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

The Best Deck Contractor in Vermont

Whatever deck you have in mind, we can build it. Every deck gets strict attention to detail, and we're not satisfied until you are.

Get a Free Deck Estimate
4+ Years in Business
10+ Years of Experience
100+ Clients Served

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

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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. Ground-level, raised and multi-level builds designed around how you actually use the yard, 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.

  • 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.

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.

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

    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

    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 Builders

  • Every Board on the Estimate

    Ask a deck builder for a line-item estimate and watch what happens. We list every material and labor step before the build starts, so no surprise invoice lands at the end.

  • Contractor Decking Pricing

    Most deck builders quietly keep the supplier discount. We hold contractor accounts at local lumber yards and pass every dollar we earn on decking and framing to you.

  • Framing Built for Vermont

    Deck construction in Vermont lives or dies on the frame. Proper flashing, correct joist hangers, hot-dipped fasteners, built for the next twenty winters rather than the walkthrough.

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 Build Decks Across Northern Vermont

If you're outside the area, still reach out. We're happy to travel further when the project is a good fit.

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 3 Towns

  • Grand Isle, VT 05458
  • 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

Washington County 5 Towns

  • Duxbury, VT 05676
  • Middlesex, VT 05602
  • Moretown, VT 05660
  • Waterbury, VT 05676
  • Waterbury Center, VT 05677

Get Your Deck Built Before Our Schedule Fills Up

Get a Free Deck Estimate