Exteriors

Decks and Siding in Albany, Oregon

Coty Stephenson builds decks and railings and puts siding on houses across Albany, Salem and the mid valley, and he builds them knowing exactly where Oregon rain gets in.

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Wood enclosure built tight against the siding of a house, below a window — Wood enclosure fitted tight to the siding

Why it matters

Why do a deck and a wall fail in the same places?

A deck and a wall have the same enemy. Both live outside through months of Willamette Valley rain, and both fail wherever water is allowed to sit or wick. That means the joint where a deck meets the house, the foot of a post, the bottom course of siding near the ground, and every freshly cut end of every board.

Coty sees the end of that story on his dry rot jobs. He opens up a wall or a deck and finds a small gap that let water in, and wood that has been wet behind it ever since. So when he builds decks and siding in Albany, Salem and the mid valley, he builds the details first and the finish second. A handsome deck on a bad ledger is still a deck that is rotting. When water has already won, dry rot repair in Albany is the work he does about it.

Built to shed water

Details that decide it

Four places where water wins on a deck or a wall, and what Coty does about each one.

The ledger and how it is flashed

Where it fails
A deck fastened to the house with no flashing gives water a path down the wall and into the joint, where it sits against the framing out of sight.

What he does
He flashes the ledger so water is turned out and away from the wall instead of in behind the deck.
Posts, and where they meet concrete

Where it fails
A post that stands in a puddle or draws water up from a footing rots from the bottom first, and you only notice when the deck starts to move.

What he does
He keeps the wood off wet concrete and gives every post base a way to drain and dry.
The bottom course and clearance at grade

Where it fails
Siding run down to the dirt, a walkway or the slab soaks up splash and ground moisture through every wet season.

What he does
He leaves clearance between the bottom course and the ground so the wall can dry out between storms.
End grain and cut edges

Where it fails
Every cut opens end grain, and end grain drinks water faster than any other face of a board.

What he does
He protects the ends and edges he cuts, especially the ones that face the weather, before the board goes up.

When one of these has already failed, the repair is the work on the dry rot remediation page.

The work

What he builds

Four kinds of carpentry, shown on his own jobs. More exterior work is in the exterior renovations gallery.

Pergola with lattice screens over a stained deck, attached to the side of a house — A pergola and lattice screens over a deck

Decks and railings

Decks and railings built to the house they are attached to, with pergolas and screens where you want shade and privacy. Coty works out the design with you, then builds the ledger and the posts the way the details above describe.

Siding

Siding on the walls of a house, from the bottom course up to the trim at the windows and doors. On an older house he starts by looking at what is behind the old siding, because that is where water damage hides.

Wainscot with a cap rail and base trim, and a trimmed recess in the wall, in the corner of a room — Wainscot with a cap rail, base trim and a trimmed recess

Trim and window details

Window and door trim, casings, cap rails and base. Outside, trim is where siding meets a window and where water finds its way in, so he fits it to shed water. Inside, the same care shows up as tight joints and square reveals.

Built-in bar with a plank front, wainscot walls and a floating shelf — A built-in bar with wainscot, and a planked feature wall

Planked feature wall cut in around a wall-mounted TV, a long linear fireplace and in-wall speakers — A built-in bar with wainscot, and a planked feature wall

Finish carpentry inside

Bars, wainscot and planked feature walls, built as part of the same job as the framing and drywall behind them. One crew frames the wall, hangs the board and fits the last piece of trim.

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From his customers

In their own words

…New decks on my house are perfect, Coty is so easy with whom to work. He is brilliant in his design, craftsmanship, honesty and forthrightness. He doesn’t let you make mistakes.…
Virginia Glaser - Google - Oct 2026

Coty with start2finish did the siding on my house. He is a great worker with great prices he won’t cut corners. He is very proud of his work and it shows. I will definitely be using him for more projects around my house and will recommend him to all my friends and family.
Jordan Friday - Google - Oct 2026

Rated 5.0 across 6 Google and 2 Facebook reviews.

Building in
Albany
Salem
Lebanon
Keizer
Dallas

Before you call

Questions about decks and siding

How is a deck priced in Albany?

A deck is priced by the job. Size, height off the ground, railings, how the deck ties into the house and what is already on the wall all change the number, so Coty looks at the site before he quotes. He explains what he sees and what it will take. Request a quote for your deck in Albany, Salem or anywhere in the mid valley.

What decking material does Start2Finish use?

That depends on the job, so ask. The right decking for a deck in Albany or Salem depends on how much sun and rain it takes, how you use it and how much upkeep you want to take on. Coty will talk through the options for your deck when you request a quote, instead of pushing one material on every job.

Does Coty replace siding on an older house?

Yes. Replacing siding on an older house in Albany, Salem or Lebanon starts with a look at what is behind the old boards, because that is where water damage hides. He deals with what he finds, then puts the new siding on with the bottom course, the corners and the window trim detailed to shed water.

Does he repair rot found during a deck or siding job?

Yes. If he finds rot while building a deck or replacing siding in Albany, he cuts out the damaged wood, fixes what let the water in and rebuilds it. Dry rot repair is the main service Start2Finish puts forward, and it has its own page: dry rot repair in Albany and the mid valley.

Which towns does he build decks and siding in?

He is based in Albany and builds decks and siding in Salem, Lebanon, Keizer and Dallas, and across the Willamette Valley. If your town is not on that list, ask when you request a quote. Coty will tell you whether he can take the job.

Decks and siding

Tell Coty what you want built

Describe the deck or the wall you have in mind, and he will tell you what he sees and what it will take.

Request a Quote See how he repairs rot when water wins Browse exterior renovation photos

Decks and Siding in Albany, Oregon

Why do a deck and a wall fail in the same places?

Details that decide it

The ledger and how it is flashed

Posts, and where they meet concrete

The bottom course and clearance at grade

End grain and cut edges