Macomb Township deck questions, answered straight

Every deck attached to a house does, and the township publishes its own deck requirements to build from. Small, low, freestanding platforms are treated differently case by case, so the safe move is a call to the Building Department before assuming anything.

The first of three inspections. Every footing hole sits open at 42 inches on undisturbed soil while the inspector checks depth and soil, and the ledger attachment gets verified from inside the house, so an adult needs to be home for that visit.

Because the ledger bolts into the band joist behind your wall, and the only way to confirm what it grabbed is from the basement or crawl space. It is a two-minute look that rules out the classic cause of deck failures.

Charter Township of Macomb. Your mail says Macomb, MI 48042 or 48044, and there is no separate city of that name here, so every deck permit in both ZIP codes goes through the township Building Department on Broughton Road.

Required and done. The township's adopted deck construction guide and the approved plans stay on the job for every inspection. It is one of the local rules people do not expect, and it keeps everyone working from the same sheet.

The Macomb Township area typically runs $22 to $45 per square foot installed for pressure-treated builds. Stairs, railing footage, height and shape decide where in that range a specific deck lands, which is why we quote from a site visit, in writing.

Typically $40 to $85 per square foot installed around Macomb Township, depending on board tier, railing system and stairs. The premium buys off the stain cycle for good, which is worth real money over a decade of Michigan summers.

Around $3 to $8 per square foot locally, driven mostly by prep condition and railing detail. A deck that beads water still needs its wait; finish over wet or glazed wood fails early no matter what the product costs.

Different assumptions. Footing depth, fastener grade, flashing, permit handling and disposal all cost money, and a quote that skips them looks cheaper until the inspection or the third winter. Compare scope line by line, not bottom lines.

If you plan to stay put, usually yes. Capped composite ends the clean-brighten-stain cycle that Michigan's short dry windows make annoying, and it shrugs off freeze-thaw. Wood still wins on up-front cost and repairability. It is a how-long-you-stay question.

Wait for moisture, not a date. Sources argue about months; the wood settles it. Sprinkle water on the board: beading means too wet, soaking in within about ten minutes means ready. Around 15 percent moisture content is the working target.

A self-sealing membrane over joist and ledger tops that closes around every fastener, exactly where substructure rot starts. The framing is the expensive half of a deck, and the tape protects it for a small fraction of the job. We recommend it on every re-deck.

The end tag lists the AWPA use category: UC3B is above-ground duty, UC4A is ground contact. Posts should be UC4A, and the hard-to-replace framing members are worth speccing that way too. It is a thing you can check on delivery day.

Inspect, then decide. Half this township's houses date to about 1999, so a large share of local decks are 20 to 30 years old. The failure points are predictable: posts set in soil, corroding fasteners, shallow footings and guards from a looser era. A probe test tells the truth fast.

If it predates 2004, likely yes: residential CCA lumber was phased out at the end of 2003. Do not burn or chip it, ever. EPA notes that a regular penetrating coat may reduce leaching, and demolition offcuts belong at a licensed landfill.

No. State rules prohibit open burning of construction debris and of any chemically treated wood, and treated deck lumber is both. It goes to a licensed landfill; for Macomb County that is Pine Tree Acres in Lenox Township. We haul it as part of the job.

For sales solicited at your home, Michigan gives you until midnight of the third business day to cancel, and the seller must hand you written notice of that right. A contractor who shrugs at this rule is telling you something. Take the hint.