Is this crazy, or have labor rates gone up?
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Anonymous
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I got an estimate from a very well regarded decking company. I want to rip and replace 18x18 second story balcony decking. We have wood planks and a vinyl railing. They would rip up all the wood, take off the railing, put down Trex, and put the railing back up. The labor alone is $5000, with more for materials. Is this a crazy price, or normal?
I do see it will be a lot of work, especially with the work being on the second floor reached through a narrow stairway. This labor cost includes haul away of all the old material. |
Anonymous
| To clarify, the substructure seems fine and we don't expect to have to replace the substructure. So this quote doesn't include that. |
Anonymous
| Honestly that sounds pretty cheap. |
Anonymous
| Our deck is very large, but we’re paying about $30k for the same thing. Decks are pricey. |
Anonymous
| Sounds suspiciously cheap actually. Decks are crazy expensive. |
Anonymous
| I paid more than that for a smaller deck. |
Anonymous
| Just to make sure PPs know. This is just for labor only for a rip and replace? What did folks pay for rip and replace versus putting in a new deck with footers and stuff? |
Anonymous
Suspiciously cheap just to rip up old board and put in new? We were quoted 5000-5500 labor and 3000 materials. |
Anonymous
| Sounds crazy cheap. Our deck that’s just 3 feet above ground on a manageable slope is going to easily be $40k. And no new footers! |
Anonymous
| Cheap. Do you not need a permit? |
Anonymous
I agree. |
Anonymous
Probably not if there are no changes to the existing structure. |
Anonymous
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In DC I assume the daily labor rate is about $1000 for skilled trades and $500 for unskilled. Those labor rates include the pay to the laborer, overhead and profit for contractor, and the behind the scenes part (trip to the dump, design time, ordering and picking up material etc). An unlicensed and uninsured person can work for a lot less.
Since the deck is off the ground, figure it will take a day for a 2 person unskilled crew to demo the deck. A day for a 3 person crew (one skilled) to rebuild the deck, and a day for a 3 person crew (again one skilled) to put the railing and finishes on. |
Anonymous
| Second story means it's going to take twice as long. That rate seems extremely reasonable. |
Anonymous
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Hi OP, what is the total cost if you don't mind sharing? In 2020 a friend got a great deal around $13K so add 20% to this? It was for composite decking.
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