What does a new deck cost, and what moves the price?
There is no honest single number, because a deck is not a product with a price. What we can tell you is exactly what moves the figure, so that when you get a quote from us or from anybody else you can see what you are paying for.
Why does Level Line not publish prices?
Because a price list would be a guess dressed up as a fact, and you would find out it was wrong at the worst moment.
A published price has to assume a size, a shape, a material, a height, a ground condition and a town. Change any one of those and the number moves. The sites that publish a per square foot figure are describing an average deck that nobody actually builds.
We would rather look at your yard and give you a number for your deck. Everything below is what we are looking at when we do, so nothing about the quote should be a surprise.
How much does size and shape change the price?
More than any other single factor, and shape matters as much as area.
A rectangle is the least expensive shape to build, because the framing is repetitive and the cuts are simple. Angles, curves, multiple levels and picture frame borders all add labour and waste to the same area.
The reverse is worth knowing too. If a budget is tight, a simple rectangle in a better material often ends up a better deck than a complicated shape in a cheaper one.
How much does the material change it?
It is the widest range on the whole quote, and the cheapest option is rarely the cheapest over ten years.
Pressure treated lumber is the least expensive to install and the most expensive to own, because it wants cleaning and sealing on a cycle for its whole life. Cedar sits above it. Mahogany and ipe are hardwoods with a different look and a different price again. Composite and PVC lines cost more to install and almost nothing to maintain.
Level Line builds in Trex, TimberTech, Azek, Fiberon, cedar, pressure treated lumber, mahogany and ipe, and is a Trex Certified Installer and a TimberTech Certified Installer.
Why does height off the ground matter so much?
Because height brings stairs, guard rails and deeper structure, and those are three separate costs.
A deck a step off the grass needs no guard and few stairs. Lift it to a raised first floor and you have added a full stair run, guard rail on every open edge, taller posts, and often a decision about what to do with the space underneath.
That is also where an under deck drainage system comes in, which turns the space below a raised deck into somewhere dry and usable. It is a real cost, and a real gain in floor area.
What about the ground it sits on?
Footings are invisible in the finished photo and they are not free.
Every deck stands on footings dug below the frost line. Rock, a high water table, poor access for equipment, or a slope that has to be worked around all add time before a single board is laid.
A yard a wheelbarrow can reach is cheaper to build in than one that everything has to be carried through a narrow side gate.
Does removing the old deck cost extra?
Yes, and how much depends on what is underneath it.
Demolition and disposal are their own line. Sometimes the existing footings and framing are sound and the deck can be resurfaced, which is a different and much smaller job than a rebuild.
That is worth establishing before anything else, because it can change the whole shape of the project.
What else lands on the quote?
Permits, railings, lighting, built in seating, a pergola, an outdoor kitchen: the things that make a deck a room.
Railing is not one price. A pressure treated guard, a composite guard and a cable or glass system are very different products doing the same job, and Level Line installs all the common systems.
Deck lighting, built in benches, planters, a pergola for shade and an outdoor kitchen are all things we build, and all things that move a number. None of them is required to have a good deck.
How should I compare two quotes?
Line by line on what is included, not by the total at the bottom.
The gap between two quotes for the same deck is usually the framing material, the fastening system, the railing, whether demolition and disposal are in, and whether the permit work is in. Ask both builders to show you those five things.
Ask for the licence numbers and the insurance certificate as well. On Long Island a home improvement contractor is licensed by the county, and that is a document, not a claim.
More questions on this
Will Level Line give me a price over the phone?
Not a real one. We look at the yard, the height, the access and the material you want, and then we give you a number for your deck.
Is composite always more expensive than wood?
To install, generally yes. Over the life of the deck the gap narrows, because a composite deck does not need cleaning and sealing on a cycle.
Is financing available?
Yes. Level Line works with Service Finance Company, and the options are set out on the financing page.