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Estimate labor cost separately from materials.
With these inputs:
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated labor cost | $5,250 |
| Estimated build hours | 70 hrs |
| Crew days (2 workers) | 4.4 days |
| Cost per sqft (labor only) | $26.25 |
Labour is the half of a deck quote nobody can itemise from a lumber list. It varies with the region, the height of the deck, how complicated the shape is and how much of the old structure has to come out first. This separates labour from materials so you can see what you are actually being charged to build, and how much of the total a DIY build would save.
Most deck builders charge between $15 and $35 per square foot for labour alone, with $20 to $25 typical for a straightforward rectangular deck at a normal height. Stairs, multiple levels, curved edges, picture-frame borders and any work above about eight feet all push it toward the top of the range and beyond.
Roughly 40 to 55 percent of the total, because that is what labour represents on most jobs. On a 200 square foot pressure-treated deck that is often $4,000 to $6,000. The honest caveats: it takes two or three weekends, you still pay for the permit and inspections, and the two parts where mistakes are expensive — footings and the ledger connection — are the two parts a first-timer is most likely to get wrong.
Most price by the square foot for the main deck and then add fixed amounts for stairs, railing runs and demolition, because that is how they estimate their own time. Hourly pricing shows up on repairs and on jobs where the scope is genuinely unknown until something comes apart. Either way, ask for the breakdown — a per-square-foot number with no line items is hard to compare.
Everything takes longer off the ground. Posts are longer and heavier, footings are deeper, materials have to be lifted, staging goes up and comes down, and the railing has to be built to resist a real fall load. Add the extra inspection steps most jurisdictions require above a set height and an elevated deck can cost 30 to 50 percent more in labour than the same deck at grade.
About $15 to $35 per square foot in 2026, with $20 to $25 typical for a straightforward rectangular deck a few feet off the ground. The calculator above works it from crew hours: roughly 0.35 labour-hours per square foot for a standard deck at a blended crew rate of around $75 an hour, adjusted for complexity.
Most estimate crew hours from the square footage and the features — each stair run, railing section and level change adds a set amount of time — then multiply by their crew rate and add materials at cost plus 10 to 20 percent. Demolition, permits and site work are quoted separately. If a bid only shows a single number, ask for that split before comparing it with another.
The crew rate on a quote is not the carpenter's wage. A $60 to $90 blended hourly rate also has to cover payroll taxes, workers' compensation and liability insurance, tools, the truck, time spent estimating and the company's profit. For what carpenters themselves are paid, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes median wages by state in its Occupational Outlook Handbook.
At $15 to $35 per square foot, a 12x12 deck (144 sq ft) is about $2,160 to $5,040 in labour and a 16x20 deck (320 sq ft) about $4,800 to $11,200. Stairs, railing, height and demolition move a job within that band; enter them in the calculator above for a figure built from crew hours.
Need the whole roof at once? The free roofing calculator works out roof area, squares, shingle bundles, underlayment, drip edge, ridge cap and installed cost from one set of measurements.