We have a 16x24 PT pine deck. A local company wants $16K to remove decking and railings and replace with Trex Transcend, supposedly top of the line composite. Also double picture framing border.

Joists underneath are good. All work is topside.

Maybe I'm out of touch with prevailing prices but this strikes me as way high. Another estimate was about $1500 cheaper but the first company has excellent reviews.

Other option is replace some of the bad boards but over the years maintaining the wood has been a major headache.

Thoughts appreciated.

quote:

Originally posted by RogB:
$16K

Apparently I'm in the wrong line of work.

16K for a (at most) two day job? Where do I sign?

If you do go with a composite, I would suggest finding a material retailer that has test decks setup outdoors so you can see the effects of weathering. We did and ended up using TimberTech for the decking material.

The price you got quoted is in the ballpark with the quotes I got for my similarly sized deck last summer. Our job was a tear out and complete re-installation of a free standing deck, concrete piers and the works.

did they give you a breakdown between labor and materials?

We have a house down in SW Virginia that has a pretty good sized deck around the back and one end. We used pine decking when we built it. Bad mistake.

Even though we used top of the line deck paint the wood has deteriorated badly and needs to be replaced.

My thought is to use the plastic decking and also for the railings.

I would use some type of protection on the joists. My thought is to use some of that adhesive backed rubber tape on top of each joist. Fold it over and staple it along the edges. That will keep water from getting to the joists and keep them from rotting out.

Putting the new plastic decking down is pretty easy, and when we do it, I will be doing it. That plastic decking is easy to work with, and color lasts for many years without bleaching out.

They have at least 3 or 4 methods of fastening the decking down from deck screws through the boards to clips the engage in the sides of the boards.

How much to use just plain PT premium lumber? That number seems high. I'm thinking 6-8k for materials even using the composite stuff. That is a high price for labor for what should be a short job for a good crew.

Then again, I was shocked (about 3 to 5 times what the same job would cost in Arkansas) at what a friend in NoVa had to pay to get a window replaced.

Check the price of composite decking and screws at your lumberyard to see if it is worthwhile for you to install or have the contractor do it. If you don't have a pick up then disposal of the old material is problematic. Maybe you can build a mess of raised beds for gardening. Check and see what the spacing is for your joists. You can pick up a 16 foot piece of composite decking in the middle and the ends will touch the ground. A 2 foot spacing will not cut it and the decking will sag, I believe a 16 inch spacing is the minimum. If you install the decking at a 45 degree angle then 12 inch spacing is needed. Composite decking also has a shrink swell to it, the directions will probably tell you the spacing to use when it buts up against permanent fixtures like a house.

That seems very high to me. For comparison, I paid less than that last year for a full screened-in porch (electrical, lighting, fan, etc..). It went on my existing wood deck, but they provided a composite decking option (tear up wood and put down composite) for about $3k more. Surface space was 20'x12'.

Good value contracting in NoVa is always a fun scavenger hunt. Too many people with disposable income that dont ask questions or shop quotes inflate the cost of things.

16 x 24 = 384 sq ft. No railing, benches, etc.

Trex Transcend is one of the more pricy products.
Lets be generous and say $10/sq ft. $4,000
And be equally generous with install cost with $10 per sq ft. $4,000
Removal and disposal of old deck, again "generous", $2,000.

Maybe I'm missing something here. Permits, insurance, licensing?

Even stretching numbers, I'm coming up with $10,000. Add $15% profit, and we're at $11,500 ...

Bet it would be cheaper Thanksgiving week. No one wants work done that week. Pre-season is the most expensive.

One thing you guys are missing is with wood, you use stringers on 24" centers. Trex needs 16" centers stringers minimum but most professionals put stringers every 12" so there is no sagging when it's hot and the sun is beating on it. So they're going to have to add stringers/beams underneath the dock. Without knowing how long they are or the wood size it's impossible to quote a price but my guess is this will easily add a few thousand. Also, no real business can survive on 15% profit margin doing projects like this, more like 40%. I think the quote sounds about right from what I've been seeing for a professional company that only does decks and has vehicles, insurance etc.

