Building a Quality Deck at a Low Cost

A deck is an essential addition to your home that will enhance the functionality and beauty of your outdoor living space. Decks are often available in a wide range of options and designs, and when choosing one for your home, you will want to evaluate a couple of things to help you narrow down your options and find the most ideal option. For many homeowners, the cost of the deck is usually among the top priorities. You can actually build a cheaper deck without sacrificing the quality, which is particularly beneficial if you are on a budget. Here is how this can happen.

Plan to Build Your Deck During the Off-Season

The on-season for most deck construction activities is usually in summer and spring. When the demand is high, the prices or costs of deck building will also rise for both the materials and labour. For this reason, you want to wait until the off-season, around late autumn or winter. First, since many deck contractors will have less workload during the off-season, their schedules could be more flexible, which means they may actually have some more time to concentrate on your particular project. More significantly, negotiating prices during the off-season is quite easy and some contractors may even offer you off-season pricing that's often lower than the normal charges.

Consider Standard Sizes

Standard sizes mean less customisation of the building materials. Any customisation in the colour, size, or shape of the deck building materials will increase their prices. Therefore, go for standard sizes. Don't worry because you can still make your deck equally functional with the standard materials by simply adding some of the features you'd like. For example, if you are building a timber deck, buying wood pieces customised to certain sizes can be costly. An alternative to this would be to buy standard-sized wood pieces and saw them to the required sizes. While this can take some time, it will help you save a few dollars.

Select Your Deck Materials Carefully

Many homeowners prefer a timber deck because of the natural look it adds to a home. The type of timber can also make a difference in the overall costs of your deck. The major concern when choosing timber materials is treatment because wood is often prone to insect infestation and rot. Pre-treated timber is usually expensive. Therefore, choose untreated timber but to ensure your deck still holds up well to rot and insects, apply protective finishes or chemical wood treatments. In most cases, the overall costs of the untreated wood and chemical treatments or finishes will relatively lower.