About Southern Maine Deck Builders
Southern Maine Deck Builders plans and builds new decks and complete deck replacements throughout Cumberland and York counties. We work in pressure-treated wood, composite, and PVC, and each project begins with a close look at the house, the ground, and the way you want to use the space.
Who is Adam Bennett?
Adam Bennett is the owner of Southern Maine Deck Builders, a 44-year-old carpenter who leads the company. He keeps the focus on careful planning and sound structure.
Adam is most interested in the parts of a deck that carry the load. He would rather work through a ledger detail or a footing layout than debate trim colors, though he helps homeowners with both.
Why does Adam start with ledgers and footings?
Adam starts with the ledger connection and the supporting frame because a deck needs to carry its loads while shedding water. He checks the footings with seasonal ground movement in mind.
Those concealed details are harder to correct once the decking is down. The American Wood Council deck resources provide general background on the supporting structure and connections.
He gives the same attention to clean joinery, from tight fascia corners to stair stringers cut to an even rise. Fitting details like these show up every time someone walks the deck.
What does a cedar-strip canoe have to do with decks?
A cedar-strip canoe is Adam's project away from work, and restoring one calls for the same habits a good deck needs. Each strip has to be fitted with patience, and the wood has to be handled with its moisture in mind.
Those habits carry straight into deck carpentry. Planning each joint before the saw comes out, and allowing for how materials expand and dry, leads to work that fits the way it should.
What happens during a property review?
A property review is our first visit to see the house wall, doors, grade, and the route materials will take to the build area. For a replacement, we also check what the existing deck is attached to and what needs to come out.
From there we discuss the layout and height with you, then choose decking and plan the stairs and railings. Your town decides what approval the project needs, so we plan around that review from the start.
How do we price a new deck?
We price a new deck from planning rates and minimums that you can see up front. Basic pressure-treated decks plan at about $80 per square foot with a $10,000 project minimum, and complex or upgraded work plans at about $100 to $120 per square foot.
Composite projects start at a $15,000 minimum, with no published per-square-foot rate. When area times rate falls below a minimum, the minimum applies, and your binding price comes only from a written agreement after we review the property.
For a selected composite board, we use the maker's current installation documents, such as Trex's installation downloads when that product is specified.
Who is our parent company, and what does it do?
Southern Maine Deck Builders is part of a referral business that connects homeowners with contractors. That is why you see "A Seth's Home Pros Company" as the endorsement on our logo.
Our parent company's role is to help homeowners and contractors find each other.
Our parent company does not perform, supervise, or guarantee construction work. It does not handle project payments, and it does not become a party to the contract between a homeowner and a contractor.
Please send questions about your deck project to Southern Maine Deck Builders, not to our parent company.
Your separate written contractor agreement sets the project scope and payment terms. Any warranty terms belong in that agreement too.
The Maine Attorney General's home construction contract guidance explains the state's homeowner contract requirements.
How do you get started on your deck?
Send us your town, a few photos of the house wall and yard, and a rough idea of size. We will set up a site visit and talk through materials, layout and a planning budget.