What does a cedar or pressure-treated deck cost in Boise?

What does a pressure-treated or cedar deck cost per square foot?

Treated pine starts around $25 per square foot installed and cedar around $30. Those are 2026 market ranges compiled from HomeGuide's national cost pages and published Treasure Valley contractor pricing, and they cover footings, framing, decking and labor. Older figures for comparison come from Fixr (national, January 2023) and HomeBlue's Boise page (December 2021), and both read low for a 2026 build.

Redwood and ipe are listed for context. Both are uncommon in Boise yards because they ship a long way and cost close to or above composite. Ipe is very dense and needs pre-drilling, which shows up in labor.

What does it cost to own a wood deck in Boise?

Budget for refinishing from the first year. Boise gets 11.51 inches of precipitation in a normal year and long, dry, sunny summers, so wood loses moisture fast and checks (small surface cracks) as it dries. UV turns unfinished boards gray within a season or two. Plan on cleaning and re-staining treated pine every two to three years on sun-facing surfaces, and give cedar a penetrating finish on a similar cycle if you want to keep its color.

We do not publish a staining price because the market model does not include one. Get a local quote for a professional clean-and-stain of your deck, then multiply it by the cycles you expect over your ownership. That figure is the real comparison against composite, and it is often the deciding number. The deck maintenance guide for Boise's climate has the yearly routine.

The finish you pick sets the cycle. Penetrating semi-transparent stains and oils soak in, wear away gradually and can be re-coated after a cleaning, which suits horizontal boards in strong sun. Solid stains and paints hide more grain and hold up longer on railings and fascia, but on walking surfaces they tend to peel in patches, and peeled finish has to be stripped or sanded before the next coat. Clear sealers with no pigment give the least UV protection, so they need the most frequent attention in Boise.

Line items that drive a wood deck price

Lumber choices and hardware move a wood bid more than most people expect. These are the lines worth reading closely.

Framing is treated lumber whatever goes on top, so the main choice is the decking surface. For the trade-offs between the two common woods, read cedar vs pressure-treated decking.

Local rules that change what a wood deck costs

A wood deck goes through the same permit and footing rules as any other deck, and a few local factors hit wood harder.

• Boise and Nampa require a permit above 12 inches, so most raised wood decks need drawings showing the ledger connection and distances to property lines.
• Meridian's exemption is narrow: the deck must be detached, 200 square feet or smaller, no taller than 30 inches and not serving an exit door. Caldwell states that decks need separate permits and inspections.
• Footings go to 24 inches. NOAA's 1991–2020 normals give Boise 108 freezing nights a year, and shallow piers heave.
• HOAs often regulate stain color as well as material. Getting a color approved before staining saves redoing it.
• In the Boise Foothills wildfire overlay, ordinary lumber is combustible. Confirm with Boise Fire what applies to your deck before choosing wood there; fire-retardant-treated lumber exists but changes cost and finish options.
• Lower median home prices in Nampa, Caldwell and Kuna (Build Idaho's 2026 market summary) tend to make budget the deciding factor there, which is where treated pine earns its place.

See the Nampa deck permit page and the wood decks service page for the build side.

Low wood decks deserve a note of their own. Keeping a deck under 12 inches avoids the Boise and Nampa permit, but framing that close to the soil stays damp longer and gets little airflow. Use lumber rated for ground contact on any member near the dirt, lay gravel or landscape fabric underneath and leave openings in the skirting so air can move. Those choices add a little cost up front and decide whether a low deck lasts.

Does a wood deck pay back at resale?

Wood recovers a larger share of its cost than composite in resale surveys. Remodeling / JLC's Cost vs. Value 2025 report, in its Mountain region table (a multi-state figure, not a Boise one), lists a wood deck addition at $18,253 in job cost and $17,753 in estimated resale value, roughly 97%. The catch is condition: a gray, splintered deck at listing time is worth far less than the survey assumes, so the payback depends on keeping up the finish.

Checking a wood deck quote

1. Species and grade for decking, and the treatment rating for posts (ground-contact rated where wood meets soil or concrete).
2. Board dimension and joist spacing.
3. Fastener and hanger type: hot-dip galvanized or stainless for treated lumber.
4. Whether the first coat of stain is included, and when it will be applied (new treated lumber often needs to dry first; follow the stain maker's guidance).
5. Railing material, linear footage and stair count.
6. Footing depth, permit handling and who prepares drawings.

For a quick range on your size, use the deck cost calculator and select pressure-treated or cedar. The Boise deck cost guide compares every material on one page.