Decks
Starting at $20,000
Decks
When considering your backyard outdoor living space, there are many options for how to increase the aesthetics while also increasing the usability of your outdoor area. Making your yard a place that not only looks amazing, but a space you can enjoy with your family, is the key to outdoor living.
One of the best ways to increase the usability of your outdoor space is with a deck. There are many options when it comes to decks. From treated lumber, cedar, and several levels of composite materials and railings. All of these materials end up looking great; the only thing left to decide is what materials and finishes you’re going to choose and what size of deck will work best for your space.
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Investment
Most clients invest $25,000 to $40,000
- Deck size (square footage)
- Decking material (cedar vs. composite tier)
- Railing style (aluminum, cable, wood)
- Height above grade & stair runs
- Multi-level or wrap-around layouts
- Built-in lighting, benches, and screening
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Real decks we've built across Kansas City
Cedar, composite, and custom decks for every home style.
Living space at the height of your back door.
Plenty of Kansas City homes sit well above the yard behind them. The back door opens onto a drop, the ground falls off toward the rear of the lot, and the flat usable part of the property is at the bottom of a hill. A deck answers that by carrying the floor out level with the house, so you step through the door and you are already standing in the space.
It also puts that space right off the kitchen, which is most of why decks get used as much as they do, and a stair run down to the lawn keeps the rest of the yard connected to it.
Cedar or composite.
The decking material sets both the look of the finished deck and what it will ask of you in ten years, so it is the first real decision on the project.
Cedar is real wood, with grain and color variation that no manufactured board copies exactly. It costs less up front. It also wants attention, a wash each spring and a fresh coat of stain or sealer every few years to hold the color, and left alone it will weather to a silver grey.
Composite costs more at the start and takes the finishing off your plate for good. The boards do not splinter or cup, nothing needs staining, and the color they arrive in is the color they stay. It comes in several tiers, and what separates them is how convincing the grain reads and how the surface handles heat, scratching and fading.
Treated lumber is the economy option, and it is what the substructure underneath is usually framed in regardless of what you choose to walk on.
When you need a railing, and which one.
Any walking surface more than 30 inches above the ground needs a guard around it, which puts nearly every deck coming off the back of a house into railing territory. Under that height it turns into a design decision instead of a requirement.
Wood railing is the least expensive of the three and it matches the deck it sits on. Aluminum is thinner and darker, holds its finish without any upkeep, and costs more. Cable rail runs stainless cable horizontally between the posts, which keeps the deck feeling open, and it carries the highest price of the three. Stairs land where the yard wants them, and the run gets longer the higher the deck sits.
What a deck costs.
A deck from us starts at $20,000, with most builds landing between $25,000 and $40,000.
Square footage sets the baseline. From there the material tier is the largest single lever, with composite sitting above cedar, and the railing choice follows close behind it. Height plays a real part as well, because a deck standing high off the ground takes more substructure underneath it and a longer stair run to reach the yard. Multi-level and wrap-around layouts carry more framing than the same square footage laid out as a simple rectangle, and they price accordingly.
Decks we've built around Kansas City.
Cedar and composite, with grill stations, pergola cover and hardscape worked in around them.
What homeowners ask us about decks.
How much does a deck cost in Kansas City?Most of ours fall between $25,000 and $40,000, with the smaller builds starting around $20,000. Square footage sets the baseline and the decking material moves it most from there, followed by the railing style and how high the deck sits off the ground.
Should I go cedar or composite?It comes down to whether you would rather spend less now or spend less time on it later. Cedar is warmer looking and cheaper up front, and it needs washing and refinishing every few years to keep its color. Composite costs more to install and then asks almost nothing of you for the life of it.
Do I need a permit for a deck?Usually. Most cities in the metro want a permit once a deck is attached to the house or sits more than a couple of feet off the ground, and many HOAs review the plans separately. We confirm what applies to your address during the design process, and permits are a service we provide.
Does my deck need a railing?If the walking surface is more than 30 inches above the ground, yes, and that covers most decks built off the back of a house. Below that height it becomes a design choice, and plenty of low decks look better without one.
Can I put a hot tub on it?Yes, as long as we know going in. A filled tub with people in it is a serious amount of weight in one spot, so the framing underneath has to be built for it from the start. Retrofitting that under a finished deck means pulling boards up.
Can a deck have a pergola or a roof over it?It can, and it is a popular way to get shade onto one without losing the open feel of the rest. The posts need to line up with the framing below, so it is worth deciding before the deck gets built rather than after.
How much maintenance does a deck need?Composite asks for a rinse and very little else. Cedar takes more than that, since it needs refinishing on a cycle of a few years or it will go grey on you. With either one it pays to have somebody look over the framing and the hardware now and then, and that is something we can take care of for you.
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Read the guide →Areas we service
Every city in the KC metro we build in, with in-depth guides for the suburbs that matter most.
See the map →Let's design your deck.
A 45-minute consultation is all it takes to see what's possible. No pressure, no hard sell, just experienced designers and a clear next step.