How long does a wood deck last?

How long a wood deck lasts

Published service life: 10–30 years. Roots plans for: year 20.

Service life is a planning horizon, not an expiry date. It tells you when to start budgeting, get a second quote, and stop paying for repairs on something near the end — not the day it stops working.

What changes this

Wood deck. NAHB is explicit that climate swings this more than most components. The structure outlasts the walking surface: deck boards are replaced well before the framing, and the ledger connection to the house is what actually has to be inspected.

Sources

• Wood deck: InterNACHI's Standard Estimated Life Expectancy Chart for Homes (Deck, Structural Wood), cross-checked against the NAHB/Bank of America Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components (February 2007) (Decks, wooden — under ideal conditions).

Service-life figures are typical estimates drawn from published industry references. Where a second reference covers the component, the figure is cross-checked against it and any disagreement is set out above; where only one reference covers it, that is stated. Actual life varies with installation, water quality, climate, and maintenance, and these figures shouldn't be relied on for insurance, lending, or warranty decisions.

Maintenance is what decides where in the range you land

The published range is wide for a reason: two identical units, installed the same day, routinely fail years apart. What separates them is upkeep.

For a wood deck, the tasks that matter most:

• Inspect deck ledger, fasteners, and boards — Most deck collapses trace to a rotted or under-fastened ledger board.

Roots tracks the age of every component in your home alongside the upkeep that extends it, so the replacement is a planned expense instead of an emergency.