I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but perhaps you could send him an annotated version of his proposal/contrct. We just had a screened porch built to replace a 30-year-old deck. I had never hired a contractor and boy did I learn that I should have been more vigilant.

I would add to his proposal, as you have indicated, the size of the finished deck and height above grade if that is applicable. Be sure the city codes have not changed since the original deck was built. Ours is above grade, so huge issue in re supports. I would make sure that he can get approval for current supports and will not be required to remove them. I would expect him to indicate what material the decking floor will be, lots of possibilities these days (we used Millboard), What kind of railing? Wood, cable, metal? Estimated time from demo to finish. Cost breakdown to you.

I do think it is too vague. He may be a terrific builder, but if he is just starting out, clear, precise specifications will protect him as well as you. Also, be sure to keep on top of the crew. I was disappointed in much of the finish work. Our contract did not specify a ceiling to cover the rafters. I would have been fine with open rafters since I like that look, but our city code required metal brackets, so the joints look not-so-good and those will not take paint the same way as the pressure-treated wood. Stupid me. I assumed painting would be included.

All that said, I love our porch and refuse to let the stuff I messed up on ruin it for me. It will take us longer to completely finish (painting, mostly and having a ceiling put on unless our painter can assure me the brackets can be made to disappear somehow with paint). I may be dead before that happens, but I am getting pretty good about ignoring the less-than-perfect.

Good luck. I hope your contractor appreciates your desire to help him!

Just ask him to add a few things to his contract like PT material will be used and the type of hardware he will be using, etc. As the deck size goes, he is not building it... it's a refacing so the deck will remain the same size but the flashing against the house should be checked and the ledger board should be checked to make sure attached to the house properly. Older decks probably don't have a z-flashing over the ledger, now is a good time to add that, it's a code requirement.

That being said, even though this is a refacing, some townships require a permit even for deck refacing with a drawing detail or at least cross-section, showing railing height, baluster spacing, riser height, etc everything meets the code.

Some towns just require a notice that work is in progress and they just do a drive-by inspection to make sure that deck posts are properly attached, stairs are within code compliance, the railings are at the right heights, etc, and on low decks where visual inspection cannot be done after the decking is in, they would require a sub-frame inspection prior to decking being installed.

Deck codes are getting stricter with every year, lumber spans are being reduced, etc there have been too many collapses causing injuries and deaths because of improper construction done by unlicensed trades, neglect and lack of maintenance, improper attachments using wrong hardware, etc.

Good luck

#1 question is whether or not he has taken the time and effort required to become a licensed and insured contractor. If he has not, then he can only do handyman level work.

" If he has not, then he can only do handyman level work. "

He can technically do anything someone will hire him to do. You have no idea where the OP is located and licensed is even required. Insurance I will agree with you, the rest is just conjecture on your part.

I am thinking of hiring a local young man who has begun a deck business to replace just the decking and rails of my deck, using the existing supports and joists.

The big question is the condition of the "existing supports and joists". Can the underside of the deck be accessed for inspection? Have you done any selective demo to inspect the condition of the top side of the joists? How old is the deck? Climate? Exposure?

IOW's, this could be a much larger project that you anticipate. As in a tear down & rebuild dependent on the condition of the framing.