JoistLedgerSpans, joists and footings straight from the code tables.

How much does a 288 sq ft deck cost in Columbus, OH?

A pressure-treated deck build in Columbus, OH
$9,665
288 ft² of deck · typical range $7,322 – $14,644
Typical total$34 per ft² of deck$9,665
Range you should see in bidsthree bids on the same scope normally land inside this$7,322 – $14,644
Labor portion55% of the job — this is the part that moves by city$5,316
Material portion45% — bought at national prices$4,349
Carpenters pay near Columbusabout $33/hr · Columbus, OH metro$67,650/yr
U.S. mean for the same tradeSOC 47-2031$65,630/yr
Versus the national pricetrade pay here runs +3.1% against the U.S. mean+$161

Notes

  • Where the number comes from. The national price for a pressure-treated deck build is $33 per ft² of deck — pressure-treated deck pricing published for 2026, $25–$50 per ft² installed. Labor is about 55% of that. Carpenters near Columbus, OH average $67,650 a year against a U.S. mean of $65,630 — a factor of 1.031 — so the labor half is scaled by that and the material half is not. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 for the Columbus, OH metro area, SOC 47-2031.
  • Why the city matters, not just the state. Trade pay moves inside a state as much as it does between states. Crews do not commute across a state to bid a job, and materials ship at national prices either way — so a metro wage is the honest input here and a state average quietly rounds four different cities into one number.
  • What is in the price: footings, framing, pressure-treated decking, fasteners, a code-compliant railing, and labor.
  • What is not: stairs beyond two steps, permits, ledger repair on the house, and any grading work. These are the lines that turn a $9,665 quote into a $12,081 invoice, so ask about each one before signing.
  • Use this as a bid check, not a quote. It prices an average job in average condition. Difficult access, the state of what is being replaced, the season, and a crew booked out three months all move the real number, and none of them are in a per-unit average.

a pressure-treated deck build in Columbus, OH

$9,665 is the typical number, and three bids on the same scope normally land between $7,322 and $14,644.

That is $161 more than the same job priced at the national average.

Why the city changes the number

About 55% of this job is labor — $5,316 of the $9,665 above. Labor is the only part that moves locally; a bundle of material costs what it costs wherever it is nailed down.

Carpenters near Columbus average $67,650 a year, against a U.S. mean of $65,630. That is a factor of 1.031, so the labor half is scaled by it and the material half is not.

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 for the Columbus, OH metro area, SOC 47-2031.

What the quote should include

The lines that turn a quote into an invoice

Ask about each of them before you sign. On a job this size they are the difference between $9,665 and something a quarter higher.

Use it as a bid check, not a quote

This prices an average job in average condition. Access, the state of what is being replaced, the season, and a crew booked out three months all move the real number, and none of them are in a national average.

If a bid lands outside $7,322 – $14,644, that is not automatically wrong — but it is the question worth asking out loud.

Nearby sizes

Read more