Building a deck in Calgary… What to know and where to start!

Let’s start with a trusty deck diagram

Build A Dec - Diagram - Materials - What You Need To Know First

This deck diagram includes all the building materials needed to go into building a deck frame; lumber, posts, concrete, and hangers, as well the locations of each component.

It is common practice at big box stores when discussing per square foot price of deck framing, to just include the bare minimum in order to advertise the lowest square foot price to get people in the door.

At Mountain View Building Materials, we prefer to advertise a higher per square foot price for our deck frame packages, and make sure to include everything our clients need to successfully build their deck.

Deck Frames are typically constructed of either 2×8 or 2×10 Pressure Treated Lumber. However, it is not uncommon to have portions of a deck built with 2×6 or 2×12 Pressure Treated Lumber as well.

A deck frame constructed as shown in the diagram, using all the identified components, using 2×8 Pressure Treated Lumber will run about $7.45 per square foot.

The same deck frame using 2×10 Pressure Treated Lumber will run about $8.16 per square foot.

Once your deck frame is built, there are an array of different decking material options to choose from here at Mountain View Building Materials.

These choices can be divided into 2 categories, natural wood decking, and composite decking.

There is a wide range of pricing between the 2 categories, as well within each category.

Stairs built from maintenance free composite decking

view of how cedar stairs step down to grade

NATURAL WOOD DECKING VS. COMPOSITE DECKING PRICE COMPARISON IN CALGARY

Approximate Natural Wood Deck Cost Variance as of April 2021

Pressure Treated 2×6 Decking = $4.36 per sqft
Cedar 5/4×5 Decking = $3.81 per sqft

Yes, you read that right – cedar is cheaper than pressure treated right now.

Approximate Composite Deck Board Cost Variance as of April 2021

Fiberon Goodlife Cottage/ Cabin Deck Boards = $6.45 per sqft
Azek Vintage PVC Composite Deck Boards = $15.98 per sqft

As you can see, depending on which composite you choose you could be looking at a $9 per square foot cost difference.

*An additional consideration that must be taken if choosing composite decking are the fasteners. Composite Decking installs require the use of specialized fasteners. These fasteners typically add anywhere from $.95 per square foot to $1.57 per square foot to the cost of your composite deck.

MountainView_BuildingMaterials_Lumber_Decks_Fencing_Pergola_Siding - 1

Calgary designed with different colour composite decking boards

cedar landing with two steps down to cedar deck

Does your deck need a railing?

Every deck over 24” off the ground requires a railing. Much like the decking options, we offer natural wood railing options, and Fortress Aluminum Railing Options. It is not uncommon to see beautiful wood railings on composite decks, or metal railings on wood decks! In regards to railings, it really depends on the clients design likes.

Below is the lineal foot costs of our standard railing packages:

Wood Railings (4×4 posts, 2×4 horizontal supports, 2×6 top cap, 2×2 spindles)