Composite deck installation in Fort Collins CO
Trex, TimberTech and Deckorators composite decks are a common choice in Northern Colorado, and the appeal here is practical. At 5,000 feet the sun is strong and the air is dry, and unsealed wood grays, checks and splits within a few seasons. Capped composite boards carry a plastic shell over a wood-and-plastic core, so they don't need the sealing every year or two that a wood deck needs.
The boards are only half of the job. A composite deck sits on the same treated-lumber frame as a wood deck, and in Fort Collins that frame is where the rules are: piers 30 inches deep for an attached deck, a bolted and flashed ledger, a lateral connection to the house, and rough-frame inspection before the boards go on.
Trex, TimberTech and Deckorators
All three sell capped composite in several price tiers, and all three publish their own installation guides, joist spacing and warranties. Trex's current lines are Enhance (25 year limited residential warranty), Select (35 years), Transcend and Transcend Lineage (50 years) and Signature (50 years). TimberTech also sells capped PVC boards, which weigh less and handle moisture differently. The choice comes down to look, budget, heat and the warranty you want.
Composite and Colorado weather
Snow and ice
Composite takes a shovel, but the shovel matters. Trex says to use plastic shovels, never metal, because a metal edge can chip the surface and void the warranty, and allows calcium chloride or rock salt on ice as long as it's rinsed off when weather allows. A deck that sits under a roof edge should have a plan for where the snow slides.
Sun and heat
Trex is plain about it: its decking gets hot in direct sun on hot days, and darker colors more so. Some lines add heat-reducing technology. On a west-facing deck in Fort Collins, a lighter color or a pergola over part of the deck makes it usable on July afternoons.
Hail
Colorado ranks second in the nation for hail insurance claims. No deck board is hail-proof, and none of the makers advertise one as such, but capped composite doesn't split along the grain the way weathered wood can. The composite vs wood guide compares the materials in more detail.
Composite deck prices
| Item | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Composite deck, installed | $25 to $54 per sq ft | Angi national |
| Composite boards alone | $12 to $22 per sq ft | Angi national, material only |
| Trex deck, 100 sq ft | About $6,000 typical | Angi national; full range $1,550 to $20,800 |
| Composite material, Denver | $13.80 to $25 per sq ft | Angi Denver deck guide |
| Composite material, national | $6 to $13 per sq ft | Modernize, August 2026 |
| Composite or Trex railing | $15 to $60 per linear ft | Angi deck railing installation, national |
| Fort Collins deck permit | $110 plus tax | Attached, over 30 in or over 200 sq ft |
Sources: Angi 2026 (deck building, national and Denver; Trex decking cost; deck railing installation), Modernize Deck Cost guide (updated August 12, 2026), City of Fort Collins fees. Quotes vary by site.
More sizes and wood comparisons are on the deck cost in Fort Collins page.
How a composite deck goes in
- 1Pick the board line
Trex, TimberTech and Deckorators each sell good, better and best lines. The line sets the price, the warranty and the joist spacing the frame has to follow.
- 2Plan and permit the frame
Plans show footings, beams, joists, the flashed ledger and lateral connections. Attached decks, decks over 30 inches and decks over 200 sq ft need a Fort Collins permit.
- 3Footings to 30 inches
Piers go below the 30 inch frost line on an attached deck and are inspected open before the pour.
- 4Frame for composite
Treated joists at the board maker's spacing, joist tape on top, and blocking where the boards change direction or a picture frame border runs around the edge.
- 5Boards, gaps and fasteners
Hidden clips or color-matched screws go in at the gap the maker specifies for temperature swings, then railings, stairs and fascia finish the deck.
Composite with everything else
Composite decks usually come with deck railing in aluminum or composite, sometimes a hot tub deck section, and sometimes they replace a worn wood surface after a deck repair on the frame. See the deck builder in Fort Collins page for everything else.
