Wood Deck Cost 2026: $10,000–$18,000 for a 16x20 Deck

Building or replacing a common attached wood deck in the US — pressure-treated framing and decking, about 250 to 400 square feet, a simple stair, and code railings — often clusters around $10,000–$18,000. A 16×20 is 320 square feet, and it is the deck that band describes. The wider national spread, about $6,000–$28,000, covers a small attached platform at the low end and a larger, taller, or higher-grade wood deck at the high end. Composite decking and second-story structures can clear that spread. These are typical planning ranges, not a survey and not a quote.

Square-foot rules of thumb are easy to misuse. A 12×12 has less than half the floor of a 16×20, and it is not half the price, because the footings, the ledger, the stair, and the railings do not shrink with the floor. Price the deck you can draw, not a rate you saw on a forum.

The size table is pressure-treated framing and decking, one straight stair, standard wood railings, footings to a normal frost depth, and an ordinary permit. It does not include removal of a large old deck. The low end of a row is a low, simple rectangle the truck can reach. The high end is more height, a longer rail, or a yard that fights the footings.

Deck	Area	Typical installed cost
10×10	100 sq ft	$6,000–$9,000
12×12	144 sq ft	$7,000–$11,000
12×16	192 sq ft	$8,000–$13,000
16×20	320 sq ft	$10,000–$18,000
20×20	400 sq ft	$14,000–$20,000

The 16×20 row is the typical band on this page. A straightforward one at the per-square-foot rate below lands in the middle of that row. A 12×12 sits under the band because the floor is smaller, and it does not drop as far as the square footage suggests. A 10×10 attached deck with a stair and railings starts near the $6,000 floor of the wider spread. A 20×20 at $14,000–$20,000 starts inside the typical band and leaves it when the deck is large and the rate is high. A taller 20×20 in pressure-treated wood can leave $20,000 and still sit under $28,000. Cedar or redwood on that footprint can clear the top.

The per-square-foot table is the installed lumber on a deck of about 250 to 400 square feet, with the stair, the railings, and the permit included in the rate. It is a cross-check for a 16×20 or a 20×20. A 10×10 or a 12×12 costs more per foot than this table, because the pieces that do not shrink are a larger share of a small deck.

Lumber	Typical installed cost per sq ft
Pressure-treated	$35–$50
Cedar	$45–$70
Redwood	$55–$80

A 16×20 at pressure-treated $35–$50 is about $11,200–$16,000, the middle of the $10,000–$18,000 row. A low deck with a short rail can sit near $10,000. A higher 16×20 can sit near $18,000. Cedar at $45–$70 on that 320 square feet is about $14,400–$22,400, which leaves the typical band and stays inside the wider spread. Redwood at $55–$80 is about $17,600–$25,600 on a 16×20. On a 20×20, redwood at the top of that rate is about $32,000, which can clear the $28,000 top. The frame under cedar or redwood decking is still pressure-treated in this reading. Composite and PVC boards are a different product. Price them on the deck building guide. On a comparable frame they are often a step from the high teens into $40,000 once size and height grow.

A 12×12 is 144 square feet. The size row is $7,000–$11,000, about $49–$76 a square foot, above the $35–$50 rate. Multiplying 144 by $35 and expecting $5,000 misses the stair, the rail, the ledger, and the permit. Use the size table for the total.

The lines below are how to read a bid. One straight stair, standard wood railings, and an ordinary permit are already inside the size table. Do not add them on top. A second stair, a cable or glass rail, and removal of a large old deck are add-ons.

Add-on	Typical planning range
Stairs, one straight run	$1,000–$2,500
Railings, standard wood	$1,500–$5,500
Permit	$100–$500
Old deck removal	$1,000–$3,500

A 10×10 uses the low end of the stair and railing lines. A 16×20 or a 20×20 with guards on three sides uses the upper half. Adding the high end of every line on a small deck overshoots the size row, because a bid does not hit the top of every line at once. Removal of a small platform is the low end of that row and sometimes sits inside a normal bid. A full elevated deck that needs its own dumpster is the high end, and it is added to the size table. Cable, glass, and a second level are the deck building guide, not this railing line.

Deck or a patio

A deck is usually the larger check for the same footprint. A plain concrete patio, on grade, broom finish, with no railings and no stair, is a different project. A 12×12 patio of that kind is often about $2,000–$4,500. A 16×20 patio is often about $4,000–$9,000. The 12×12 deck row is $7,000–$11,000, and the 16×20 deck row is $10,000–$18,000. The deck buys footings, a frame, railings, and a stair. The slab does not.

Pavers, a step or two, or a seat wall can close that gap. A covered patio is a different budget again. These patio figures are typical planning ranges for a simple slab the truck can reach. They are not the driveway guide, which is a vehicle slab, and they are not a quote.

