How to price deck building
Deck building prices at $25 to $45 per square foot in pressure-treated and $45 to $80 in composite, for a straightforward low deck. Stairs, railing and height are all priced on top.
The formula
(Area × decking rate) × height factor + stairs + railing + footings + permit.
A 320 sq ft composite deck, 3ft above grade, one short flight of stairs, 46 linear feet of railing:
- 320 × $52 = $16,640
- Height factor 1.15 (low elevation) = $19,136
- Stairs, one flight: $1,400
- Railing, 46 lf × $85 (composite with aluminium balusters) = $3,910
- Footings, 9 at $180 = $1,620
- Permit and inspection: $450
- Quote: $26,516 — $82/sq ft all in, which sounds high until you notice that only 63% of it is the deck surface.
That is the point of this page. The square-foot rate is not the price.
Price a deck building job
Your numbers, the formula above. Nothing is sent anywhere — this runs in your browser.
$12,160 base (320 square feet × $38)
This is a starting number, not a bid. Walk the property before you send it.
Height is the multiplier nobody quotes
A ground-level deck is joists on footings. A deck eight feet up is posts, beams, bracing, guard rail to code, a stair flight with its own footings and landing, and a crew working off staging instead of off the grass.
Same square footage. Frequently 40% more work.
Establish the height on the site visit and apply the factor before you quote anything.
Stairs and railing are separate jobs
Stairs. $700 to $2,500 a flight. Stringers, treads, risers, a landing, railing and footings. Entirely unrelated to deck area.
Railing. $45 to $150 per linear foot. Pressure-treated timber at the bottom, cable or glass at the top. This is a customer choice worth several thousand dollars on a typical deck, so present it as an option with prices rather than assuming.
What else changes the price
Decking material. The largest single variable. Composite material can be triple the cost of pressure-treated.
Fastening system. Hidden fasteners look better and take considerably longer.
Shape. Rectangles are cheap. Angles, curves, wrap-arounds, multiple levels and built-in seating are all labour.
Footings. Depth is set by your frost line. Rocky ground or a high water table changes the equation.
Ledger and flashing. Attaching to the house properly is where deck failures come from, and it should be a real line rather than assumed labour.
Site access. Whether material can reach the build area or gets carried through a house.
The mistakes
One square-foot number. Hides stairs, railing, height and footings — which together can be 40% of the job.
Not applying a height factor. The most common underpricing error in deck work.
Assuming a railing material. Let the customer choose, priced.
Forgetting permits and inspection. Almost always required for an attached deck.
Under-quoting composite labour. Hidden fastener systems are slower than face screwing, and the material is less forgiving.
Quoting and staging the money
Decks are material-heavy and multi-day, so take a deposit and bill in stages.
Jobber at $49/mo handles multi-day jobs with deposits and progress billing, and its Grow plan lets a customer tick their own railing and decking options. QuoteIQ at $29.99/mo measures the deck footprint off satellite imagery and includes financing on every tier. Housecall Pro Max presents material tiers as a good-better-best proposal.
Questions operators actually ask
How much should I charge to build a deck?
$25 to $45 per square foot for a pressure-treated deck and $45 to $80 for composite, both for a straightforward low deck. Elevated decks add 20% to 50%, and stairs and railing are priced separately — they are not part of the square-foot rate.
Why price stairs separately?
Because a flight of stairs is disproportionate work — stringers, treads, risers, landing, railing and footings — and it has nothing to do with deck area. A 300 sq ft deck with two flights is a very different job from the same deck at ground level.
How much more for an elevated deck?
20% to 50% on top of the square-foot rate. Height means deeper footings, posts, beams, bracing, guard rail requirements and often stairs. It also means working off ladders and staging rather than off the ground, which slows everything.
Should railing be in the square-foot price?
No. Railing runs $45 to $150 per linear foot depending on material, and a customer choosing cable or glass over pressure-treated can change the job by several thousand dollars. Price it per linear foot as its own line and let them choose.
What about permits and footings?
Both as separate lines. Footing depth is set by your frost line and inspection requirements, not by preference, and a deck attached to the house almost always needs a permit and inspection. Neither should be an assumption in your number.