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Cost to Build My Deck
My deck has added beauty, value, and increased living space to my house. It was a big purchase. Contractor bid (from a friend) was $4,000 - which seemed almost unfairly inexpensive. In the end, I decided to build it myself for the enjoyment and learning aspect. Here's my material list:
| Material | Size | Quantity |
| Cedar | 2x2x16' | 27 |
| 2x6x10' | 2 | |
| 2x6x16' | 1 | |
| 2x6x6' | 1 | |
| 2x6x8' | 1 | |
| 2x8x16' | 1 | |
| 2x8x17' | 2 | |
| 5/4x6x10' | 8 | |
| 5/4x6x12' | 8 | |
| 5/4x6x14' | 8 | |
| 5/4x6x16' | 8 | |
| 5/4x6x18' | 8 | |
| 5/4x6x20' | 8 | |
| Pressure Treated | 2x6x10' | 16 |
| 2x6x8' | 5 | |
| 4x4x8' | 2 | |
| Rough Cut Cedar | 2x8x12' | 8 |
| 6x6x10' | 2 | |
| Stainless Steel Deck Screws | 2.75" | 635 |
| 3/8" Mason Bit | 1 |
Here's my costs broken down by category:
| Category | Cost |
| Wood | $2,005.40 |
| Fastners | $225.46 |
| Finisher | $177.24 |
| Tools | $168.43 |
| Attachment Hardware | $158.09 |
| Lighting | $156.00 |
| Electrical | $79.22 |
| Concrete | $39.02 |
| Sprinkler System | $26.45 |
| Returns | -$145.00 |
| Total | $2,890.31 |
Don't forget that this took me, my dad, and my Uncle Rich a total of 14 man days. But since I was doing this for fun (and had the vacation time), I don't count that cost.
An interesting fact: The deck part of the structure accounted for approximately 26% of the total cost. The remaining cost was for the pergola and extras (sprinkler, lights).