Deck builders in Fife, WA

The median home in Fife was built around 2000. A deck built with a house of that age is now about 26 years old — the stage where first-generation pressure-treated decks commonly need major repair or replacement.

Decks built before 2004 were very likely made with CCA-treated lumber, which was phased out of most residential uses at the end of 2003. That doesn't make an existing deck unsafe, but old boards shouldn't be burned, and demolition debris should be disposed of according to local rules.

That makes Fife's housing 14 years newer than Pierce County as a whole, where the median home was built in 1986. Statewide, the median Washington home was built in 1985. Among the 34 covered Washington communities with Census data, Fife ranks #34 for oldest housing. In this ZIP code, 10% of homes were built before 1960, 14% between 1960 and 1979, 25% between 1980 and 1999, and 51% since 2000 — the single largest group dates to the 2000s.

The nearest NOAA climate station with 1991–2020 normals is Tacoma #1, about 3 miles away. It records an average of 27 days a year with a low at or below 32°F — relatively few freezing nights. On roughly 27 of those days the temperature climbs back above freezing, so water in wood, soil and gaps between boards repeatedly freezes and thaws.

Frost is less severe in Fife than in northern states, but footings still have to meet the local frost-depth requirement, and freeze-thaw cycles are enough to work loose nails and open checks in unsealed wood.

Snowfall is light — about 5.6 inches in an average year at Mcmillin Rsvr — so occasional ice is a bigger concern than snow load. Textured boards and good drainage on stairs help on icy mornings.

Fife sees about 40.8 inches of precipitation a year, with measurable rain or snow (0.1 inch or more) on about 96 days. Good drainage between boards, clean gaps and a ledger that is properly flashed keep that water from rotting the frame.

Summer heat is mild by comparison — average summer highs near 75°F and only about 1 days a year at 90°F or above — so board color can be chosen mostly on looks.

Because so many Fife homes were built after 2000, matching the deck to vinyl or fiber-cement siding and existing trim colors is often part of the material decision.

Fife has about 4,596 housing units across its covered ZIP code. 45% are single-family detached homes, 6% are attached homes such as townhouses and rowhouses, and about 49% are in buildings with two or more units. Roughly 49% of occupied homes are owner-occupied.

Because so much of the housing in Fife is multi-unit, a meaningful number of decks and balconies are governed by condominium or building associations. For single-family homes and townhouses here, check whether any association rules apply before you design.

Because fewer than half of homes here are owner-occupied, rental property owners make up a share of deck decisions here; durable, low-maintenance materials often make sense for them.

• Replacement and major repair: about 1,625 homes (35%) were built between 1970 and 1999, the age group whose original or early add-on decks are most likely to have worn-out framing, connectors and boards.
• Upgrades and expansions: about 688 homes (15%) were built since 2010. Their decks are usually sound but small or builder-grade, so enlarging the deck, adding stairs and switching to composite or upgraded railings are common.
• Retrofit decks on older homes: about 636 homes (14%) predate 1970. Here the priority is confirming that add-on decks are properly attached — or rebuilding them freestanding — before any cosmetic work.

Fife's milder winters — about 27 freezing nights a year — allow construction through most of the year. Spring and fall are still the busiest seasons, so booking early helps.

For Fife, WA, ask the permit office whether your deck needs a permit based on its size, height and attachment to the house, which drawings and inspections are required. Statewide code background for Washington is on our state page; local rules change, so the building department remains the authority.

The closest covered area is Milton, about 2.1 miles from the center of Fife's covered ZIPs. Its median home was built in 1988, 12 years earlier than in Fife. The two have a similar share of detached single-family homes (45% vs. 49%). Owner-occupancy is 49% in Fife compared with 56% in Milton. Fife's covered ZIP code span about 6.3 square miles of land with roughly 4,596 homes — about 730 per square mile, a low density that usually allows larger decks and freestanding designs.