Welcome to Tacoma! The place with great coffee and easy access to the Sound, and with a lot of rain. Some people like the rainy days and others don’t, but this is what makes this place unique. If you are planning to move to this area, or maybe you are here already and planning to buy a house but don’t know how the weather is impacting the real estate here, this article is perfect for you.
As you might already know, when it comes to your outdoor area, having a wooden deck for example, it requires you to be on top of a few extra things to maintain it compared to a place like Arizona, where the humidity is not as high as it is in Washington State. Local code basics is another thing you should keep in mind if you are a new homeowner here. We’ll take the decking industry in this article as this is one of the most popular investments that people make, and we will walk you through the realistic lifespans and common decking materials that the Puget Sound climate affects and what risks and safety risks to watch for.
The climate — why it matters for decks
PierceCounty in general sits in a cool and wet marine-influenced climate. This area gets about 39-42 inches of precipitation a year and has a ling wet season from fall to spring with summertime dryness. On the same note, they mentioned that due to the humidity being in the mid 60%s, fall and winter are the seasons when decks get the most persistent moisture. Along with humidity, wintertime brings frequent rain, cool temperatures and all this causes rot, mold, and corrosion of metal fasteners if your deck was built with the wrong materials.
So, what does that mean?
Well, moisture is the biggest enemy for your deck. You want to make sure that your deck builders use materials that control standing water, will resist corrosion and allow air flow. This will benefit your deck in the long run.
Typical lifespans (realistic ranges)
So just to give you a rough idea on how long your deck will last in this area, we put together different types of materials and the approximate lifespan for each. This data was reported by the local Decks Restore company of Tacoma.
● Pressure-treated softwood (e.g. PT pine): ~15–20 years. If you have great drainage, maintenance of stain/seal, and replaced joists/fasteners as needed, you can extend this. However, untreated, wet conditions will shorten this.
● Western red cedar: approximately 15-25 years depending on grade, exposure, and maintenance; cedar is naturally rot resistant but still needs sealing and airflow under boards.
● Tropical hardwoods (ipe, cumaru, etc.): 20–50+ years — very durable but more expensive up-front and require correct fastening (stainless) and good detailing. Local installers in Tacoma commonly use these for long-life builds.
● Composite/PVC decking: 25–50 years (manufacturer and product dependent). High-quality composite brands (Trex, TimberTech) advertise multi-decade lifespans and lower routine maintenance than wood. Expect warranties in the 25–50-year range for premium products.
(These ranges assume sensible maintenance — cleaning, sealing where appropriate, replacing corroded hardware, and keeping the ledger flashing and connections dry.)
Safety & code
The permit, like anywhere else in the states, you can’t get away from the Washington/IRC rules for decks which is a good thing. These rules save roughly ~90% of deck collapses. This is why regular inspection is so important. The city of Tacoma has a tip sheet and permit portal with drawings and requirements they expect from you.
Fasteners & hardware
You probable already figured that PierceCounty area is very humid, that’s why you should think about using corrosion-resistant hardware. Some people use steel deck framing, this is a real game changer for deck building. Another option is stainless steel or hot-dipped galvanized (A153 Class C). Some local specialists recommend avoiding cheap electro-galvanic fasteners for exposed connections.
Practical Maintenance Plan
Here we divided the maintenance for each season for you to keep in mind after the deck is done.
● Spring (after heavy rains): full inspection - after heavy rains it’s a good idea to check for soft or rotted boards and the house connection and stair treads. You can also test railing anchors to look for rusted fasteners. If you find anything repair them immediately.
● Late spring / early summer (dry window): this is a good time to power-wash you deck gently if it needs it, you can reapply oil or stain on it if it is a wood deck. This is also the season to clean out gaps so boards can dry. For composite decks you can check the manufacturer recommendations on how to properly clean the surface.
● Fall (before the rainy season): this is the season of gutter cleaning, leaves and debris have to be cleared from the deck regularly. You should also inspect the fasteners and joist hangers for corrosion. Replace any corroded hardware before winter. Fix everything asap before the winter cold weather kicks in.
Final, practical advice
If you want to minimize maintenance while maximizing longevity in Tacoma, high-quality composite or well-maintained tropical hardwood with stainless steel fasteners and fittings is worth the investment (initial expenditure is higher, but maintenance is lower). For those who want the classic aesthetic of unpainted wood and want to spend less, more routine maintenance is to be expected (realistically, a 15–25-year lifespan) and be prepared for the periodic replacement of rotted or corroded boards/joists and the control of breakthrough corrosion. For the most part, however, the most important three are to keep the ledger dry, use the proper fasteners, and do annual inspections — those three things will account for 90% of the difference.