What the range includes

The typical band assumes pressure-treated posts, beams, joists, and decking on a deck of about 250 to 400 square feet; concrete footings to the local frost depth; a ledger bolted and flashed to the house where an attached deck is allowed; ordinary wood railings and one straight stair; and a permit. It assumes the yard is reachable by a truck and the soil will take a standard footing. A 16×20 is the footprint inside that sentence.

It does not include composite or PVC boards, cedar or redwood decking, glass or cable railings, a second level, built-in benches, lighting circuits, a roof over the deck, removal of a large existing structure that needs a dumpster of its own, or engineering stamps some cities require for a deck above a certain height. Price composite decking, multi-level work, and upgraded railings on the deck building guide. The other exclusions should be line items. New windows are a different project; if they are part of the same exterior season, price them on the window replacement guide instead of folding them into the deck bid. A tree over the deck is the tree removal guide, not a line in the deck row.

As a cross-check, not a bid: ground-level wood platforms are often discussed around $4,000–$10,000 when they are truly simple and the railing is short. That can sit under the $6,000 floor of the wider spread. The 10×10 row on this page is an attached deck with a stair and railings, which is why it starts at $6,000.

What moves the price

Driver	How it changes the bid
Size	A 12×12 is often $7,000–$11,000. A 16×20 is the $10,000–$18,000 band. A 20×20 is often $14,000–$20,000. Corners and a picture-frame border add labor faster than area.
Lumber	Pressure-treated is often $35–$50 a square foot on a deck of this size. Cedar is often $45–$70. Redwood is often $55–$80. Composite is the other guide.
Height	A deck a story up needs more bracing, longer posts, and railings that are doing real work. Footings get more serious. A low 16×20 can sit near $10,000. A higher one sits near $18,000 and can leave it.
Ledger and flashing	Attaching to the house is where decks fail. Proper flashing and the right fasteners are not the place to save.
Stairs and railings	One straight stair is often $1,000–$2,500, and standard wood guards are often $1,500–$5,500, already inside the size table. A second stair or a long run down a slope is added.
Site and removal	Slopes, poor access, and rocky soil turn the footing day into the project. Hauling off a large old deck is often $1,000–$3,500 on top of the new one.

If the deck will have a hot tub, say so at the start. The structure is designed for it or it is not. That is an engineering question, not a board upgrade. An ordinary permit is often $100–$500 and already sits inside the size rows. Ask for it as its own line anyway.

DIY or hire

A low deck with a simple rectangle is a realistic project for someone who has framed before, can set footings to the depth the inspector wants, and will follow the current prescriptive deck guide their city uses. The ledger connection and the flashing against the house siding are the parts that cause rot in the wall. If you are unsure, hire at least that connection and the footings, and do the decking yourself.

Hire the whole job if the deck is more than a step off the ground, if it needs a beam you cannot size, or if you have not pulled a permit before. Railings are not trim. They are the safety system. A wobbly DIY railing is not a savings.

Replacing a few surface boards is ordinary DIY when the joists under them are dry and solid. Use the same thickness, leave the gaps the material requires, and do not bury a soft joist under a new board.

Repair or replace

Repair the surface when the frame is sound: replace cupped or splintered boards, tighten or replace fasteners, and reset a loose railing post if the post base is still good. Clean and recoat when the wood is intact and the water is beading poorly. That maintenance is cheaper than any of the bands on this page.

Rebuild when posts are soft at the ground, a beam is cracked or rotting, the ledger is separating from the house, joists are notched in ways that worry you, or the deck was built on blocks sitting on the soil in a climate that freezes. Covering a bad frame with new composite boards is a way to buy an expensive surface for a structure that still needs to come out.

If you did not build the deck, look underneath before you price decking. The frame is the project or it is not. A flashlight and a screwdriver into a post base will tell you more than the color of the stain.

How to use this number

Ask for bids that state the footprint, the height, the footing type, the species and size of the framing, the decking material, the railing style, whether removal of the old deck is included, and the permit. Compare a pressure-treated 16×20 with $10,000–$18,000. Compare a 12×12 with $7,000–$11,000 and a 20×20 with $14,000–$20,000. Compare the lumber with $35–$50 for pressure-treated, $45–$70 for cedar, and $55–$80 for redwood, and remember those rates fit a deck of about 250 to 400 square feet. Keep one stair, the wood rail, and the permit inside the size row. Put a large removal on its own line at $1,000–$3,500.

A very low bid on an elevated deck is a reason to ask about footing depth and ledger flashing, not a reason to celebrate. A high bid should point at height, access, railings, cedar, redwood, or removal. Two or three local bids on the same drawing are the number that matters. How this site sets the band is explained on the methodology page.