Calgary Home and Garden Show: Overhaul or replace that deck?
Ugly Decks Canada is one of the deck and railing experts appearing at the Calgary Home and Garden Show.

Those warm days and starry nights on the deck will arrive before you know it, so if you have warped and rotting boards the time to plan a deck overhaul is now. Is a full replacement in order or can you just rehab the existing structure?
Just like planning a weekend barbecue in July, it depends. John Monk, owner of High River’s Ugly Decks Canada, says the average life span of a deck is 20 to 30 years so it depends where the deck is in this continuum. Railings, deck boards and stairs that show obvious signs of wear and tear can be resurfaced or replaced but there’s a bigger picture to consider.
“If the deck is 15 years old, then you have five to 10 years before the framing starts to fail,” says Monk, who used his 13 years of landscaping, fence and deck building experience to start Ugly Decks last year. “We can come do a deck resurface, but I know I’ll be back to do the framing. Sometimes you can put Band-Aids on it then come back and put more Band-Aids on it, but I like to set the homeowner up for success.”
He says about 75 per cent of his business is replacing older decks, so based on his experience he offers the following advice.
Is it Up to Code?
If concrete footings were used to secure your deck, they may not be up to the current building code. Many municipalities require decks to be anchored by screw piles, which are steel shafts with helical plates torqued deep into the ground. Also, the requirements for hardware, like connectors and fasteners have changed as has the height requirement.
“Anything over 24 inches requires a railing on any side that is exposed to the ground,” Monk says.
Stairs require a railing on both sides. Again, resurfacing and replacement of an older deck will address cosmetic and safety concerns in the short term.
“When they go to sell their home and there’s an inspection, stuff might pop up in the report,” he says.
Replacing Railings
Painted wood railings can take a beating from the weather and rather than paint them every two or three years, they can be taken right off and replaced with composite railings. This can be done most successfully when the frame is good and the deck boards are being replaced at the same time. However, the warranty for composite products states that the framing has to be 16 on centre, which means the joists are a maximum of 16 inches apart.
“The majority of decks are now 12 on centre. If we are asked to renovate a deck that’s 20 inches on centre, we won’t touch it,” he says.
Getting a Quote
Monk will be at the 2025 Calgary Home and Garden Show running Feb. 27 to March 2 at Stampede Park along with Caldek Sundeck Systems, Hickory Dickory Decks and a host of landscaping exhibitors. He says the No. 1 question he gets on the home and garden show circuit is, how much would a new deck cost? If show goers bring photos of their yard, the back of their home and measurements of the deck of their dreams, he can likely provide a ballpark figure within $5,000 either way.
“We need to know if the deck will be attached to the house, how high it will be and what yard access is like. If we have to crane materials over the fence, that will add up. But we know our material costs and we know our labour costs,” he says. “We do the design and do the building. The homeowner just has to relax and cut us a cheque.”
The four-day Calgary Home and Garden Show sees the return of Bryan Baeumler and a host of local experts on the Main Stage. For a complete schedule and show hours, visit calgaryhgs.com. Save $2 a ticket buy purchasing tickets online in advance.
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