Case Study · SB 721 · CSLB #1060736
Multi-Level Ocean-View Deck & Stair Replacement — San Mateo
Stepped decks cascading down a bluff, replaced surface and stairs first — because on a multi-level deck the rot collects at the level changes long before it reaches the open boards.
Deck Repair & RestorationProject facts
- Location
- San Mateo, CA
- Service
- Repair & Restoration
- Property
- Bluff-top residential property with multi-level ocean-view decks
- Elevated elements
- ~1,400 sq ft across 3 deck levels · 4 step runs · connecting stair
- Client
- Property owner / management company
- Scope
- Decking, steps and railings replaced; framing repaired where the level changes had failed
- Timeline
- 5 weeks
- Completed
- Q3 2026
- Budget range
- $75k–$95k
01 The situation
The challenge
After years of sun, wind and salt spray off the bluff, the decks had gone uniformly silver — the look that makes owners assume the whole structure is finished. It wasn’t. Probing showed most of the field boards were surface-weathered but still sound underneath. What had actually failed was every place the deck stepped down: the treads had gone dark and spongy along their front edges, the risers behind them were soft, and the framing under two of the step runs had taken water for long enough to lose section.
The decks are the property’s entire outdoor amenity and the route between its levels, hanging out over a slope with the ocean beyond — so the railings mattered as much as the walking surface, and there was no alternative path while a level was open. The owner wanted the money spent where the structure had actually failed, not on a blanket tear-off of boards that had another decade in them.
02 Execution
What we did
We let the assessment set the scope, then worked level by level:
Probed and moisture-tested every level: field boards, treads, risers and the framing beneath, and rated each element before pricing the work
Rebuilt the failed level changes — new stringers and framing where section was lost, new treads and risers set with a drainage gap so water leaves the step instead of sitting on the nosing
Replaced the decking and set new guardrails to code height across all three levels, keeping the sight lines to the water open
Sequenced level by level so one route between decks stayed usable throughout, then sealed the new timber
03 Outcome
The result
The decks came back with new surfaces, new railings and — the part that mattered — level changes rebuilt so the step sheds water instead of holding it. Scoping from the assessment meant the framing that was still sound stayed in place and the budget went into the four step runs that had actually failed. The stair and guardrail elements closed under SB 721, and the property has a record of what was found at each level.
Results at a glance
- All 3 deck levels re-decked with new code-height guardrails
- 4 failed step runs rebuilt with new framing, treads and risers
- Drainage gap detailed at each nosing so steps shed water
- Sound framing retained — scope set by assessment, not by blanket tear-off
What the client received
- Element-by-element condition ratings across all three levels
- Photo record of the framing found beneath each step run
- Rebuilt stair detail with drainage at the nosing
- Workmanship warranty on decking, stairs and railings
Transformation
Before & After
Deck surface & railing
Level change & steps
On site
Project Photos
“We assumed the whole thing was shot because it had gone grey. They tested it, told us the boards were fine and the steps weren't, and we spent the money where it mattered.”
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