Empirical Renovations crew walking up to a newly built deck and stairs at a Vermont home, with the company work trailer parked alongside
★★★★★ 5.0 on

Top Rated Deck Contractor in Chittenden County VT

Whatever deck you have in mind, we can build it. We build custom decks across northern Vermont, and we're not satisfied until you are.

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4+ Years in Business
10+ Years of Experience
Fully Licensed & Insured

Get a Free Deck Estimate

  1. Contact Us

    Fill out the form or give us a call and tell us a bit about your project. If it's a good fit, we'll set up a time to come out.

  2. Calculate Measurements

    We'll come by to take a look, get some measurements, and answer any questions you may have.

  3. Itemized Estimate

    Within a couple of days we'll send over an itemized estimate, free of charge.

  4. Schedule Project

    Once you're ready to move forward, a deposit locks in your spot on the calendar and gets your materials ordered.

We never share your information.

What Vermont Homeowners Say About Our Work

Our Deck Services

  • Raised composite deck with white railing and black balusters built by Empirical Renovations in Vermont

    Custom Deck Building

    New decks framed from the footings up in composite, Trex or pressure-treated wood. Ground-level, raised and multi-level builds, with the design, the permit, the footings and the build all handled.

  • Deck repair and remodel work by Empirical Renovations in Vermont

    Deck Repair and Restoration

    Rotted posts, a ledger pulling off the house, boards that flex underfoot. We price the repair against a full rebuild honestly instead of quoting the teardown by reflex.

  • Deck and wraparound steps finished in a warm amber stain with painted gray risers by Empirical Renovations in Vermont

    Deck Staining and Painting

    Sanded, washed and dried properly before any finish goes down. Prep is what decides whether the coat lasts three seasons or lifts in the first freeze.

  • Porch railing half pressure washed by Empirical Renovations, clean bright wood on one side and weathered gray on the other

    Deck Cleaning and Pressure Washing

    Algae, mildew and years of gray lifted off without furring the grain. Soft washing on composite and Trex, low pressure on older wood, and the growth pre-treated rather than blasted.

  • Full-width covered farmers porch with wire mesh railing built by Empirical Renovations on a Vermont home

    Porch Building

    Covered, screened and three-season porches on frost-depth footings, with the roof tied into the house and flashed as roofing work rather than carpentry.

  • Empirical Renovations crew tearing out an old deck and brick landing with debris loaded into a dump trailer in Vermont

    Deck Demolition and Removal

    Full teardown including footings, the ledger off and the siding patched behind it, and everything hauled away with the site left clean.

Residential Deck Styles We Build

  • Raised attached deck with white vinyl railing and tan composite decking on a Vermont home, built by Empirical Renovations

    Attached Decks

    Bolted to the house so it steps straight out from a back door or slider. The most common deck we build.

  • Multilevel deck with new pressure-treated stairs stepping down a wooded Vermont hillside, built by Empirical Renovations

    Multilevel Decks

    Two or more platforms stepping down a slope, sometimes called a tiered deck.

  • Low freestanding deck in gray composite with white railing and black balusters, built by Empirical Renovations in Vermont

    Floating Decks

    Sits on the ground and touches nothing else. Good when a ledger isn't an option.

  • Covered porch running the full width of a Vermont home and turning the corner, built by Empirical Renovations

    Wraparound Decks

    Turns a corner and runs along two or more sides of the house.

  • Aerial view of a front entry deck with tan composite decking and black aluminum railing at a red Vermont home, built by Empirical Renovations

    Front Entry Decks

    Built big enough for chairs and planters rather than a bare landing.

  • Deck built alongside an above-ground pool with black aluminum railing on a Vermont property, by Empirical Renovations

    Pool Decks

    Built around an above-ground or in-ground pool and cut to follow the shape of the water.

  • Second-story balcony deck with new pressure-treated railing cantilevered above a doorway on a Vermont home, built by Empirical Renovations

    Balcony Decks

    A second-story deck off a bedroom or an upstairs door.

  • Composite deck walkway with pressure-treated stairs and railings connecting a Vermont home to the yard, built by Empirical Renovations

    Deck Walkways and Stairs

    A raised run connecting the deck to a door, a driveway or the yard.

  • New pressure-treated stair railings on a white front entry porch with a blue door, built by Empirical Renovations in Vermont

    Deck Railings

    Wood, composite or cable, built so they don't move when you lean on them.

We Build With All Types of Decking

  • A single pale golden pressure-treated pine deck board with straight grain and one dark knot
    Pressure-Treated Wood

    The most common decking in Vermont and the cheapest route to a deck that lasts. Wash and seal it every few years and it stays flat and tight.

  • A single warm reddish-brown cedar deck board with straight grain and small tight knots
    Cedar and Redwood

    Softwoods that resist rot without chemical treatment, so they stay cool underfoot. An oil coat each year keeps them from going silver.

  • A single deep red-brown mahogany deck board with fine interlocking grain
    Mahogany and Exotic Hardwood

    Dense tropical boards for a deck meant to last decades. Mahogany and ipe cost more and weigh more, and nothing else looks like them.

  • A single gray capped composite deck board with an embossed wood grain texture
    Capped Composite

    Wood fiber and plastic under a sealed shell that resists stains and fading. We build with Trex and TimberTech, and it never needs staining.

