![]() The price of some composite decking is competitive with the cost of pricier wood decks.It is lighter than wood, especially PVC decking, so easier to work with.The material resists stains and general weathering better than wood.Composite wood and PVC is low-maintenance material that needs occasional washing but not staining or sealing.You can stain your deck or paint it in a wide range of hues and colors.Believe it or not, some homeowners enjoy cleaning and staining their deck every few years to refresh it – to make it look new all over again.Cost of a treated or cedar deck is less than the mid-rage and expensive composite decking products.Natural wood is preferred for its genuine wood grain and woodsy aroma.We’ll look at the pros of each first and then the cons. This increases labor time and cost above the typical $3.50 – $5.50 or $6.00 per square foot. As a result, pilot holes are often drilled for the fasteners. Note on ipe/Brazilian walnut: This wood is very hard.Costs are average in cities of the Midwest and South and lowest in rural areas. Where You Live: Decks, like everything else, cost more along the coasts, especially in the Northeast and Northwest and in major metropolitan areas.Cost estimates might be higher during that stretch than they would be as soon as the snow melts or into fall as snow threatens again. Where winters are snowy, the peak season is late spring through summer. Time of Year: Peak building periods differ by climate.Terrain: Decks built on flat, bare terrain have lower labor costs than when the crew is working with a slope or has to remove shrubbery, stumps or a lot of rocks.Stairs are time-consuming, so a long flight of stairs can really drive up labor cost. Multi-level decks can come with higher labor costs too. As deck design gets more complex, more measuring and cutting is involved, so cost goes up. Deck Design: Rectangular decks cost the least to build.Of course, you might need to purchase or rent a few tools for the work, so there migth be some costs. Who Does the Work: You’ll save $3.50 to about $6.00 per square foot of decking if you install it yourself.We’ve mentioned that adding a railing and stairs means higher labor costs. For example, Trex Elevations steel substructure costs about 35% more than a treated lumber substructure. A few brands makes a lightweight steel substructure option, and it can be costly. Substructure Material: Most decks are built with a pressure-treated substructure.Railings or No Railings: If building code requires railings or you want them for the good looks they provide, materials and labor cost can be 40% higher.Fiberonmakes even more lines including Good Life (Basic), ProTect Advantage (Better) and Paramount (Best).It makes Enhance Basic (Basic quality), Select (Better quality) and Transcend (Best quality). Composite Decking or PVC Decking Grade: As the table above shows, each deck manufacturer makes products in at least two grades and usually three grades.Wood Board Width: Wider pieces cost more per square foot for the simple reason that they are made from wider logs, which are less common.Boards with fewer knots, mineral stains and other imperfections are graded higher and can cost significantly more. Wood Quality: Cedar, redwood and ipe are graded for quality and the clarity of the wood. ![]() Wood Type: As you can see, price generally gets higher as wood progresses from treated pine all the way to ipe, also called Brazilian walnut.Let’s start with material factors and then consider labor factors. Then, we add appropriate labor costs to get a total average cost for the decking you’re considering. In fact, for most brands, we use cost calculators they provide to produce the most accurate deck prices for materials. We mention this because our deck prices are accurate – and we hope to prevent “sticker shock” when you see them. Railings and steps when local code requires them or you want them for the aesthetics. ![]()
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