Roofing & Exterior
Real Cedar, With the Whole Truth Up Front
Western red cedar decks with the look and feel nothing else matches — built on proper framing, fastened to last, and with the maintenance schedule in writing before you sign.
Free inspection & photo report · Fixed, line-item bids· Written workmanship warranty
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- 1,500+ projects completed
- Licensed & bonded in WA, OR & ID
- Written workmanship warranty
Signs to watch
Is this you?
You want real wood underfoot
Cedar has a warmth, grain, and give that composite imitates but never equals. If the feel of real wood is the point, cedar is the honest answer — with eyes open on the care.
Budget leads the decision
Cedar usually costs less up front than capped composite. You pay some of that difference back in maintenance over the years, but the day-one number is friendlier.
The old deck is graying and checking
Unsealed cedar silvers and develops surface checks over a few PNW seasons. That's often cosmetic — but soft boards and a suspect ledger are structural, and worth a real look.
Your home's character calls for it
Craftsman, cabin, and NW Contemporary homes wear cedar the way they were meant to. The right grade finishes a house that composite can leave looking generic.
Your options
The whole truth about cedar decking
Cedar grade drives everything: tight-knot deck-grade boards for value, clear or architectural grades where appearance leads and budget allows — we show you actual boards, not brochure photos. Western red cedar carries natural rot and insect resistance, but in this climate that's a head start, not immunity, which is why fastening and finish matter. We use stainless or hot-dipped fasteners because electro-galvanized ones bleed rust streaks down cedar within a few years. Left bare, cedar weathers to silver-gray and checks; sealed or stained every couple of years, it holds its warmth and stretches its life. PNW lifespan swings hard on the variables — sun exposure, tree canopy, drainage, and honest upkeep — and we put the maintenance schedule and its cost in writing before you commit. Under the boards, the structure is identical to any deck we build: footings below frost line, ground-contact-rated framing, and a flashed, bolted ledger.
The method
How we do it
- 01
Suitability and grade review
We read your shade, tree cover, and appetite for upkeep, then show you actual cedar bundles by grade — some sites and owners are better served by composite, and we'll say so.
- 02
Foundation and frame
Footings inspected below frost line, framing in ground-contact-rated lumber, and the ledger flashed and bolted like the roof detail it is — the connection that drops decks when it's wrong.
- 03
Deck, rails, finish talk
Cedar boards set with corrosion-proof fasteners, railing and stairs built true, a hose test on the ledger flashing, then a straight conversation about first-season sealing before we walk it with you.
Straight numbers
What cedar decks cost here
Cedar typically runs below capped composite up front — the material is friendlier day one — but plan on periodic cleaning and sealing to protect that investment, and budget for it. What moves the build number: grade selected, square footage, height and access, railing and stairs, and structure the design demands. We price a cedar build against a composite one honestly, including the years of upkeep, so you're comparing true long-run cost and not just the first invoice.
Where we do this work
Cedar Decks: straight answers
How long does a cedar deck last in the Northwest?
It depends heavily on the variables — sun, canopy, drainage, and upkeep. A well-built cedar deck that's kept sealed and drains properly lasts many years; one under constant fir shade that never gets maintained fails far sooner. The structure outlives the surface, and both reward care.
Do I have to stain my cedar deck?
Not required, but it changes the outcome. Left bare, cedar weathers to a silver-gray many owners like and checks on the surface — largely cosmetic. Sealed or stained every couple of years, it keeps its warm color and sheds water better. We'll lay out both paths honestly.
Why does cedar gray and crack?
UV silvers the surface and the PNW wet-dry cycle raises fine surface checks as boards expand and contract. That's usually cosmetic weathering, not structural failure. Soft, punky boards or a compromised ledger are the real concern, and those we catch on inspection.
Cedar or composite for a PNW deck?
Cedar if you love real wood, want a lower up-front cost, or your home's character calls for it — and you're willing to maintain it. Composite if you want the maintenance to nearly disappear and you're keeping the house long-term. We price both and don't push the pricier one.
Get the cedar decks conversation started.
Free 20-minute inspection. Photo report you keep either way. Zero pressure.