Typical cost: national guides put deck removal at $1,000 to $7,000 or more, and the work is labor-heavy.
Small deck (100 to 200 sq ft): about $1,000 to $2,500.
Medium deck (200 to 400 sq ft): about $2,500 to $5,000; over 400 square feet, $5,000 and up.
Footings: posts set in concrete either get dug out or cut at ground level, and digging costs more.

Winston-Salem Junk Co. opens a line to an independent hauler for decks that have gone soft, loose or simply unwanted. The hauler pulls the boards, takes down the railings, stairs and framing, and loads it all. Have the deck's rough size, height off the ground and decking material ready when you call; the referral costs nothing.

Deck Removal by Decking Type

Decks come apart top down: railings, then decking, then joists, beams and posts. The decking material changes how fast that goes and what the crew does with it.

Gray weathered pressure-treated deck boards with popped nails and a rotted section near the house, railings still attached

Wood decks

A typical wood deck is pressure-treated lumber. Nailed boards pry up; screwed boards with rusted or stripped heads are often cut between the joists with a reciprocating saw instead. Cost guides rate wood as the easiest and cheapest decking to remove. Treated lumber can't be burned under North Carolina's open-burning rule and isn't accepted at the county yard waste sites, which take only untreated wood; it rides with construction debris. Some haulers charge extra for treated wood or boards with lead paint, so ask.

Stack of brown composite deck boards with hidden fastener clips, pulled up and piled beside bare wooden joists

Composite decks

Composite and PVC boards are dense, and many are held down by hidden clips that have to be worked loose board by board. Cost guides rate composite as harder to dismantle than wood for those reasons. The framing underneath is often still treated lumber, so a composite deck turns into two kinds of debris. If the boards are in good shape, ask whether they can be stacked for resale rather than cut.

Wooden deck stairs and a section of baluster railing torn off and lying on the lawn next to a low platform deck

Stairs, railings and ground-level platforms

Stair stringers, railings and a low platform deck that sits a foot off the ground are the smaller jobs. A single-level deck with no stairs costs less to remove than a multi-level one with railings and built-in benches. Low platforms around an above-ground pool come out with the pool; see above-ground pool removal.

Gloved worker carrying an old wooden kitchen chair down brick porch steps toward a white pickup with another chair in the bed

Why Winston-Salem homeowners call Winston-Salem Junk Co.

Your request goes to a single independent hauler
Hear the all-in figure before anything is carried out
Calling is free; the hauler bills only the job you OK
Mention stairs, a gate code or a hot tub when you call

What Sets a Deck Removal Quote

Square footage and height
Cost guides price by size band, and a multi-level deck costs more than a single-level one.
Footings
Posts in concrete piers can be cut flush or dug out. Digging takes longer and may need a jackhammer, so decide which you want before the quote.
Access
Fences, gardens and narrow side yards slow the carry to the truck.
Disposal
Most quotes include dump fees, but confirm it, since a full deck is a heavy load of lumber.
Hand work or machine
Tearing out by hand takes longer; machinery is faster but adds equipment cost.

Before the Deck Comes Down

Ledger board
On an attached deck, a ledger board is fastened to the house. Ask the crew to pull it carefully and leave the siding and flashing behind it for a carpenter to check.
Wiring and fixtures
Deck lights, outlets or a hot tub hookup need an electrician to disconnect them first.
What's next
If a new deck is going in, tell the hauler whether the old footings should stay. Forsyth County's permit guide lists deck construction as work that needs a building permit, so check whether your builder is pulling one.
Clear the top and the underside
Grills, planters and whatever is stored beneath the deck come out before the crew arrives.

See fence removal if an old fence line is coming out on the same visit.

Deck Removal in Winston-Salem, NC

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