Decks & Porches in Maryland

Outdoor living space adds usable square footage and real value to your Maryland home. PRG builds custom decks, screened porches, and covered outdoor areas using pressure-treated lumber, composite, and PVC materials suited to the local climate.

What Decks & Porches Services Does PRG Offer?

• Custom deck design and construction in wood or composite
• Screened porches and three-season rooms
• Covered porches with roofing that matches your home
• Multi-level decks with stairs, landings, and built-in seating
• Pergolas, arbors, and shade structures
• Deck replacement and resurfacing of aging structures

How Does PRG Handle Decks & Porches Projects?

We design your deck around how you plan to use it — dining, entertaining, relaxing, or all three. We prepare permit-ready plans showing footings, framing, and railing details, handle the Anne Arundel or Howard County permit application, and build to code with inspections at every stage.

How Much Do Decks & Porches Cost in Maryland?

Deck costs in Anne Arundel and Howard County run $10,000–$25,000 to re-deck a sound frame or build a basic ground-level pressure-treated deck, $22,000–$38,000 for a new composite deck at walkout height with one stair, and $32,000–$65,000 for an elevated, multi-level or premium build with lighting and engineered details in 2026. Installed material rates: pressure-treated pine $12–$22/sq ft, composite $30–$60/sq ft. Screened porches run $4,000–$10,000 to screen an existing roofed porch, $15,000–$25,000 for a basic enclosure over an existing slab, $25,000–$40,000 for a standard new build with a shed roof, $38,000–$58,000 for a gable-roof composite build, and $55,000–$80,000 for premium builds with EZE-Breeze panels.

Full breakdown by scope, what a quote includes, and county permit costs: Deck Cost in Maryland (Anne Arundel & Howard County).

Get a Free Estimate or call 443-856-5379 for a line-item quote tailored to your home.

Remodeling Cost by Scope in Anne Arundel & Howard County, MD

PRG's installed 2026 price ranges for Anne Arundel & Howard County (labor and standard materials, final pricing after a site visit), last updated September 7, 2026 in PRG's Maryland cost guides.

Full breakdowns, per-square-foot math and line-item pricing: deck building cost guide , screened-in porch cost guide .

How Long Do Decks & Porches Take?

A new deck takes 1–3 weeks of on-site construction once the permit is in hand; county deck permits typically issue in 1–2 weeks in Anne Arundel County and 2–4 weeks in Howard County. Deck replacements run 2–3 weeks from demolition through final inspection. Screened porches are bigger projects: plan for 3–6 weeks of active construction and 8–16 weeks from first conversation to finished porch including permitting and material lead times.

What Should Maryland Homeowners Know About Decks & Porches?

Maryland humidity and freeze-thaw cycles make material choice and structural detail more consequential here than in drier climates. Pressure-treated wood costs less upfront but warps, splinters, and gray within 3–5 years without annual sealing — most homeowners regret it. Composite (Trex, TimberTech, Fiberon) costs 40–70% more at install but carries 25–50 year warranties and skips annual maintenance. Footings go at least 30″ below grade — the frost depth Anne Arundel and Howard County enforce — and ledger boards are flashed and bolted per IRC R507 to keep water out of the rim joist. Anne Arundel and Howard County both require permits with three inspections (footings, framing, final) for new construction.

Deck Builder Serving Anne Arundel County

PRG Home Improvement is headquartered in Gambrills, in the middle of Anne Arundel County — most of our deck and porch builds happen within a 20-minute drive of our shop. We prepare permit-ready plans for the Anne Arundel County Office of Inspections and Permits showing footings, framing, ledger attachment, and railing details, then manage the footing, framing, and final inspections so the project never stalls waiting on the county.

