Cost guides / Deck building
Deck Building Cost (2026)
Building a 12 × 16 ft (192 sq ft) raised deck with pressure-treated wood, 30 ft of railing and one set of stairs costs $8,270 to $27,860. The typical price is $15,340, about $80 per square foot. Use the calculator for your deck.
Estimate your cost
Most quotes for this job fall between Low and High. Typical $80 per sq ft.
| Decking, framing, railing and hardware | $2,740 |
|---|---|
| Labor (carpenters, local wages) | $5,350 |
| Site work and disposal | $320 |
| Permit | $430 |
| Overhead and profit | $6,500 |
Total price in dollars for the same deck, for example 15000.
What the estimate includes
- Concrete footings, posts, beams and joists in pressure-treated lumber
- Decking in the material you choose, with screws or hidden fasteners
- Railing and stairs in the matching material
- Site prep, cleanup and a permit
Not included: removing an old deck, built-in benches, lighting, a roof or pergola, and staining a new wood deck.
Cost by deck size and material
Typical price for a raised deck with 30 ft of railing and one set of stairs, national average.
| Deck size | Pressure-treated wood | Composite | Cedar |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 sq ft | $10,870 | $15,580 | $13,080 |
| 160 sq ft | $13,740 | $19,480 | $16,830 |
| 192 sq ft | $15,340 | $21,550 | $18,770 |
| 240 sq ft | $17,580 | $24,630 | $21,710 |
| 320 sq ft | $21,370 | $29,720 | $26,540 |
| 400 sq ft | $25,200 | $34,890 | $31,520 |
| 500 sq ft | $29,960 | $41,270 | $37,520 |
Deck building cost by state
12 × 16 ft raised pressure-treated deck, 30 ft of railing, one set of stairs. Labor uses each state's wages for carpenters (BLS, May 2025).
| State | Low | Typical | High | Carpenter wage/hr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $7,100 | $13,110 | $23,880 | $23.18 |
| Alaska | $9,570 | $17,740 | $32,150 | $35.51 |
| Arizona | $7,990 | $14,810 | $27,020 | $28.17 |
| Arkansas | $7,010 | $12,950 | $23,610 | $22.96 |
| California | $9,670 | $17,930 | $32,440 | $36.50 |
| Colorado | $8,280 | $15,380 | $28,010 | $30.21 |
| Connecticut | $8,660 | $16,090 | $29,280 | $30.80 |
| Delaware | $8,130 | $15,080 | $27,360 | $28.46 |
| District of Columbia | $8,790 | $16,250 | $29,640 | $29.67 |
| Florida | $7,510 | $13,870 | $25,300 | $23.98 |
| Georgia | $7,310 | $13,500 | $24,600 | $23.72 |
| Hawaii | $10,600 | $19,630 | $35,640 | $41.00 |
| Idaho | $7,520 | $13,900 | $25,350 | $25.00 |
| Illinois | $9,700 | $17,960 | $32,650 | $37.98 |
| Indiana | $8,200 | $15,190 | $27,620 | $30.23 |
| Iowa | $7,500 | $13,860 | $25,220 | $27.75 |
| Kansas | $7,540 | $13,940 | $25,390 | $27.39 |
| Kentucky | $7,460 | $13,760 | $25,050 | $25.33 |
| Louisiana | $7,170 | $13,250 | $24,160 | $24.00 |
| Maine | $8,340 | $15,440 | $28,120 | $29.88 |
| Maryland | $8,560 | $15,850 | $28,890 | $30.27 |
| Massachusetts | $9,490 | $17,580 | $31,840 | $36.16 |
| Michigan | $8,130 | $15,070 | $27,510 | $29.66 |
| Minnesota | $8,740 | $16,220 | $29,450 | $31.22 |
| Mississippi | $6,950 | $12,830 | $23,390 | $23.39 |
| Missouri | $8,050 | $14,910 | $27,070 | $29.25 |
| Montana | $7,880 | $14,550 | $26,500 | $28.28 |
| Nebraska | $7,200 | $13,330 | $24,330 | $24.19 |
| Nevada | $8,300 | $15,390 | $27,960 | $29.99 |
| New Hampshire | $8,350 | $15,470 | $28,230 | $29.42 |
| New Jersey | $8,870 | $16,450 | $29,860 | $30.77 |
| New Mexico | $7,750 | $14,310 | $26,040 | $28.71 |
| New York | $9,480 | $17,570 | $31,880 | $34.77 |
| North Carolina | $7,270 | $13,420 | $24,500 | $23.61 |
| North Dakota | $7,490 | $13,840 | $25,130 | $27.83 |
| Ohio | $8,030 | $14,870 | $27,040 | $29.24 |
| Oklahoma | $6,870 | $12,700 | $23,150 | $22.55 |
| Oregon | $8,930 | $16,520 | $29,960 | $30.23 |
| Pennsylvania | $8,160 | $15,110 | $27,510 | $28.54 |
| Rhode Island | $8,350 | $15,490 | $28,190 | $29.25 |
| South Carolina | $7,410 | $13,710 | $25,030 | $24.36 |
| South Dakota | $7,030 | $13,000 | $23,720 | $23.14 |
| Tennessee | $7,320 | $13,550 | $24,670 | $24.44 |
| Texas | $7,300 | $13,510 | $24,600 | $23.51 |
