Start with comparable units
A linear-foot price cannot be compared directly with a square-foot price. For a board with 5.5 inches of actual face width, one square foot needs about 2.18 linear feet before waste when calculated on face coverage. Multiply the linear-foot price by 12 divided by actual width in inches. Gaps and layout can change an exact takeoff; never substitute nominal width without checking it.
Include the entire scope
Request boards, waste, clips or screws, plugs, fascia, edge boards, stair treads and risers, delivery, taxes and labor as separate lines. Add demolition, disposal, permits, railings and structural repairs when applicable. Complex shapes, diagonal patterns and picture frames change material yield and labor. Ask what is explicitly excluded.
Compare ongoing work fairly
A wood finish may preserve a preferred color rather than be a universal requirement for every wood deck. Compare the owner’s intended appearance, cleaning routine, finishing products, labor rates and access. Manufactured boards also require cleaning. If you value your own time, use the same hourly rate for every option. Do not assume a repair or replacement date just to make a category win.
Use scenarios rather than promises
The calculator uses editable illustration values, not market quotations. Change them to actual bids. Its ownership total adds initial boards, entered extras and annual care across your chosen planning horizon. It excludes financing, inflation, discounting and replacement unless you include them yourself. A planning horizon is not a service-life prediction.