When pricing/estimating how much it will cost to build your deck, there are often a couple of points that get overlooked. The first is the quantity and the type of fixings that are required to hold your deck together and the second is the temporary construction material that's going to be used to hold the deck together as it is being built.
When you're pricing your deck you need to start by itemising all the individual components, such as the concrete for your footings, the posts, the bearers, the floor joists, the decking boards, etc. You also need to itemise the different fixings you'll need to connect all the different components together; for example, the bolts that bolt the bearer to the post, or the nails that hold the bearer to the floor joist. As you go through itemising the components and the fixings, you will also need to consider what kind of temporary construction material you'll require to hold the deck together as you're building it. For example, when you stand your posts you need some timber to temporarily hold your posts upright while you place the other posts and bolt your bearers to them and then get your floor joists on.
When you're pricing and estimating how much your deck is going to cost, it's a great idea to write a list of all the different components required as well as what kind of fixings you're going to need to secure it all together.
To help you to do this we have created the Deck Building Materials Calculations Checklist which already has all of the possible components listed. All you need to do is to make a note of which components you need and the amounts required (according to your drawings and your plans) and then in the sections provided make a note of the type and quantity of fixings that the engineer has recommended to hold your components together. Then armed with this checklist you can approach potential suppliers for all your deck building materials. By using the checklist you make it really easy for them to give you an estimate of how much it's going to cost to build your deck. It also makes it easy to compare estimates from different suppliers.
To purchase your own copy of the Deck Building Materials Calculations Checklist you can visit the Resource Shop.
Previous PostPrevious How to remove unsightly black stains from your deck.
Next PostNext Double Floor Joists: What are they and why use them?