Local specifics matter here. Planned communities like Crofton require architectural review approval for decks and porches before any county permit is issued, and HOA neighborhoods in Severna Park such as Shipley’s Choice have their own design standards — we prepare those submissions alongside the permit application so both reviews run at once. In newer Odenton communities like Piney Orchard and Seven Oaks, most builder-grade homes were delivered without any deck at all, and adding one is typically the first major upgrade owners make. Waterfront and near-water lots in the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area along the Severn, South, and Magothy rivers get extra county review, and we design within those constraints.

Deck Builder Serving Howard County

In Howard County, deck permits go through the Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits (DILP), and in Columbia nearly every village also requires an architectural committee application through the Columbia Association or the village board. We submit HOA-ready drawings in parallel with the DILP application so the reviews don’t stack up sequentially. A large share of our Howard County work is replacing failing 1980s pressure-treated decks in Columbia’s original villages with composite rebuilds on new code-compliant framing.

One recent Columbia project — a composite deck and hardscaped patio at a townhouse — required Howard County inspections plus documentation for two separate HOAs. The homeowner’s Google review afterward: “Anton … is very responsive, kept us updated on progress, took care of all Howard County inspections, provided all docs for our two HOAs, and finished on time! … There were no surprises and they completed everything in the original budget.”

Deck & Porch Projects We Build Most Often

Composite deck replacement: tearing off a failing 15–30-year-old pressure-treated deck and rebuilding with Trex, TimberTech, or Fiberon on properly flashed, code-compliant framing — the most common deck project in Columbia, Millersville, and Severna Park. New decks for builder-grade homes: NVHomes and Ryan Homes buyers in Odenton, Gambrills, and Fulton typically get no deck from the builder; we design and build to match the home and the HOA’s standards. Screened porches and three-season rooms: on the larger lots in Gambrills, Crownsville, and Davidsonville, a roofed screened porch often makes more sense than an open deck — see our screened porch cost guide for real 2026 pricing. Structural repair: ledger, post, and beam repairs that bring an existing deck back to code without a full rebuild.

Why Homeowners Choose PRG Over Deck Franchises

The big deck-franchise operations in this market run showrooms, sales teams, and project managers — overhead that shows up in the quote. PRG is an owner-operated, MHIC-licensed contractor: the person who quotes your deck is the person who builds it. On identical scopes we typically come in 15–25% below design-build firm pricing, and every build is permitted and inspected — footings at least 30″ below grade for the Anne Arundel and Howard County frost line, flashed ledgers, and hardware-connected posts and beams, never nailed. Read our post-to-beam connection guide to see the structural detail we put into framing, or call 443-856-5379 for a free on-site design consultation.

How PRG Builds Deck Footings and Ledger Attachment to Maryland Code (IRC R507)

The 8-step structural sequence PRG Home Improvement LLC follows on every new deck in Anne Arundel and Howard County, from the 30-inch frost-depth footings through the IRC R507 ledger and lateral-load connections, with the county inspections at each hold point.

1. Pull the county permit and call Miss Utility. File the site plan, footing layout, ledger detail and guard height with Anne Arundel County Inspections and Permits or Howard County DILP (permit fee roughly $150–$400 for a residential deck). Call Miss Utility (811) at least 2 full business days before digging, as Maryland law requires.
2. Dig footings to 30 inches below grade. Excavate each footing to at least 30 inches below finished grade, the frost depth Anne Arundel and Howard County enforce, and size the bearing area from IRC Table R507.3 for the tributary load, typically a 16- to 24-inch diameter pier bearing on undisturbed soil.
3. Pass the footing inspection before pouring. The county inspector verifies the 30-inch depth, the pier diameter and the bearing soil in the open hole. Concrete poured before this inspection is dug back out, so it is the first of 3 scheduled hold points on every PRG deck.
4. Pour concrete and set post bases above grade. Pour the footings and set metal post bases so the wood post sits at least 1 inch above the finished concrete (IRC R507.4). Posts are never buried in the footing, which is the number-one cause of rotted posts on 1990s decks in this area.
5. Flash and bolt the ledger to the house. Cut back the siding, apply self-adhered membrane and a metal cap flashing over the ledger, then attach it with 1/2-inch lag screws or through-bolts at the spacing in IRC Table R507.9.1.3(1), staggered top and bottom. A nailed-only ledger is the failure every inspector in both counties looks for.
6. Install the lateral-load connection. Add the two 750-lb hold-down tension devices IRC R507.9.2 requires (or four 1,500-lb devices) tying the deck joists to the house floor framing so the deck cannot pull away from the ledger under live load.
7. Frame with hangers and ties, then pass framing inspection. Hang joists in galvanized joist hangers, tie the beam to the posts and the joists to the beam with hurricane ties, and build guards to 36 inches minimum (IRC R312.1.2) with openings under 4 inches (R312.1.3). The county framing inspection happens here, before decking covers the connections.
8. Deck, rail, stairs and final inspection. Install decking, railings and stairs at no more than 7 3/4 inches of rise and at least 10 inches of tread (IRC R311.7), add stair lighting where required, and call for the final inspection that closes the permit.

