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Building Your Dream Deck in Terre Haute: A Guide to Materials, Design, and Construction
Hey Terre Haute homeowners! I’m Derek Snyder, owner of White Rock Contracting LLC, your local deck builder. Building a deck is a fantastic way to enhance your outdoor living space. This guide will walk you through the key considerations, from design and materials to construction and finishing touches. Our professional deck install team includes a licensed home inspector, and carpenters with many years of experience to make sure you vision comes to life!
1. Deck Design Considerations That Affect Pricing:
I know almost everyone wants up front pricing to get a ballpark.. I do too!
In the Army we had ‘Planning Factors’ when planning operations. Even though they were never exact, they were helpful. Hopefully the following numbers help with your decision making process. With foundation, framing, decking, and equivalent railings, treated wood decks are around $55/square foot, Ultradeck Inspire decks are around $75/square foot, and Trex Decks are around $85/square foot installed (and can go much higher for luxury options). These prices can change drastically given the following considerations.
Planning your deck is crucial for staying within budget. Several factors influence the final cost:
- Height off Ground: Higher decks require more materials and labor, increasing the price.
- Custom Shapes: Unique angles, curves, or multi-level designs add complexity and cost compared to simple rectangular decks.
- Railing Options: The type of railing significantly impacts the budget. Options range from cost-effective pressure-treated wood to more expensive composite, aluminum, cable, or glass systems.
- Decking Material Options: The choice of decking material is a major cost driver. Options include:
- Pressure-treated lumber (most affordable)
- Composite decking (less maintenance and luxury premium options available)
- Decking Layout Options: Decking boards can be arranged in visually appealing ways or to eliminate staggered butt joints throughout with dividers
- Picture Framing – This option is a perimeter of boards that have a smooth side on their edges instead of the tongue and groove edges for a refined appearance.
- Dividers – If you don’t like the look of staggered boards butting up to each other, dividers allow for a very clean look.
- Framing Options: Framing provides the deck’s structure.
- Green Pressure-treated lumber (common and affordable)
- ‘Cedar Tone’ Pressure-treated lumber (slightly more expensive than green treated lumber, but higher quality wood and brown color) – We love this option for synthetic decks that are off the ground with visible posts.
- Steel framing (more expensive but offers superior durability)
- Stairs or Ramps: The number of stairs or the height of the ramp, their design, and the materials used will affect the price.
- Covers: Adding a roof, pergola, or other cover provides shade and extends the deck’s usability but adds to the cost. These are great options to cool off the surface of the deck on a hot day though!
- Size: The overall square footage of the deck is a primary factor in material and labor costs.
- Load rating: Are there particular parts of the deck you’d like reinforced for a heavy load such as a hot tub?
2. Foundation: Poured Footers and Anchor Bolts
Pouring concrete with a ‘MudMixer’ concrete mixer gives the best (most consistent concrete pour) foundation possible! Ignore Ryan’s goofy smile…
A solid foundation is paramount for a safe and stable deck.
- Poured Concrete Footers: These extend below the frost line (48″ down in our area) to prevent shifting and settling. The size and depth are engineered based on deck size, design, and local building codes.
- Anchor Bolts and plates: These secure the deck’s framing to the concrete footers, ensuring a strong connection and preventing the wood from contacting the ground, thus minimizing moisture damage and rot.
3. Treated Wood Decks: (Standard Option)
Pressure-treated lumber is a popular choice for decking due to its affordability.
- Pros:
- Cost-effective
- Readily available
- Easy to work with
- Can be stained or painted
- Cons:
- Requires regular maintenance (cleaning, sealing)
- Susceptible to fading and cracking over time
- Concerns about chemicals used in treatment (although modern treatments are safer)
4. UltraDeck Synthetic Decking (Quality Option)
Shown above is an UltraDeck Inspire Spanish Cedar Deck.
UltraDeck is a composite decking material offering low maintenance and durability.
- Benefits:
- Minimal upkeep (no sanding, staining, or sealing)
- Highly resistant to fading, staining, scratching, and rot
- Long-lasting (comes with warranties described below)
- Variety of styles and colors
Show below is a custom shaped UltraDeck Synthetic deck reinforced for a hottub. If you look around the edges you can see the two ‘picture frame’ deck boards as the perimeter.
