The Bay Area's coastal microclimates are a stress test for outdoor wood. Morning fog, salt air near the ocean, and long damp seasons mean the deck you choose has to shrug off moisture for decades — not just survive the dry summer it was built in.
Redwood is the local classic, and the heartwood grades genuinely earn it: naturally rot-resistant, comfortable underfoot, and easy to repair board by board. Cedar behaves similarly with a slightly lighter look. Both need sealing every couple of years — skip that and even good heartwood opens up in the fog belt.
Composite decking has matured into a strong choice for coastal homes: it doesn't rot, it doesn't splinter, and high-end lines hold their color in UV far better than early versions. It costs more up front, but in fog-heavy neighborhoods the maintenance savings usually close the gap within a decade. The weak points are fasteners and framing, not the boards — which is why we spec coastal-rated hardware and protective joist tape on every composite job.
Hardwoods like ipe are the premium answer: extremely dense, extremely durable, and beautiful for twenty-five years or more with oiling. They demand experienced installation, since the material is hard on tools and unforgiving of bad fastener choices. Whatever you pick, the structure underneath matters more than the surface — most failing Bay Area decks we rebuild failed at the connections, not the decking.