Composite vs. wood deck price ranges for Dallas, and what drives the number.
Deck pricing depends on material, size, height, and features. Here are realistic 2026 ranges for Dallas County.
| Material | Cost / sq ft installed | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pressure-treated wood | $25 to $40 | Budget-friendly, needs upkeep |
| Cedar | $35 to $55 | Warm look, natural resistance |
| Composite | $45 to $75 | Low maintenance, long life |
Like a fence, a deck is only as good as what’s underneath. Proper footings and code-correct framing are what keep a deck from sagging or bouncing, so that’s where we never cut corners.
Height off the ground. A ground level platform and an elevated deck are different projects. Once you are up, you are into stairs, guardrails, and heavier framing, and the cost per square foot climbs sharply.
Decking material. Pressure treated pine is the cheapest, cedar sits above it, and composite costs the most up front while removing nearly all the maintenance.
Shape. Rectangles are efficient. Angles, curves, wrap arounds, and cut outs around trees all add labour and waste material.
Footings. Same clay soil issue as fences, and the consequences are worse. A deck that settles is not just ugly.
Extras. Built in seating, lighting, screens, pergolas overhead, and outdoor kitchens are each their own line.
Pressure treated pine costs the least and asks the most: cleaning and sealing on a cycle, and boards replaced as they cup. Cedar is more stable and better looking with similar upkeep. Composite is the highest up front and close to zero maintenance, will not splinter, and holds colour, though the cheaper products can run hot underfoot in a Dallas August.
Framing is usually treated lumber either way. The choice is about the surface you touch and how you want to spend your weekends.
Decks over a certain height, and anything attached to the house, generally require a permit and an inspection, and the attachment detail is exactly where a bad deck fails. A ledger board fastened wrong and improperly flashed will rot the wall behind it before it lets go, and that is the failure that hurts people.
Confirm the permit is in the quote, and that the contractor is pulling it.
Wood is cheaper up front; composite costs more but saves on stain and upkeep and lasts longer, often winning over time.
Roughly $5,000 to $15,000+ depending on material, height, and features. We give free, straight quotes.
If you plan to stay, usually yes. It costs more up front and removes nearly all the maintenance, which is worth a lot in a climate this hard on wood.
Generally yes for anything attached to the house or above a certain height. Your contractor should pull it and it should be itemised in the quote.
Stairs, guardrails, taller posts, and heavier framing, plus more demanding footings. The deck surface is the same; everything holding it up is not.
Typically 10 to 15 years for treated pine with regular sealing, longer for cedar and considerably longer for composite. As with fences, the substructure usually decides it.
Owner on every job · in-house crews · written warranty
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