$45–$70/sqft pressure-treated; $80–$110 composite or IPE.

Do I need a permit for a low patio?

No if under 30in above grade and detached.

Bay hillside deck cost?

$80–$140/sqft. Engineering and access drive cost.

Composite vs wood in the Bay?

Composite for low-maintenance; IPE or redwood for the high-end look.

California Decks & Patios.

LA decks — backyard ground-level, raised, rooftop. Composite (Trex, TimberTech), redwood, and IPE. Engineer + LADBS permit on raised or attached.

Bay decks — hillside cantilever, view decks, ground-level. Marin, East Bay, Peninsula. Engineer + city permit on every attached deck.

Los Angeles

$45 – $110 / sqft

Pressure-treated bottom; composite + steel top.

Timeline — 2–4 weeks depending on size + height.

Los Angeles Decks & Patios →

San Francisco Bay Area

$60 – $140 / sqft

Hillside cantilever and engineering lift cost.

Timeline — 3–5 weeks including engineering.

San Francisco Bay Area Decks & Patios →

Scope — what we deliver.

Engineering + permit
Footings + posts
Framing + ledger
Decking + railing
Final inspection

Permits look different in LA vs the Bay.

Los Angeles — permit notes

Permit if attached or >30in above grade.
Engineer for hillside.
Guardrail + fall protection per code.

Bay Area — permit notes

Permit required.
Engineer for hillside (most Bay lots).
Guardrail + fall protection per code.

How we think about decks & patios.

Exterior work is moisture management, full stop. Roofing, siding, stucco, decks, and concrete all exist to move water away from the building before it has time to soak in. We detail every transition — roof-to-wall, wall-to-deck, deck-to-door — as if it will see a hose test, because in winter it will.

California climates are deceptively hard on exteriors. UV is brutal. Marine air corrodes fasteners. Wildfire embers land on debris in valleys. We default to WUI-compliant materials (Class A roofing, ⅛" mesh vents, ignition-resistant siding) on every exterior job, even where it's not yet required — it's $2–6K extra and it's the difference between a saved house and a lost one.

The schedule, written out.

Week 0
Inspection + scope
Roof + flashing inspection, moisture probe of siding, deck post + ledger check, photo documentation.
Week 1–2
Permits + material procurement
Permit (most cities require for re-roofs, additions, decks > 30" off grade); material delivery scheduled around rain forecast.
Week 2–4
Tear-off + dry-in
Selective demo, sheathing inspection, replace rotted decking, install underlayment + flashing.
Week 4–6
Install
Roof, siding, stucco scratch + brown + finish, deck framing + decking, concrete forms + pour.
Week 6–7
Trim + paint + seal
Trim, paint, sealant on penetrations, deck stain or color.
Week 7–8
Inspection + warranty
Final inspection, manufacturer warranty registration, owner walk.

Materials & assemblies.

Component	Default spec	Why
Roofing	30-yr architectural shingle, standing-seam metal, or single-ply TPO/PVC for low-slope	Standing-seam metal wins lifetime cost in most CA climates.
Underlayment	Synthetic underlayment + peel-and-stick ice-and-water at valleys and penetrations	30-lb felt is no longer the right baseline.
Siding	Fiber cement (Hardie), engineered wood (LP SmartSide), or stucco with weep screed and 2-layer WRB	WRB layering is what controls 90% of stucco failures.
Deck framing	PT lumber for posts, joists, ledger; stainless or coated fasteners; flashing at ledger	Galvanized fasteners on PT lumber corrode in 5 years.
Decking	Composite (Trex, TimberTech), thermally modified hardwood, or kiln-dried IPE with hidden fasteners	Composite is the lowest-maintenance default for CA sun.
Concrete	4000 psi mix, #4 rebar @ 16" o.c., proper expansion + control joints	Cracks come from poor jointing, not from the mix.

Hidden costs we flag up front.

Line item	Range	When it hits
Sheathing replacement	$8–$22/sqft	tear-off reveals rot or delaminated OSB
Deck ledger flashing repair	$1.5K–$6K	ledger was nailed, not bolted with flashing
Stucco crack repair (full re-skim)	$6K–$18K	1980s synthetic stucco has reached end of life
Tree removal / overhead clearance	$1.5K–$8K	roof or wall access requires it
Permit (re-roof + structural)	$300–$2.5K	many cities now require for re-roof + decks

cheaper alternatives

What we'd consider — and what we wouldn't.

Overlay re-roof (shingle over shingle)
30% cheaper but voids most warranties + traps moisture; never on a building you plan to keep.
EIFS over stucco
Better thermal but historically a moisture-management nightmare — only with rainscreen detail.
Pressure-treated decking
60% cheaper than composite but requires re-staining every 2 years to last.

pitfalls — takeover-job patterns

Mistakes to avoid.

Skipping the moisture probe of stucco before scope-of-work — a 'paint job' turns into a $25K re-skim
Mounting a deck ledger to siding without flashing — #1 source of catastrophic deck failure in CA
Not detailing kick-out flashing at roof-to-wall — drives water behind the siding for years
Installing concrete without proper joint spacing — random cracking that no patch will hide

Decks & Patios — Los Angeles.

Decks & Patios — Bay Area.

In short.

LA deck cost?: $45–$70/sqft pressure-treated; $80–$110 composite or IPE.
Do I need a permit for a low patio?: No if under 30in above grade and detached.
Bay hillside deck cost?: $80–$140/sqft. Engineering and access drive cost.
Composite vs wood in the Bay?: Composite for low-maintenance; IPE or redwood for the high-end look.

Stay in the same trade

Related exterior construction services.

Same service, other region

Decks & Patios across California.

Authority sources

Decks & Patios — official California resources.

Primary sources we cross-reference on every project — agencies, utilities, and code bodies whose decisions actually move your permit and budget.

California HCD
Department of Housing & Community Development
California Building Standards Commission
BSC
ICC Digital Codes (free read-only)
International Code Council
Read the full California Residential & Building Code online at no cost.
U.S. Census ACS housing data
U.S. Census Bureau
Harvard JCHS Remodeling research
Joint Center for Housing Studies
NIST Engineering Lab
National Institute of Standards and Technology
USGBC LEED Residential
U.S. Green Building Council

Ready to scope a California decks & patios project?

Send us the address. We’ll pull zoning, setbacks, and feasibility before you spend money on drawings — and the inquiry routes straight to the California desk.

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