# Deck Installation Fort Collins | Fort Collins Deck Contractors > New decks from bare ground in Fort Collins: footings, frame, boards, stairs and railings in wood or composite. Typical wood decks run $10,000 to $20,000. URL: https://fortcollinsdeckcontractors.com/deck-building/ - Free estimates - Wood or composite - Fort Collins and nearby towns # Deck installation in Fort Collins starts with footings below the frost line Fort Collins Deck Contractors [/ →](/) builds new decks from bare ground for homes in Fort Collins and nearby towns. Footings, frame, boards, stairs and railing, in pressure-treated wood, cedar or composite, attached to the house or standing on their own. Get Your FREE Estimate [#estimate →](#estimate) See prices [#pricing →](#pricing) ![New wood deck with railing and steps down to a lawn behind a Fort Collins home](/images/misc/new-honey-toned-wood-deck-with-railing-and-a-few-s.webp) ## What goes into a new deck? Deck building in Fort Collins follows the same order every time, whether the deck is a small landing at the back door or a full deck across the back of the house. Here’s the sequence we work through: 1. Footings 2. Frame 3. Deck boards 4. Stair stringers and treads 5. Railing posts and railing The footings are concrete, set in the ground below the frost line. Fort Collins uses a 30-inch frost depth, so footings go at least that deep. Posts stand on the footings, beams sit on the posts, and joists run across the beams. On a deck attached to the house, a ledger board fastens the frame to the house itself. A freestanding deck skips the ledger and carries its own weight on footings at both ends. Decks more than 30 inches above the ground need a building permit in Fort Collins, and we’ll tell you up front what yours needs. Once the frame is square and solid, the deck boards go on. We build in pressure-treated wood, cedar and composite. Cedar costs more than pressure-treated, and composite costs more than wood. Then come the stair stringers and treads, and the railing posts and railing around the edge. ## Railings and stairs live here too New railings and stairs are part of deck building, whether they go on a new deck or on a deck that’s already there. Is your deck fine but the railing tired? Do you want a second set of stairs down to the yard? That’s work we do on its own. A railing starts at the posts. They’re fastened into the frame, not just the boards, and the railing runs between them. Residential code calls for a guard at least 36 inches tall once a deck sits more than 30 inches off the ground. Gaps between balusters have to stay small enough that a 4-inch sphere can’t pass through, which keeps small kids and pets safe. Stairs start with stringers cut to the height of the deck, then treads across them, and a railing alongside. Each step has to be the same height as the others. Code caps the rise at 7¾ inches, and even a half-inch difference between steps is what makes people trip. ## Decks we build often ### A deck off the back door The most common deck we build sits a few steps above the yard off the back of the house, about 16 by 20 feet, with railing around it. It’s attached with a ledger board and stands on footings at the outer edge. The ledger is where water tends to sneak in, so flashing behind it matters as much as the bolts. If your house has brick, masonry or stone veneer, Fort Collins asks for stamped engineered plans on an attached deck. We’ll flag that at the estimate so it doesn’t surprise you later. ### A freestanding deck in the yard Some decks stand on their own, out by a tree or at the far end of the lawn. A freestanding deck has footings on every side and no ledger, and it can be low to the ground or a step or two up. Nothing on the house holds it steady, so we add bracing to keep it from swaying side to side. ### A deck built for a hot tub or a pergola A deck carrying a hot tub, or one with a pergola or cover sitting on it, needs engineered plans in Fort Collins. A full hot tub with people in it can weigh several thousand pounds. A standard deck is built for about 40 pounds per square foot, so the difference is big. The frame and footings are sized for the load from the start, not added later. That’s the only way to keep a deck from sagging under the tub. ### A second-story deck A deck off an upstairs door sits higher, so the posts are taller and the stairs are longer. A deck stacked on another one needs engineered plans here too. ## Wood or composite? Both go on the same kind of frame. A wood deck is pressure-treated lumber or cedar, and it takes a penetrating stain that needs refreshing every few years. Composite decking, which a lot of people call Trex, comes in grays and browns. | | Pressure-treated | Cedar | Composite | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Upfront cost | Lowest | Middle | Highest | | Upkeep | Stain every few years | Stain every few years | Occasional washing | | Colors | Natural wood tones | Natural wood