Decks & Porches FAQ

How much does it cost to build a deck in Maryland?

In Anne Arundel and Howard County a new deck runs $10,000–$25,000 to re-deck a sound frame or build a basic ground-level pressure-treated deck, $22,000–$38,000 for a new composite deck at walkout height with one stair, and $32,000–$65,000 for an elevated, multi-level or premium build with lighting and engineered details in 2026. See the full Maryland deck cost guide.

How much does a screened-in porch cost in Maryland?

A screened porch in Anne Arundel or Howard County runs $4,000–$10,000 to screen an existing roofed porch, $15,000–$25,000 for a basic enclosure over an existing slab, $25,000–$40,000 for a standard new build with a shed roof, $38,000–$58,000 for a gable-roof composite build and $55,000–$80,000 for a premium build with EZE-Breeze panels in 2026. See the screened porch cost guide.

What is the difference between wood and composite decking?

Pressure-treated pine costs $12–$22 per square foot installed and needs cleaning and resealing every 1–2 years to reach a 15–25 year life in Maryland humidity. Composite (Trex, TimberTech, Fiberon) costs $30–$60 per square foot installed, does not splinter, rot or need staining, and carries 25–50 year manufacturer warranties. Over 20 years the total cost is similar; most PRG customers in Anne Arundel and Howard County choose composite.

Do I need a permit to build a deck in Anne Arundel County?

Yes. Anne Arundel County and Howard County both require a building permit for any new deck, with three inspections: footings before the concrete pour, framing before decking goes on, and final. A residential deck permit costs roughly $150–$400 and is approved in 1–2 weeks in Anne Arundel County and 2–4 weeks through Howard County DILP. PRG pulls the permit and attends every inspection.

How deep do deck footings need to be in Maryland?

At least 30 inches below finished grade in Anne Arundel and Howard County, which is the frost depth both counties enforce, bearing on undisturbed soil and sized from IRC Table R507.3, typically a 16–24 inch diameter pier. Posts sit on metal bases 1 inch above the concrete, never buried in it. The county inspects the open holes before PRG pours.

How long does it take to build a deck?

Most decks in Anne Arundel and Howard County take 1–3 weeks of on-site construction once the permit is issued: a single-level rectangle about 2 weeks, a multi-level deck with built-ins 3–5 weeks. Add 1–2 weeks of permit time in Anne Arundel County or 2–4 weeks in Howard County. Concrete footings cannot be poured in freezing weather, so winter builds sometimes wait on the forecast.

Can you add a roof, pergola or screen enclosure to my deck?

Yes. Pergolas add partial shade, a solid roof extension matches the house, and a screen enclosure turns the deck into a screened porch. All three add load (central Maryland designs roofs for roughly 30 psf of ground snow), so the deck framing and footings are checked and often upgraded, and any covered structure needs a new Anne Arundel County or Howard County permit. PRG designs the addition to the existing roofline and pulls that permit.