| Utah | $7,540 | $13,940 | $25,400 | $25.17 |
| Vermont | $8,090 | $14,960 | $27,270 | $30.00 |
| Virginia | $7,770 | $14,370 | $26,170 | $26.77 |
| Washington | $9,560 | $17,730 | $32,230 | $35.67 |
| West Virginia | $7,240 | $13,400 | $24,440 | $23.42 |
| Wisconsin | $8,180 | $15,190 | $27,570 | $29.65 |
| Wyoming | $7,710 | $14,270 | $25,980 | $27.33 |
What homeowners actually paid
We checked this calculator against 143 deck quotes and invoices that homeowners shared publicly from 2020 to 2026, in 17 states. Older prices were adjusted to 2026 with official construction cost indexes. Their median was $25,100 for a mix of deck sizes and materials, and 80% of them fell between our Low and High estimates for the same deck and state.
Published cost guides we checked put a similar job at about $9,100 (median of 6 guides from 2023-2026), 41% below our typical price. Guides are estimates too, often older or for a smaller scope of work; we follow the quotes homeowners actually shared, and 80% of them fell within our range.
What affects the cost
- Size: decks are priced by the square foot, plus railing and stairs.
- Material: a composite 12 × 16 ft deck typically costs $21,550 against $15,340 in pressure-treated wood.
- Height: a ground-level deck without railing or stairs typically costs $10,610 for the same size.
- Railing and stairs: both add a lot of labor per foot.
- Your state: labor is about 35% of the typical price.
Common questions
How much does a deck cost per square foot?
About $80 per sq ft for a typical 12 × 16 ft raised wood deck with railing and stairs, and about $112 per sq ft in composite. Larger decks cost less per square foot because railing and stairs are spread over more area.
Is composite decking worth the extra cost?
Composite costs more up front ($21,550 against $15,340 for a 12 × 16 ft deck) but does not need staining or sealing. Wood can last a long time too with regular maintenance.
Do I need a permit to build a deck?
Usually yes. The model residential code exempts only small decks: under 200 sq ft, no more than 30 in above grade, not attached to the house and not serving a required exit door (IRC R105.2). Your city may be stricter.
How many materials will I need?
Use our deck calculator to count boards, joists, screws and footings.
How much does a 12 × 12 or 20 × 20 deck cost?
For a raised pressure-treated deck with 30 ft of railing and one set of stairs, national average: a 12 × 12 ft deck typically costs $13,080 and a 20 × 20 ft deck $25,200.
Can you build a deck for $5,000?
With a contractor, only a small one: a 10 × 10 ft ground-level pressure-treated deck without railing typically costs $6,530, and low quotes start around $3,530. If you build it yourself, materials for a 12 × 16 ft ground-level deck come to about $1,960.
Does a deck add value to a home?
In the Journal of Light Construction's 2025 Cost vs. Value report, a 16 × 20 ft wood deck with railing, stairs and a built-in bench cost $18,263 on average and added $17,323 to resale value, about 95% of its cost. A composite deck recovered about 89%. Results vary by market.
How we calculated this
Decking, lumber, railing and hardware prices from manufacturers and national retailers (checked October 2026), framing and decking hours per square foot from trade sources times local carpenter wages from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025), contractor margins from industry financial data, and regional price levels from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. We check the result against verified homeowner quotes. Verified quotes ran about 28% above our line-item model, so the estimate includes a +28% market adjustment (why we adjust). Full methodology · Sources.
Estimates, not quotes. Actual prices depend on your contractor, yard and design.
Changelog
- : Published.
- : Cost model built from 143 verified homeowner quotes (2020-2026), local trade wages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025) and material prices checked in October 2026.
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