How Much Does it Cost to Build a Deck

Who can escape the charms of a beautiful deck, just outside the living room or the bedroom? Well, no one can. Decks are not just charming and relaxing but they also tend to add to the quality and cost of the house. The material cost to build a deck is not outrageous, if you consider it as a do it yourself home improvement project.

Decks, sometimes also known as composite decking, in North American homes are inseparable and indispensable part of the entire house. If you take a look at the common conventions, you will find that there are two types of decks that are used by people as additions for their houses. The first one is on the ground that is build upon a simple foundation of bricks. The second one is a bit complex as it is elevated a few feet from the ground, say about 6-7 feet. Such elevated decks adjoin the first floor rooms of your home. The difference between the cost is not sky-high, but elevated decks are more costly.

Estimated Cost of Building a Deck

The average cost to build a deck depends upon several different factors such as quality of materials that you are going to use, the size and elevation of your deck, cost of labor if you plan to hire any, type of foundation, etc. This cost estimate is not exact, and you will have to inquire and calculate the cost as per your specifications.

• The first cost that you will have to consider is that of the base. The base can be built with the help of bricks, gravel and concrete. For this you can purchase 20 bricks for a cost of $7 to $10. The number of bricks depend on the type of deck you want. The elevated deck will need lesser gravel and bricks. The gravel cost however changes drastically from region to region. The cost of cement will range from $8 to $15 for every 40 lbs. of cement. If you are constructing an elevated deck, you will need lumber to make the supports, the cost of which ranges from $30 to $50 per 2" x 6" pieces of wood, depending upon what you buy.
• The second cost that you need to consider is that of the lumber that you will require to lay down the deck. The best gamble is pressure treated wood , which will cost you about $4000 to $7000 for a 20 x 20 foot deck. Your deck building plans also play a crucial role, if you plan to enforce it with another layer of pressure treated wood, and more lumber will be needed which will cost another $2000 to $5000.
• You can get a kit to make your railings and stairs. Metallic rails are cheap and an effective option, that will cost you about $2000 to $3000 for a 20 x 20 deck. The wooden stairs and rails will come in for about $10,000.

If you want to have a cheap deck then have a ground level deck. To make such a deck have a brick and gravel foundation compacted by concrete. Then lay down a layer of lumber and polished wood. There you have your deck!

There are several overhead costs that you are bound to incur, such as polish lumber tools, etc. To cut costs, you can also rent out all your equipment from a hardware store.