Deck Removal Guide: Tips, Costs, and Options

April 2025

Deck Removal is a major step in upgrading your home with a new deck or other outside addition. Before you get started though, there’s a lot to consider before you begin a deck demolition, learn how to complete a deck removal safely, what the costs look like, and other factors.

In this guide, we’ll help you prepare for deck demolition and removal by going over:

When it’s time for deck demolition
What the deck removal process looks like
Deck removal services: DIY vs Hauling
Costs and considerations
How Tyler’s Hauling can help you with either deck removal option

When Should I Replace My Deck?

Typically, decks last about 10 years before needing replacement, but this also depends on the original construction and maintenance. However, anytime you notice significant structural issues occurring throughout your deck, it’s likely about time for it to be replaced. Superficial things like deck discoloration or loose nails can be easily repaired. However, if the stability of the deck is compromised, you’ll want to replace the deck to prevent major injuries or related property damage. But what does a structurally unstable deck look like? Here are a few signs:

Loose railings
Splitting boards
Rotting wood
Sagging and warped floorboards
Unstable posts or joists

These are just a few examples, but you’ll notice that all of these factors revolve around instability. Eventually, all of these conditions will compound to where it will be risky just to relax on the deck. It could also result in items stored or kept on the deck being damaged if the deck collapses. Before it becomes a liability, replace the old deck entirely. Before you can do this though, you need to undergo a deck demolition for builders to be able to come in and create an entirely new deck.

How to Complete a Deck Removal

Before delving into the hauling or DIY services you can use for deck removal, it’s important to know what’s involved. In short, it’s a lot more than just taking a sledgehammer to your old deck! Here’s a basic step-by-step breakdown of a deck demolition and removal – note that there are two parts to this process.

Take Down Railings and Balusters
You’ll begin from top to bottom, by removing sections that will allow you to work unencumbered.
Deconstruct the Deck Boards
Pry up the old wood so you can replace the wood completely. Be sure to wear gloves and safely store these boards out of the way.
Disassemble Stairs
Once you’ve removed the top of the deck, take out the stars to prevent people from moving on top of the deck frame.
Remove Joists and Beams
Carefully tear down and remove the foundational components of the deck, making sure that you do not damage any attachments to the house. Be careful while working with these heavier sections. If they’re loose or decaying, this could make gripping and maneuvering the pieces more risky.
Detach Ledger Board from House
Again, you’ll need to be especially careful with this part of the deck demolition. The deck board is what fully attaches your home to the deck, so a misstep could result in damage to your house wall. If you’re unsure how to handle this part, it never hurts to contact experts like us at Tyler’s Hauling.
Dig Out Posts and Footings
Some of the remaining foundation posts will need to be dug up for a full replacement. Depending on how deep they are, this could take significant time and effort. We often find that using a lever to pry the post upward is helpful.

As you can see, that’s a lot of work to demolish a shed, especially if you’re doing it alone. Even after this work though, the job isn’t done because then it’s time for the deck removal process.

The Deck Removal Process

Naturally, you’ll want to clear your land of the deck waste to make room for your new deck. This process is pretty straight forward, but still a lot of work and costs. Before jumping into your options for the project, here’s a summary of the process:

The deck debris needs to be gathered and loaded either into a truck, trailer, or rental dumpster.
The deck junk must be driven to an appropriate dumping ground.
You’ll need to unload the junk and repeat the process until complete.

Depending on what service you use, your costs will include time, money spent on rentals, gas, and labor, and also your own physical effort. You’ll need to assess which option best suits your budget and overall deck removal goals. Are you okay with dedicating your time to the entire project for a whole weekend, or do you want to simply hire professionals like Tyler’s Hauling to complete the deck demolition and removal for you? To help, let’s consider your options.

Deck Removal Options: Total DIY Dumpster Removal VS Hauling VS Dumpster Rental

Regardless of whether you want to do a full deck removal and demolition job yourself, or if you want to use cleanup services to help you complete the job, it’s important to know what the costs and benefits are. No matter what, deck removal will cost you. The best deal will be what maximizes your spend to give you the most value from the process, but ultimately you decide.

