Current Events > Getting a deck estimate this afternoon for my new house, any tips? Also AMA

(+) Yeah! (+)

Maintenance-free is a must. I have no idea what I am doing so I don't wanna deal with re-staining, sealing, and all that other shit

Spend more money for a nicer deck, less for a worse deck

Supersex420 posted...

Spend more money for a nicer deck, less for a worse deck

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

facts

composite decking

Make sure your deck doesn't have any banned cards, unless you never want to play competitively.

I know nothing about real life decks. How do they even work if wood is exposed to water?

Were_Wyrm posted...

composite decking

what does that mean

is composite a type of wood? it sounds like a blend

RlP posted...

How do they even work if wood is exposed to water?

I have no fucking idea. I assume it's specially treated wood

help my appointment is in an hour

Probably better off googling and getting an answer off Quora at this point

Get multiple quotes in writing. Housing and renovation cost spiked like a bitch through covid dont know if theyve calmed down. Pick the one you want then bring in at least 3 more teams to quote you a lower price but and get the 1 team you actually want to match the price.

1) get multiple quotes
2) nothing is maintenance free
3) if you live in an area that has snow try to design it so it isnt a skating rink in winter

Arcanine2009 posted...

Probably better off googling and getting an answer off Quora at this point

cant argue with that

Makeveli_lives posted...

Get multiple quotes in writing. Housing and renovation cost spiked like a bitch through covid dont know if theyve calmed down. Pick the one you want then bring in at least 3 more teams to quote you a lower price but and get the 1 team you actually want to match the price.

doesnt sound like it's calmed down but i really dont know what the baseline was pre-covid so it's hard for me to compare.

shironinja posted...

1) get multiple quotes

definintely

shironinja posted...

2) nothing is maintenance free

true, but "maintenance free" means you dont have to seal or stain or whatever (barring unusual damage), right?

shironinja posted...

3) if you live in an area that has snow try to design it so it isnt a skating rink in winter

it is wisconsin so im hoping they have that factored in by default, but definitely a good reminder

It will cost over nine thousand

Trumpo posted...

It will cost over nine thousand

yea that's what one guy said as just a floor basically

man shit's expensive. 12x12 with no stairs is looking to be in the realm of like 13k.

still shopping around of course but mah lord

TaylorHeinicke posted...

cant argue with that

doesnt sound like it's calmed down but i really dont know what the baseline was pre-covid so it's hard for me to compare.

definintely

true, but "maintenance free" means you dont have to seal or stain or whatever (barring unusual damage), right?

it is wisconsin so im hoping they have that factored in by default, but definitely a good reminder

The only "maintenance free" deck you can get is composite material. Anything with wood will eventually need to be resealed/restained. But honestly, composite decking is so much nicer than wood it's worth the additional cost.

What kind of setup is your house? Like is it multi-story with a back door that requires a deck otherwise you'll fall to your death?

Ours is multi-story but the backyard is level with the main floor so we had our old rotting deck ripped out and had a nice patio/gazebo setup replace it for like half the cost of a new deck

any wood deck will need regular maintenance. washing + staining / sealing every few years, replacing damaged or warped boards, etc. 'composite' material will last much longer and doesn't need re-stained or sealed (I don't think), but costs significantly more up front.

do you really need a "deck"? I'm thinking that when mine finally reaches EoL, I'm just gonna tear it down and pour a concrete patio instead.

Giant_Aspirin posted...

I'm thinking that when mine finally reaches EoL, I'm just gonna tear it down and pour a concrete patio instead.

Do it

A 10x10 deck was going to be like $14k

24x16 patio with a 12x14 galvanized steel gazebo was about $6k

My contractor estimated mine at $30/square foot for the deck part, which seems average from looking online. We're also having him do things like install a sliding door and shit too. We're getting that composite TRex stuff.

Waiting for the actual written up estimate. Not sure if I'm getting it done this year or next. We had him finish the attic into a master sweet last year and it's currently unfurnished. Whichever is cheaper is happening this summer.

Letron_James posted...