  • A single tan uncapped composite deck board with a matte embossed grain texture
    Uncapped Composite

    The older style of composite and cheaper up front. It resists rot but will fade and stain, so it suits a shaded deck better than a sunny one.

  • A single white PVC deck board with a smooth uniform surface and no visible grain
    PVC and Polymer

    All plastic and no wood fiber, so there is nothing in the board for mold to feed on. The lightest to carry and the longest to last.

Our Deck Building Process

  1. Permits and Layout

    We pull the permits if your job needs them, so that isn't on you to chase. Then the deck gets laid out on the ground so you can see the real footprint before anything is dug. Changes are free at this stage and expensive after it.

  2. Footings Below the Frost Line

    Installing a deck in this state starts below the frost line. Holes dug to 48 inches, which clears frost depth for most of Vermont. A footing that stops short heaves every spring and takes the frame up with it.

  3. Ledger and Framing

    This is where deck construction is won or lost. The ledger gets bolted and flashed to solid rim joist, never to siding. Then beams, joists and blocking go in square. Nobody sees this part and it decides how long the deck lasts.

  4. Decking Goes Down

    Boards run with consistent gapping and hidden fasteners wherever the material takes them, so you aren't looking out at a field of screw heads.

  5. Railing, Stairs and Trim

    Railing posts through-bolted rather than surface-screwed, stair stringers cut to an even rise, and fascia over the framing edges to finish it.

  6. Walkthrough and Cleanup

    Offcuts and fasteners hauled out, a magnet run over the grass, then we walk the finished deck with you before we leave the site.

The same Essex VT home after Empirical Renovations rebuilt the deck, with wide stairs, new decking and pressure-treated railingsAfter
Aging deck with dark green railings and narrow side steps across the front of an Essex VT home, before rebuildingBefore

What Makes Us Different From Other Deck Building Companies

  • We Are Professional Deck Builders

    Not roofers who build the odd deck, or home builders fitting one in between houses. Decks are what we do all year.

  • You Deal With Me, Start to Finish

    Unlike a bigger construction company, there is no salesperson and no unfamiliar crew on day one. I quote your job and I build it.

  • Meticulous Craftsmanship

    You are not getting a crew that is only there for a paycheck. We treat your home like our own and hold that standard on every job.

Gavin Williams, owner of Empirical Renovations

About Me

Hey, I'm Gavin Williams. I spent five years learning the trade under a local carpenter before starting Empirical Renovations in 2022. No degree, completely self-taught.

We build every deck thinking about whoever has to remodel the house in fifteen years. If a detail isn't right it keeps me up at night, which our crew finds funnier than I do.

Every estimate is itemized down to the board, and the contractor discounts we get at the lumber yards go to you rather than into our pocket.

Service Area

We Install Decks Across Northern Vermont

Outside the area? Still reach out. We're happy to travel further when the project is a good fit.

Addison County 12 Towns

  • Addison, VT 05491
  • Bristol, VT 05443
  • Ferrisburgh, VT 05456
  • Lincoln, VT 05443
  • Middlebury, VT 05753
  • Monkton, VT 05469
  • New Haven, VT 05472
  • Panton, VT 05491
  • Starksboro, VT 05487
  • Vergennes, VT 05491
  • Waltham, VT 05491
  • Weybridge, VT 05753

Chittenden County 18 Towns

  • Bolton, VT 05676
  • Burlington, VT 05401
  • Charlotte, VT 05445
  • Colchester, VT 05446
  • Essex, VT 05451
  • Essex Junction, VT 05452
  • Hinesburg, VT 05461
  • Huntington, VT 05462
  • Jericho, VT 05465
  • Milton, VT 05468
  • Richmond, VT 05477
  • Shelburne, VT 05482
  • South Burlington, VT 05403
  • St. George, VT 05495
  • Underhill, VT 05489
  • Westford, VT 05494
  • Williston, VT 05495
  • Winooski, VT 05404

Franklin County 15 Towns

  • Bakersfield, VT 05441
  • Berkshire, VT 05447
  • Enosburg, VT 05450
  • Fairfax, VT 05454
  • Fairfield, VT 05455
  • Fletcher, VT 05444
  • Franklin, VT 05457
  • Georgia, VT 05454
  • Highgate, VT 05459
  • Montgomery, VT 05471
  • Richford, VT 05476
  • Sheldon, VT 05483
  • St. Albans City, VT 05478
  • St. Albans Town, VT 05478
  • Swanton, VT 05488

Grand Isle County 5 Towns

  • Alburgh, VT 05440
  • Grand Isle, VT 05458
  • Isle La Motte, VT 05463
  • North Hero, VT 05474
  • South Hero, VT 05486

Lamoille County 10 Towns

  • Belvidere, VT 05442
  • Cambridge, VT 05464
  • Eden, VT 05653
  • Elmore, VT 05657
  • Hyde Park, VT 05655
  • Johnson, VT 05656
  • Morrisville, VT 05661
  • Stowe, VT 05672
  • Waterville, VT 05492
  • Wolcott, VT 05680

Orleans County 6 Towns

  • Albany, VT 05820
  • Craftsbury, VT 05826
  • Jay, VT 05859
  • Lowell, VT 05847
  • Newport, VT 05855
  • Westfield, VT 05874

Washington County 5 Towns

  • Duxbury, VT 05676
  • Fayston, VT 05673
  • Waitsfield, VT 05673
  • Warren, VT 05674
  • Waterbury, VT 05676

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