tones | Grays and browns | We go through the choice at the estimate with prices for each, and you pick. Ask us for an estimate and we’ll come out, measure up and talk it through with you. ## Typical deck building prices around Fort Collins A typical deck here is about 16 by 20 feet off the back of the house, a few steps down to the yard, with railing around it. ### New wood deck (pressure-treated) $10,000 to $20,000 A typical deck in pressure-treated wood, stairs and railing included. ### New composite deck $13,000 to $28,000 The same typical deck with composite boards, stairs and railing included. ### Wood railing, typical deck $1,500 to $3,000 New wood railing on a deck that's already there, or a new railing in place of the old. ### Composite railing, typical deck $4,000 to $8,500 New composite railing on a deck that's already there, or a new railing in place of the old. Bigger, higher, covered or hot-tub decks run above these ranges. The new-deck prices already include the railing. The railing prices are for new railing on a deck that's already there, or for replacing an old one. Cedar costs more than pressure-treated. Get Your FREE Estimate [#estimate →](#estimate) ![](/images/misc/concrete-deck-footings-poured-below-the-frost-line.webp) ## What's under a new deck in Fort Collins Around Fort Collins, the footings for a deck attached to the house go below the frost line, about two and a half feet down. That's the first thing we dig, and the part of the deck you never see once it's done. Call 811 before digging, every time. In Fort Collins, a deck carrying a hot tub, a pergola or cover sitting on a deck, and a deck stacked on another all need engineered plans. If any of those are in the picture, we plan the deck around them from the start. A new light at the top of deck stairs has to be shielded and aimed down. In the parts of Fort Collins mapped under Colorado's wildfire building code, the code calls for fire-rated deck boards on new homes. For a deck added to an existing house, we check what applies. Concrete deck footings set in a Fort Collins backyard before framing ## How a new deck comes together Four steps from the first form to the last railing post. 1. 1 ### Send the estimate form Tell us where the deck goes, roughly how big, and whether you're leaning wood or composite. 2. 2 ### We look at the yard We walk the spot, look at the back of the house and the ground, and talk through height, stairs and railing. 3. 3 ### You get a written estimate The estimate lays out the deck, the boards and the railing, with the price in writing. 4. 4 ### We build the deck Footings first, then the frame, the boards, the stairs and the railing. ![Composite deck boards being laid across new joists](/images/misc/composite-deck-boards-being-laid-across-new-joists.webp) ## Deck Building cost and planning questions ### What is the most expensive part of building a deck? The deck itself is the biggest part, priced by its size and the boards you pick, and the railing comes next. Composite costs more than wood for both the deck and the railing. A bigger or higher deck costs more, and in Fort Collins a deck stacked on another, a deck carrying a hot tub, or a pergola or cover on the deck needs engineered plans. ### What are the different types of deck railings? Deck railings come in wood, composite, metal, cable and glass. Any of them can go around a new deck or take the place of an old railing, and at the estimate we talk through which one suits your deck and your house. ### What is the most cost-effective type of deck railing? Wood costs less than composite. For a typical deck, a wood railing runs $1,500 to $3,000 and a composite railing runs $4,000 to $8,500, whether it's new railing on a deck that's already there or a replacement for the old one. The prices for a new deck already include its railing. ## Related services ### Deck Replacement The old deck comes off and a new one goes on, in wood or composite. Deck replacement→ [Deck Replacement →](/deck-replacement/) ### Composite Decks Composite boards on a new or replaced deck. Composite decks→ [Composite Decks →](/composite-decks/) ### Wood and Cedar Decks Pressure-treated and cedar decks. Wood and cedar decks→ [Wood and Cedar Decks →](/wood-and-cedar-decks/) ### Covered Decks and Pergolas Pergolas and solid covers over a deck or patio. Pergolas and covers→ [Covered Decks and Pergolas →](/covered-decks-and-pergolas/) ![Finished composite deck with railing behind a two-story Fort Collins home](/images/misc/finished-gray-composite-deck-with-railing-and-wide.webp) ## Ready to talk about a new deck? Send the form with where the deck goes and what you have in mind. We'll look at the yard and put the estimate in writing. - Free estimates - Wood or composite - Fort Collins and nearby towns ## Get Your FREE Estimate Tell us about your deck and where it is, and we will put together your estimate. Thanks, we got your request. We'll be in touch about your estimate.