Total DIY Dumpster Removal

Maybe you have a truck and all the tools needed to deconstruct the old deck and then haul it off to a dump. If you’re okay with spending all the time needed demolishing your old deck, loading the waste pieces into your truck, transporting them to an appropriate dump site, and then unloading the waste, you certainly can. As you can see though, this is a lot of work. Even with a large truck, it’s likely you’ll have to do multiple trips to complete the job. The financial costs will be the gas to fuel your vehicle and potential dumping fees. Not too bad. But this also means you’re dedicating more of your time and energy to the project than you could be spending on other things. This also opens you up to potential injuries. While you may not necessarily pay a lot out of pocket, you’re spending a lot more effort, time, and stress on the project than necessary compared with the other options.

Hauling Services

Hauling services provide the most convenience and speed but tend to be the most expensive option. This is because you’re paying for a team to come in and remove the junk for you. What’s important to know though is that not all hauling services will demolish the deck for you, only remove the junk afterward. That’s not the case with Tyler’s Hauling deck demolition services. Unlike a lot of the big-name junk removal franchises, we prioritize a more in-depth service offering when it comes to junk removal. Our highly trained team will not only haul away your deck junk, we will completely demolish it for you as well. Working with a team, and our own trailers, we can demolish and remove the deck waste in a single day, freeing up your time and space all the sooner. While this is our more expensive option, you only pay for the labor of us coming in and working on the deck. This single fee covers the demolition and removal process entirely. We take care of all related dumping fees. With our services, you also don’t need to worry about renting dumpsters, making dumping trips, or having to dedicate a weekend to do the grunt work of the deck removal; we’ve got you covered.

Dumpster Rental Services

If you’d rather save on labor costs by doing some of the deck removal yourself, dumpster rental is your next best option. The main benefit here is that you can self pace your work to load up the unit you order. Once filled, the dumpster rental company will reclaim the dumpster and dump its contents for you. This effectively does half of the work for you. However, depending on the dumpster size and the rental company, you may find it just as expensive as hiring a team to do the work for you.

To really get the best idea for dumpster rentals in a deck removal, consider these two options:

Roll Off Dumpsters

These are the big dumpsters you’ll see sitting on people’s driveways. These large units allow you to load up the junk from the deck demolition into a single space and then be hauled away based on the rental length you selected. The catch is that pricing can vary based on your location and the size of your dumpster. For deck removals, the average roll off rental costs roughly about $750. Depending on your exact dumpster size and rental length though, this could be more or less. At this rate, you might even save money by going with a hauling crew, especially a local team like Tyler’s Hauling, which just so happens to have an alternative to roll off rentals as well.

Dumpster Trailers

Another great and less expensive option for DIY deck removal to use dumpster trailer rentals like we offer at Tyler’s Hauling. While smaller than roll off dumpsters, dumpster trailers can take the same weight and types of junk you will have in a dumpster demolition. Besides being more cost-effective, these trailers are more maneuverable, easier to load, and do not require city permits that are sometimes required with roll off dumpster rentals. At Tyler’s, we rent our dumpster trailers for the entire weekend, allowing you plenty of time to load at your convenience before we remove and dump the junk.

Local Deck Removal with Tyler’s Hauling

Whether you decide to rent a dumpster trailer for DIY dumpster removal, or you’d like our team to demolish and remove your old deck entirely, Tyler’s has all your options. As a local hauling and dumpster rental business, we offer competitive pricing that gives you both savings and choices. Whatever service you want for replacing that old deck, our team and trailers are standing by.

Get started by getting a free quote or reserving your dumpster trailer today!

Deck Removal Guide: Tips, Costs, and Options

When Should I Replace My Deck?

How to Complete a Deck Removal

Take Down Railings and Balusters

Deconstruct the Deck Boards

Disassemble Stairs

Remove Joists and Beams

Detach Ledger Board from House

Dig Out Posts and Footings

The Deck Removal Process

Deck Removal Options: Total DIY Dumpster Removal VS Hauling VS Dumpster Rental

Total DIY Dumpster Removal

Hauling Services

Dumpster Rental Services

Roll Off Dumpsters

Dumpster Trailers

Local Deck Removal with Tyler’s Hauling

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