Inspiring you with my DIY Trex Deck Final Reveal!! Sharing the end result of a challenging and rewarding DIY project of building a Trex deck with my own two hands. The reward is in the work itself! Here you will find deck ideas and deck inspiration with this simple deck design. Plus, I lay out the cost of building a Trex deck and break it down!
Through this experience, I felt like I had a diary and was letting you read all of my secrets! My wins and fails. My triumphs and admitted defeat. My joy and literal tears.
But you guys! I built this! Me. 5’2″ little me hauled (almost) every single 30+ pound 16′ plank to the backyard on my shoulder one by one. I cut every piece of railing. I problem-solved and figured it out!
I can’t remember doing a more physically challenging DIY project, but one that also gave me great joy to do for someone else.
And I am so happy that I got to share the journey with you.
This is where I started.
In all honesty, my body is still recovering from the labor involved with this project. It may be that I got off the plane at home and haven’t stopped running. I stepped off the plane and right into more projects.
In case you missed the good, the bad, and the ugly, I shared the actual Trex deck build with all the challenges I faced as well as all the things that went beautifully well and tips I learned along the way! Check out what made me UGLY cry!
As promised, here is the final reveal with a cost breakdown at the end! You will be SHOCKED at the savings. Remember the quote from the pros was $25K,000. Did you see all of those zeros?
**Update** My mom has gone and painted all of the exposed wood that isn’t covered in Trex the perfect black to match the railings and it looks so good!! What an update!
We found a new firepit on sale that uses real wood and it is so peaceful sitting on this deck, wrapped in a blanket with the sound of crackling wood and a cool breeze gently moving the trees. Nothing other than the fire and the sound of a stream close by. I think theirs is sold out but here is a similar firepit.
They were so excited about the deck and insisted that this mat goes under the firepit, even though it doesn’t look that amazing in the photos. Enjoy this REVEAL!!
It was a lot of work but I am so happy I could give this to them. I don’t know who received the better gift. Them or me!
The last photo and all the texts after I left about how much they LOVE it, made it all worth it!
How much does it cost to build a Trex deck?
Size: 12′ x 14′
Trex Decking Boards in Coastal Bluff (square edges): $323.84 ($40.84 each)
Trex Decking Boards in Coastal Bluff (16′ boards, rounded edges): $1,403.22 (26 @ $53.97 each)
Matte Black Deck Posts for deck: $458.82 ($50.98 each)
Matte Black Deck Posts for stairs: $129.96 ($64.98 each)
Matte Black Stair Railing: $348 ($174 each; included 2 stair rail kits, matte black, square balusters)
Matte Black Rail Sections: $954 ($159 each)
Trex Fascia Boards in Coastal Bluff: (12″w x 12’l): $362.40 ($120.80 each)
Railing Post Cap Lights: $99.84 ($12.48 each)
Additional supplies (screws, hidden fasteners, new stringer brackets, etc): $250
Delivery of supplies from Lowes: $90
Labor: FREE
Total: $4420.08
This does not include the cost of my airplane ticket, the removal of their old decking, etc. Just supplies for the new deck.
My parents never thought they would have a beautiful deck like this. Yes, it was a lot of money, but a fraction of what a contractor wanted to charge them for the job. Remember, the bid was between $20-25,000 for the installation. As you can see, most of the cost is in the labor.
I hope this inspires you to just go ahead and do the hard thing. Have I ever built a deck? Nope. Did I think I could? Yes. Was it hard? Absolutely. It is very labor intensive and it was mostly just me with a little help sprinkled in here and there.
If there is something you want to do, and you can’t justify the cost of getting a contractor in to do the job or don’t want to wait, try it yourself! You just might surprise yourself, the very person who doubted you.
Until next time, stop waiting. Start creating!
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