calcanvil

Deck Building Price Calculator

16′ × 12′ · 24 board rows across the width
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458 lf of decking

26 rows × 16′ = 416 lf net (+10% waste). Joists: 13 at your spacing (this is a count only; sizing is a code-table question). ≈672 screws.

Typical crew rate for this trade: $43-$71/hr (modeled from BLS median wage × published burden/markup band). How we model costs.

  • Decking rows = deck width ÷ (board 5.5″ + 0.25″ gap): board gap is a product spec (Trex specifies 3/16″ side gaps; wood convention ~1/4″).
  • 10% decking waste for cuts/culls is a trade convention, labeled; diagonal decking runs 15%+.
  • Joist count (not size) at 16″ on-center is spacing arithmetic; joist size and span are structural questions, so use your code's span tables (IRC R507-class) instead of a web calculator.
  • ≈3.5 screws/sq ft (2 per board-joist crossing), a fastener-maker convention, labeled.

Want quotes from local pros for this project? We’re gauging demand for a pro-matching service. No contractor network exists yet: this is a get-notified list, not a quote request.

Why This One Is Different

Two decks built the same week, same town, same crew can land on price tags separated by thousands of dollars, and square footage alone won't explain the gap. Material class is usually the bigger lever (pressure-treated lumber and composite decking start from different cost bases before labor even enters), followed by site access, elevation, and railing complexity. This page isn't a quote generator. It sizes your decking and joist quantities the same way the rest of this site does, then shows a modeled price band built from a published wage and a documented markup range, with the full chain at /methodology/ rather than folded into one number.

Where the Numbers Come From

  • NAHB's 2024 survey of new single-family construction found stage costs split roughly interior finishes 24.1%, rough-ins 19.2%, framing 16.6%, exterior 13.4%, foundations 10.5%, and site work 7.6% of the construction dollar; new-build shares, not a deck-specific study, but a cross-check that material and finish choices routinely outweigh raw labor hours. Source: NAHB Special Study, Cost of Constructing a Home in 2024 (Lynch, Jan 2025)
  • A carpenter's charged hourly rate runs roughly 1.5-2.5× the published wage once burden (payroll taxes, workers' comp, benefits) and a markup to target margin are both applied; NAHB's own surveys put realized gross margins at 20.7% for builders and 29.9% for remodelers. Source: NAHB Cost of Doing Business studies via Eye On Housing
  • Deck framing sits under three separate documents: the IRC (binding law, by adopted edition), the AWC NDS (the engineering values behind span tables), and AWC's free DCA6 prescriptive guide, which still tracks the 2015 IRC even where states have moved on. That's one reason this calculator won't size joists itself. Source: AWC DCA6 / NDS documentation; ICC code-adoption records
  • Composite decking's gap spec (Trex: 3/16″ side-to-side) differs from typical pressure-treated framing conventions, which is one reason material class changes the quantity math on a takeoff, not just the price per board. Source: Trex, "How to Space Deck Boards" (official installation guidance)

More Questions

Is the number this calculator shows a real quote?

No. It's a modeled planning band built from a published wage, a documented markup range, and sized quantities, not a bid. Get an itemized quote from a builder for anything you'd actually sign.

Related Calculators

Formulas, waste factors, and cost models on this page follow the sourced conventions on our methodology page. Estimates only; verify with your supplier and local code.