Building a new deck typically costs between $20 and $80 per square foot installed, depending on material and features. Use this free deck cost calculator to estimate your total project cost based on deck size, decking material (pressure-treated, cedar, composite, PVC, or Ipe hardwood), elevation, and optional features like railing, stairs, and built-in seating.
Decking material is the single biggest variable — Ipe hardwood costs about 3–4x what pressure-treated lumber costs per square foot. Composite and PVC decking save on long-term maintenance but cost more upfront. Elevated decks require larger footings, more framing, and stairs, which can add 30–50% to the project. Railings alone often run $30–$60 per linear foot.
This deck calculator separates your project into material and labor, both priced per square foot, then adds features and a regional adjustment. The material rate covers decking boards plus framing and hardware: about $9/sqft for pressure-treated, $14 for cedar, $22 for composite, $28 for PVC, and $35 for Ipe hardwood. Labor runs roughly $18/sqft for a ground-level deck and $30/sqft when the deck is elevated, since raised builds need taller posts, more bracing, and work at height — elevated decks also carry a 1.25× material bump for the extra structure. Features are priced separately: railing is estimated from the deck's perimeter at about $40 per linear foot, a staircase adds roughly $1,600, and built-in bench seating about $1,300. Finally a regional factor (from about 0.92× in the Southeast to 1.18× on the West Coast) scales the total, which is split roughly 60 percent material and 40 percent labor.
Picture a 300-square-foot ground-level composite deck with railing in the Midwest. Material is 300 × $22 = $6,600 and labor is 300 × $18 = $5,400, for a base of $12,000. A roughly 14-by-21-foot deck has about 70 linear feet of perimeter, so railing adds about 70 × $40 = $2,800. That brings the subtotal to $14,800, and the Midwest factor (0.96) trims it to about $14,200 — close to $47 per square foot installed. Swap the composite for pressure-treated lumber and the same deck drops to roughly $9,700; step up to Ipe hardwood and it climbs past $19,000, since decking material is the single biggest lever in the whole estimate.
Composite and PVC boards cost roughly two to three times what pressure-treated lumber does up front, but they never need staining or sealing and typically last 25 to 30 years. Over a decade of skipped maintenance and board replacement, many homeowners come out close to even while gaining a lower-maintenance surface. If you plan to sell within a few years, pressure-treated wood is usually the more economical choice.
Most jurisdictions require a permit for any deck attached to the house or sitting more than about 30 inches above grade, and many require one regardless of height. Permits trigger footing-depth and railing-code inspections. Skipping the permit can create problems at resale and may void parts of your homeowner's insurance if the deck fails.
A well-maintained pressure-treated deck lasts about 15 to 20 years, cedar around 15 to 25 years, composite and PVC 25 to 30 years, and Ipe hardwood 40 years or more. The framing and footings often outlive the decking surface, so reboarding an existing frame is a common mid-life upgrade.
Raised and second-story decks need deeper footings, larger support posts and beams, more bracing, code-required guardrails, and a staircase. The work also happens at height, which slows installation and raises labor. Together these can add 30 to 50 percent over a comparable ground-level deck.
A note from me: These figures are solid for planning a budget, but they're not a contractor quote. Your soil, lot slope, railing style, and local lumber prices all move the real number — get a couple of local bids before you sign anything. — Lisa Tran