What is The Cost of Building a Deck?

Your editor of Ideas-For-Deck-Designs.com "What is the cost of building a deck?" I get this question a lot in my email from visitors. And its not an easy number to "nail down".

But based on the types of information we have received we have been able to come up with some idea of the cost of building a deck and guidelines for a number of areas across the US and Canada.

Builders! If you're an expert on costs, let others know about you by sharing your knowledge. Here's how.

Check our summary at the bottom of this page.

There are a variety of factors that determine the cost of building a deck. Typical items and factors affecting these costs include:

your location
type of materials

Cost Factor #1 - Proximity to Urban Centers

Generally speaking the closer you are to larger urban areas the higher the cost of labor. This translates into higher costs for hiring a contractor. On the other hand, material costs can be more competitive if you are in a large area where there are several large suppliers.

Cost Factor #2 - Proximity to where materials are produced

It should be no surprise that lumber and material costs are higher in places like Hawaii where things have to be shipped across vast distances from where they are manufactured.

On the mainland, most areas rural and urban are well serviced with building materials. But in some very remote areas such as Alaska, and the Yukon in Canada, builders may have to have certain materials shipped up or local supply yards may not offer the same diverse and broad selection of materials. This can increase costs.

Cost Factor #3 - Materials

Lumber is a key factor in the cost of a deck The other key factor that affects the costs of building a deck is the materials used. Pressure treated lumber is less expensive than cedar or redwood. Vinyl railings or aluminum railings are more expensive than wood railings.

Composite decking material is more durable but more expensive Composite decking materials and exterior vinyl deck floor coverings are more expensive than wood. The final building cost will be a combination of all three components.

In our building cost summary we have tried to provide a cost per square foot for materials only (you build yourself) and for labor and materials (you hire a builder). The costs are based on wood decks and are stated in a range which accounts for the low end minimalist pressure treated deck to the mid range cedar or redwood deck.

They do not include such higher end customization such as composite decking or aluminum or glass railings. The figures we have used for the costs of building decks are an average based on the messages we receive from our visitors.

It may not be scientific, but we think it is very helpful if you are trying to budget for your deck building project. And we think it is pretty close to the truth.

Cost of Building A Deck

Cost Per Square Foot
State/Province	Materials	Materials & Labor

Illinois		12
Maryland	5.50
Michigan	8
New Jersey
New York		17
North Carolina	11.50
Ohio		24
Pennsylvania	13.70
Alberta		17
BC		21
Manitoba		17
New Brunswick		13
Newfoundland		15
Nova Scotia		15
Ontario	12	19
PEI		15
Quebec		17
Saskatchewan		20
Yukon		35

If you would like to share with us and our visitors how much it cost you to build your deck yourself or through a contractor, let us know by adding your comments below.

Eventually, if enough people contribute we will have a very comprehensive table of the cost of building a deck across the US and Canada.

What Did Your Deck Cost?

Are you a builder? What are the deck building costs in your part of the country?

Share your expertise with our visitors, build your credibility and be seen by thousands of visitors everyday and get a link back to your site.

Are you a Do It Yourselfer? Help our visitors out with the price checks in your area on materials. Share it! It's Easy!

Put A Title to Your Story Here...

Did you build it or did you hire someone? What materials did you use? Tell your story here. [ ? ]

Close Help

Entering your story is easy to do. Just type!...

Your story will appear on a Web page exactly the way you enter it here. You can wrap a word in square brackets to make it appear bold. For example [my story] would show as my story on the Web page containing your story.

TIP: Since most people scan Web pages, include your best thoughts in your first paragraph.

Upload A Picture (optional) [ ? ]

Close Help

Do you have a picture to add? Great! Click the button and find it on your computer. Then select it.

Add Picture Caption (optional)

Author Information (optional)

To receive credit as the author, enter your information below.

Your Name	(first or full name)
Your Location	(ex. City, State, Country)

Submit Your Contribution

Check box to agree to these submission guidelines.

(You can preview and edit on the next page)

What Other Visitors Have Said

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

Deck Contractor Pricing in Grande Prairie
As a contractor in Grande Prairie, Alberta, this is what we would charge for a typical 8 x 14 deck. It's built on 12"x6' concrete piles with a 3'6" square ...

Building Cost to Hire a Contractor For My Deck
I just paid $24 a square foot for a 10x15 pressure treated deck. I am not sure what it costs elsewhere but here in Ottawa, Ontario.

Pretty basic with ...

Deck Builder in Ann Arbor
I have built over 500 decks through the years. Very profitable when cedar, treated, and red woods where popular.

In recent years with composite decking,...

Kansas City Deck Building Market Prices Not rated yet
We are a prominent deck builder in the Kansas City Metro Area. Our current pricing (as of July 17th, 2008) is as follows.

The square footage equation ...

Deck Costs Washington State Not rated yet
A deck with pressure treated 2x6 sun wood decking goes for about $20-$25 per sq. ft. in Washington state.

Removed Screen Porch and Added New deck Not rated yet
We removed a old screen porch and added a new deck 14x20 with composite decking (weatherbest) and white composite railing (no lattice). It cost $15,100....

Top of Cost of Building a Deck