on top.

New brown composite deck with steps down to a lawn, oak-dotted hills behind

Composite on a new deck

If you don’t have a deck yet, composite is one of the board choices on a new one. A typical new composite deck, about 16 by 20 feet with steps and railing, costs $15,000 to $30,000. That’s the whole deck, from the footings to the railing. Our deck building page covers how a new deck goes together.

Composite when an old deck is replaced

If you have an old deck that’s done, we can take it off and put a new composite deck in its place, on the same footprint or a new one. The prices for that work are on our deck replacement page, along with how a replacement goes.

Composite railing and stairs

A composite deck gets composite stairs and composite railing to match. We also put composite railing on decks that are already there, including wood decks. Composite railing for a typical deck runs $4,500 to $10,000.

Gray composite deck railing with balusters, farm fields and blue sky in the distance

Composite or wood?

Composite costs more than wood. Beyond that, it comes down to what you want underfoot. If you’d like to see the wood side, our redwood and wood decks page covers redwood, cedar and pressure-treated lumber. We’re happy to price the same deck both ways so you can compare.

Things to settle before a composite deck goes in

New deck or replacement

If there’s a deck there now, the first question is whether it’s coming off. If it is, the job is a replacement. If the yard is bare, it’s a new build.

Railing to match

A composite deck usually gets railing to match the boards. If you’d rather have a different railing, metal, cable and glass railings cost more than wood.

Stairs and how the deck meets the yard

We work out where the composite stairs land and which side of the deck they come off, so the deck fits how you walk out to the yard.

Fire hazard zones

Fire hazard zones are covered in the section below. We check what applies to a deck on your lot before the boards are picked.

What a composite deck costs

A typical deck is about 16 by 20 feet off the back of the house, with a few steps down to the yard and railing around it. Bigger, higher or covered decks run above these ranges.

New composite deck, typical

$15,000 to $30,000

Footings, frame, composite boards, stairs and railing on a typical new deck.

Composite railing for a typical deck

$4,500 to $10,000

Composite railing on a deck that's already there. A new composite deck already includes its railing.

Composite costs more than wood. Prices for taking off an old deck and putting on a composite one are on our deck replacement page.

Get Your FREE Estimate

Before a composite deck goes in

Two things worth knowing about where you live, whatever boards you pick.

Fire hazard zones

Where California's wildfire building rules apply, which depends on the lot's fire hazard zone, a new home's deck needs fire-rated boards; we check what applies to a deck on yours.

Afternoon wind

The Santa Maria Valley is shaped like a funnel opening west to the ocean, and the ocean wind and fog come straight up it. The wind comes from the west and northwest; mornings tend to be calm, and it picks up in the afternoon.

If you'd like shade or a little shelter over part of the deck, a pergola or patio cover can go over a composite deck the same as a wood one.

Composite deck with a wood pergola over one side on the back of a two-story home
Composite deck stairs with matching railing stepping down to a green lawn

How a composite deck job goes

  1. Send the estimate form

    Tell us your town, the work you want and anything you know about the deck.

  2. We look at the deck or the yard

    We look at the frame, the footings and the space, and check what permit rules apply.

  3. You get a free estimate

    A clear price for the work, in wood or composite where that's a choice.

  4. We do the work

    Footings, frame, boards, stairs, railing, stain or cover, whatever the job is.

Related deck work

New pressure-treated wood deck with railing and steps down to a green lawn behind a single-story stucco home

Deck Building

New decks from bare ground: footings, frame, boards, stairs and railings, in wood or composite, plus new railings and stairs on decks already there.

Deck Building
New warm brown composite deck with railing and steps to a lawn behind a two-story wood-sided home

Deck Replacement

The old deck comes off and a new one goes on, in wood or composite.

Deck Replacement

Want a price on a composite deck?

Send the estimate form with your town and the size you have in mind. We can price the same deck in composite and in wood.

Get Your FREE Estimate
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