The only "maintenance free" deck you can get is composite material. Anything with wood will eventually need to be resealed/restained. But honestly, composite decking is so much nicer than wood it's worth the additional cost.

Yeah the people I've talked to are kinda using "composite" interchangeably. It's not true strictly speaking because yeah you're right, everything will need some kind of work at some point. I'm in the camp of "as little as possible please because I have no idea tf I'm doing"

littlebro07 posted...

What kind of setup is your house? Like is it multi-story with a back door that requires a deck otherwise you'll fall to your death?

Ours is multi-story but the backyard is level with the main floor so we had our old rotting deck ripped out and had a nice patio/gazebo setup replace it for like half the cost of a new deck

The latter. It's a split level. So you walk in the front door/garage at like, floor 0.5, where the landing is. Go down 6-7 steps and you're in the basement, go up 6-7 steps and you're on the main floor. You are correct, it has a patio door that goes nowhere. Of course you would only fall about 7 feet though because it's not very high off the ground lmfao hahahahah

The only downside of the place is, the basement is below grade, so there is no walkout downstairs. Which is unfortunate from a usability perspective, but upside is, not having stairs on the deck saves like $6k. But this unfortunately eliminates the practicality of a gazebo unless we wanted to walk to floor 0.5 and go out through the back door in the garage to the back yard. But that's where the hot tub will go when that time comes.

Giant_Aspirin posted...

any wood deck will need regular maintenance. washing + staining / sealing every few years, replacing damaged or warped boards, etc. 'composite' material will last much longer and doesn't need re-stained or sealed (I don't think), but costs significantly more up front.

Yeah I have learned that nothing is truly "maintenance-free." But it's worth the up front cost IMO.

Giant_Aspirin posted...

do you really need a "deck"? I'm thinking that when mine finally reaches EoL, I'm just gonna tear it down and pour a concrete patio instead.

Yeah. Practically speaking, I don't want to be rolling the grill in and out of the garage every time we want to use it (or leave it out there in the driveway - looks weird).

Visually speaking, I just don't want that stupid-ass door to nowhere to stay there. Before even putting an offer on the house I mentally factored in a deck to my budget. Being able to open it all the way in the summertime instead of just cracking it will be crucial as well, especially if I burn the shit out of something in the kitchen and need to air the place out.

Jiek_Fafn posted...

My contractor estimated mine at $30/square foot for the deck part, which seems average from looking online. We're also having him do things like install a sliding door and shit too. We're getting that composite TRex stuff.

Waiting for the actual written up estimate. Not sure if I'm getting it done this year or next. We had him finish the attic into a master sweet last year and it's currently unfurnished. Whichever is cheaper is happening this summer.

Maybe I'm an idiot, but if I just want a 12x12 = 144 square ft, times $30 per square foot = $4,320 total?

If that's the case then why am I getting estimated at like $12k lmfao hahahaha

TaylorHeinicke posted...

You are correct, it has a patio door that goes nowhere. Of course you would only fall about 7 feet though because it's not very high off the ground

So what about just stairs that lead down to a patio? Probably cheaper and way less maintenance.

I think decks probably add more in resale value but tbh I grew up in a house with a deck and my parents complained about keeping up with it all the time so I made sure when house hunting that I wanted patios or ground-level decks that could be eventually replaced with patios

littlebro07 posted...

So what about just stairs that lead down to a patio? Probably cheaper and way less maintenance.

Not a bad idea, but I think it would look a little weird visually. The other issue is access. The patio door in the kitchen is really the only good way out there. It's that or go all the way back to the garage, out the back door, and then around the back. Deck is just easier for the two of us anyways - I would be shocked if there were ever more than six people at the house at the same time anyways, we aren't big entertainers. If there was basement walk-out access, that would make total sense.

littlebro07 posted...

I think decks probably add more in resale value but tbh I grew up in a house with a deck and my parents complained about keeping up with it all the time so I made sure when house hunting that I wanted patios or ground-level decks that could be eventually replaced with patios

It's a valid concern, but I suspect the upgrades in material/technology have made it so that isn't as much of an issue with the composite stuff. We'll see though.

Project Description: Build new maintenance free deck.

