Before work
Starting point
The pressure-treated deck had aging boards, railings, lattice and a full stair run against the rear wall. The house cladding, basement window and lawn stayed, so the structure could not simply be pulled away as one piece.
On site
Work completed
Railings and deck boards were removed first to expose the framing. Joists, beams and stairs were cut into controlled sections, posts were detached from the house, and concrete footings were dug out rather than left below the soil.
Clean handoff
Result
The entire deck footprint was cleared and raked to level soil along the unchanged rear wall. Removing buried footings gave the owner a clean area for landscaping or a differently configured replacement instead of obstacles below grade.