Product Lines for Decking Options (Our top two choices from them)
Ultradeck Fusion 2.0 Decking (A great, and cost effective option from UltraDeck)
- Distinctive woodgrain texture delivers a low sheen, slip resistant surface
- Encapsulated surface technology for fade, scratch, and stain resistance
- UltraDeck Fusion® 2.0 is UV protected to reduce fading
- EcoFriendly and Sustainable, made from 100% recycled wood and high quality resins
- Simply installed using hidden fastening systems for a clean professional look warranty
- Backed by UltraDeck®’s 25 year limited warranty
UltraDeck Inspire™ Decking (UltraDeck’s Premium Option)
- Realistic woodgrain texture
- Encapsulated surface technology
- UV protected to reduce fading
- Made from polyethylene and recycled wood fibers
- Simple installation using hidden fasteners
- Backed by the UltraDeck® 25 year limited warranty
- Framing Options for Ultradeck: Pressure-treated lumber or steel framing.
- Railing Options for Ultradeck: Trex composite railing, aluminum, cable, wood, or glass.
5. Trex Decking (Premium Option)
Trex is another leading brand of composite decking known for quality and innovation.
- Benefits:
- Low maintenance
- Durable and resistant to the elements
- Eco-friendly options available (made from recycled materials)
- Wide range of colors, textures, and styles
- Product Lines:
- Trex Enhance: $$ – Good – 25-year limited residential warranty
- Trex Select: $$$ – Better – 35-year limited residential warranty
- Trex Transcend: $$$$ – Best – 50-year limited residential warranty – this line is what we’ve priced in the past for customers, which brought us to the roughly $85/sq ft number
- Trex Signature: $$$$$ – Luxury – 50-year residential warranty
- Framing Options for Trex: Pressure-treated lumber or steel framing.
- Railing Options for Trex: Trex composite railing, aluminum, cable, wood, or glass.
6. Accessories
Enhance your deck’s functionality and aesthetics with these accessories:
- Post Sleeve Covers: Conceal the structural posts for a more finished look.
- Cladding: Adds a finished look to the deck’s fascia.
- Railing Options: As mentioned above, railings are both functional and decorative.
- Lighting: Deck lighting enhances safety and creates ambiance.
- Hardware: Choose high-quality screws, bolts, and other hardware for long-lasting performance.
Our Overall Process:
No matter the size or complexity of your desired project, there’s an overall process I’d like you to be aware of that we follow:
- Initial Consultation – What are you looking to do with your space and why? This can generally be done over the phone to get an understanding of potential options and ideally a rough estimate of what a project like yours could cost.
- Initial Walk Through – Going over the plan, getting measurements, walk through with a designer, and finalizing the scope of work prior to work starting. Finalized cost and warranty information discussed.
- Installation – Our team is always respectful of your time and space. You can learn more about the individuals that make this happen are on this website. We keep the work area as tidy as we can, and provide frequent updates on progress and timelines.
- Final walk through – We will be there to address any concerns you may have!
- Follow on support – All of our work carries a one year craftsmanship warranty!
Getting an Accurate Bid:
The best way to get an accurate Deck estimate for your specific Deck is to contact me or other reputable deck contractors in Terre Haute for a consultation. Our goal is to be the most valuable synthetic deck builder in Terre Haute. We’ll come to your home, discuss your vision, take measurements, and assess the existing conditions. This will allow us to provide you with a detailed and personalized bid.
I hope this gives you a better understanding of deck building costs in Terre Haute. Of course, construction costs are constantly changing, so feel free to reach out if you have any questions or would like to discuss your project! I’m always happy to help.
-Derek Snyder
Feel Free to reach out to me at (812) 605-2560, or stop by our office at 300 Ohio Street Suite E in Terre Haute, Indiana!
This detailed guide should help you make informed decisions about your deck project in Terre Haute. Contact me today for a free consultation and let’s build your dream outdoor space!