

This increases labor time and cost above the typical $3.50 – $5.50 or $6.00 per square foot. As a result, pilot holes are often drilled for the fasteners.

#Fiberon good life vs trex select install
Who Does the Work: You’ll save $3.50 to about $6.00 per square foot of decking if you install it yourself.We’ve mentioned that adding a railing and stairs means higher labor costs. For example, Trex Elevations steel substructure costs about 35% more than a treated lumber substructure. A few brands makes a lightweight steel substructure option, and it can be costly. Substructure Material: Most decks are built with a pressure-treated substructure.
#Fiberon good life vs trex select code
Railings or No Railings: If building code requires railings or you want them for the good looks they provide, materials and labor cost can be 40% higher.Fiberonmakes even more lines including Good Life (Basic), ProTect Advantage (Better) and Paramount (Best).It makes Enhance Basic (Basic quality), Select (Better quality) and Transcend (Best quality). Composite Decking or PVC Decking Grade: As the table above shows, each deck manufacturer makes products in at least two grades and usually three grades.Wood Board Width: Wider pieces cost more per square foot for the simple reason that they are made from wider logs, which are less common.Boards with fewer knots, mineral stains and other imperfections are graded higher and can cost significantly more. Wood Quality: Cedar, redwood and ipe are graded for quality and the clarity of the wood.Wood Type: As you can see, price generally gets higher as wood progresses from treated pine all the way to ipe, also called Brazilian walnut.Let’s start with material factors and then consider labor factors. Then, we add appropriate labor costs to get a total average cost for the decking you’re considering. In fact, for most brands, we use cost calculators they provide to produce the most accurate deck prices for materials. We mention this because our deck prices are accurate – and we hope to prevent “sticker shock” when you see them. Railings and steps when local code requires them or you want them for the aesthetics.Optional concrete to set the posts or concrete piers for posts to rest on.Those boards are used for the deck boards, railings, steps and fascia.

The problem is that most look at the cost of the deck boards – wood or composite – and use that to produce a deck cost estimate. $4 per square foot for a pressure-treated wood deck? $7 for composite? That’s not going to happen, even if you DIY. Labor is included in these costs.ĭid you Know? Most deck cost estimating sites calculate prices that are way too low. Labor on most decks ranges from $3.50-$6.00 per square foot. All costs reflect a pressure-treated wood substructure (Posts and the supporting frame of the deck).This table shows installed deck costs for the major wood types and composite brands. The Bottom Line: Wood Deck vs Composite Deck.Pros and Cons of Wood vs Composite Decks.