I got quotes on 2 docks recently which is very similar construction and regular PT wood deck was $16 a square foot (2x6), Tropical treated wood (2x6) was $18 sq foot and Trex was $28 a square foot. So the prices seem a little high, but the job is also smaller....

On our previous home we had 2-10x36ft decks and 3-10x18ft decks and I got tired of the maintenance and went over the top of the deck boards (CCA)with 1/2" Durock cement board (nailed and thinset under), taped all the joints, used waterproofing on the cement board (that stuff is EXPENSIVE) and then laid porcelain tile over it and I don't believe I had $10,000.00 in the entire job...it took me over 2 years to finish though. I used all the admixtures for thinset and grout and beefed up the support posts..sold the home several years ago and hear the decks are still doing great.

Composite decking is a very expensive product and I have saw a bunch of homes that the decking looks like shit and the decking isn't that old...probably bad installers though.

Hard to say without an itemized parts list.
Trex is first class product and not cheap to begin with.
If both vendors were suing the same bill of materials then $1500 difference may/may not be in line.
I would go with who you feel most comfortable with and if one was more then why not ask for a similar labor price?

That price might be a little high, but it's not out of line. You said that price was for Trex Transcends, which is expensive to begin with, decking and rails but you did not mention if there are stairs and stair rails too. Will they be using a hidden fastening system to attach the decking? They probably need to set new 4x4 rail posts for the Trex rails too. Will they be wrapping composite material around the existing perimeter PT framing to hide it? If there are stairs, will those by wrapped in composite materials?

I do this type of work for a living and trust me, it is NOT a two day project. I did a job similar to yours a few years ago, the deck was a bit bigger, but I probably had 80-100 man hours on that project. Decks built using composite materials is becoming prohibitively expensive.

Well shit...there goes my BMW. The wife wants to redo our deck this fall with the Trex stuff. I knew it was expensive but damn.

I work for a LARGE building supply wholesaler- there are very large price jumps between basic and top of the line decking materials. Adding in the railings, fastening systems, balusters, extra joists/ stringers, and so on the options for the "best of the best" add up fast.

Be aware that some of the deck colors get VERY hot in the sun- even some of the lighter ones get too hot to comfortably touch. I'd try to visit a lumber yard that has some displays outside to see the differences and feel them in the sun.

Plus, the rules for PT wood are changing- disposing of your old deck may be a decent chunk of change.

I estimate from $4000 to $5000 for material and same for labor. Get more bids.

We had a similar size deck built for about $10,000. That included digging the posts, framing, and using composite material. Also having the necessary permits.

If it's just replacing the boards, do it yourself.

I have to add here. My deck is 14x30 with an angled portion. We also had porch covers installed over a large portion of the deck and the main entrance for $16,000. TimberTech Terrain and Tropical were the products used.

I did a 2nd floor 12x14 in all transcend including the railing. Lighted post caps and lighted steps. Was $10,000 in materials. Installed myself. The railing cost adds up quick. The transcend fascia warps easily- if you use it you will need to put screws about an inch from the edge. Once you drive a screw in (if you use the composite deck screws with the different direction threads) don't take it out unless absolutely necessary as it will remove a chunk. The blind fasteners took longer to install than regular decks I have done.

Depending on the amount of railing and the balusters you selected, 16k might be in the ballpark but I think a bit high since you don't have a large number of steps.

Heavenly Lord that price seems crazy, though I have never priced the composite stuff.
Talk to me about what issues you all are having with wood decking. I have never had any issues.

My last house we built was 10'x20' used treated lumber for the deck and stained it. I powerwashed it in the spring and fall. 6 years later I had no issues with any of the wood. I did restain it to make it look fresh and new for sale. Had I stayed I would have likely restrained a year or 2 later.

Deck at the new place is 12 years old I had to replace a few boards in the steps and 1 side of the railing more for safety. I am guessing the previous owners never did any maintenance.
Granted this deck is screened and covered.
This year I am replacing the screen and while that is down it will be power washed and stained. Then after that just plan on power washing twice a year. This deck is 15'x20' granted the deck on this is covered so life should be much longer than the uncovered even with my last uncovered deck experience of 6 years no wood replaced and just a biannual power washing I can't fathom spending that much on a composite deck.

Norther Virginia climate is nearly identical to here.