Deck Size: 12x12 no stairs

Railing & Color: Westbury Tuscany railing in black, white or bronze fine texture

Decking & Color: Azek decking and fascia harvest or landmark collection

Extras:

Post wraps in white azek: $275 per post with total of three footing posts $825.00

4-inch post upgrade: Railing posts $525.00

LED lighting: Includes a 1.3-watt LED on each post of deck $675.00.

Drink Rail Top $ 975.00

Base Deck Estimate: $ 14,200.00

YOWZA

$675 for LED lighting seems insane.

Reread your covenant

Damn. This was something I was interested in too for my house

Smashingpmkns posted...

$675 for LED lighting seems insane.

Yeah it really is. They are sun-oriented at least so they turn on and off automatically based on lighting. I'm gonna ask for an example picture at night.

MrResetti posted...

Reread your covenant

What is that

Will_VIIII posted...

Damn. This was something I was interested in too for my house

Yeah it's pretty nuts. Blame inflation I guess. Very annoying

I'm hoping to expand my home to add a 3rd bedroom and lengthen the living room.

I'm afraid of what that would cost, but if I sell this house for a bigger one I lose my 2.7% interest rate, 3k for closing coats, and 6-7% of whatever the home sale would be for my current place. Not to mention paying for inspections and moving costs I'd be out 12k or so

Will_VIIII posted...

I'm hoping to expand my home to add a 3rd bedroom and lengthen the living room.

I'm afraid of what that would cost, but if I sell this house for a bigger one I lose my 2.7% interest rate, 3k for closing coats, and 6-7% of whatever the home sale would be for my current place. Not to mention paying for inspections and moving costs I'd be out 12k or so

Unless you're even remotely thinking about moving anytime soon, you've got no reason to sell. Keep building the value of the house and it'll pay off if/when you do want to move in a decade or whatever

All home Reno projects are WAY overpriced now. It's fucking stupid. But hey, they can literally charge whatever they want if you can't/don't want to do it yourself. I want to level my backyard a little and know it's going to be stupid expensive

Will_VIIII posted...

I'm hoping to expand my home to add a 3rd bedroom and lengthen the living room.

I'm afraid of what that would cost, but if I sell this house for a bigger one I lose my 2.7% interest rate, 3k for closing coats, and 6-7% of whatever the home sale would be for my current place. Not to mention paying for inspections and moving costs I'd be out 12k or so

I think you've mentioned that you paid next to nothing for your house. Live in that shit until retirement imo

Jiek_Fafn posted...

I think you've mentioned that you paid next to nothing for your house. Live in that shit until retirement imo

Yup and it's almost doubled in value in 2.5 years lol

I'm looking to expand because my girlfriend is moving in, in a few months with her dog and we're looking at having kids in 2024 possibly

Will_VIIII posted...

Yup and it's almost doubled in value in 2.5 years lol

I'm looking to expand because my girlfriend is moving in, in a few months with her dog and we're looking at having kids in 2024 possibly

i'm afraid to ask this given i just bought in 2023 like right as everything is STARTING to calm down (still stupidly inflated but my gf and i are sick of sharing walls), vs. your purchase before all this shit blew up, but what are the specs (BR/BA) and what was the purchase price?

rough city/region would be cool too

Central Wisconsin, 600 sq foot home for about 65k, detached 1 car garage and a nice sized front and back yard.

Extending the front of the house 12 feet would make a significant difference .

It's a 2 bedroom 1 bathroom

Will_VIIII posted...

Central Wisconsin, 600 sq foot home for about 65k, detached 1 car garage and a nice sized front and back yard.

Extending the front of the house 12 feet would make a significant difference .

It's a 2 bedroom 1 bathroom

oh nice im in WI too. near hudson tho so it's still basically minnesota

Your home didn't have a neighborhood covenant?

a wut

MrResetti posted...

Your home didn't have a neighborhood covenant?

I have no idea. I haven't actually moved in yet, we close on the 31st. Is that like an HOA or something? I know there's no HOA at least. Googling "neighborhood covenant," it sounds suspiciously close to an HOA but more specific to what you can and can't build?