Costs, codes & permits
6 tools · 6 guides · 0 comparisons
What a deck or fence really costs, what the inspector will ask for, and the sheet you hand the client.
How this pillar fits together
Two things decide whether a deck or fence project goes the way it was planned: the number on the estimate and the rules at the building department. This pillar covers both, without pretending there is a national price for either job.
Prices move by region, by season and by yard, so every cost tool here works from the unit prices you were quoted: lumber, concrete, fasteners, labour, disposal and permit fees. That makes the estimate yours to defend, and it shows which line moved the total. The guides explain what drives a deck's or a fence's price and the lines that most quotes leave off.
The code side starts with whether you need a permit at all, then what the plan set has to show, then the inspections in order. For decks the model code sets guard height, baluster spacing, stairs and the ledger connection; for fences the rules are mostly local zoning: height limits, setbacks, corner sight lines and HOA covenants. Each guide names the section it relies on and tells you to confirm your jurisdiction's adopted edition.
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Tools
Deck cost calculator
Material and labour cost for a deck, broken out line by line.
Fence cost calculator
Fence cost from your own post, rail, picket and gate prices, with the per-foot figure as the output.
Privacy fence cost calculator
Privacy fence cost by style — solid, shadowbox or spaced picket — with post, concrete and labour lines.
Deck replacement cost calculator
Repair boards, resurface the old frame, or rebuild — three costs side by side.
Fence removal cost calculator
Tear-out, post removal, haul-away and permit from your own rates, plus an optional new fence.
Deck bid template
A printable bid: scope, materials, labour and total.
Guides
Deck railing height code
Guard height, baluster spacing and graspable handrail, with the IRC sections.
Deck permit requirements
When a deck needs a permit, what the plan set has to show, and the inspections.
Do you need a permit for a fence
Height limits, setbacks, corner sight triangles and HOA rules.
How much does a deck cost
What moves a deck's price, and how to build your own number from local quotes.
How much does a fence cost
What moves a fence's price, the lines quotes leave off, and how to build your own number.
Fence cost per foot
How a per-foot price is built from one bay, and why two quotes differ.
12 pages in this pillar