How much does a deck cost in Ottawa?

Put in your deck size, decking material, height and layout and get the installed cost range Ontario builders publish for that build, plus the City of Ottawa building permit fee calculated from the City's own rate.

Free, no email, nothing to submit. Published 2026-08-28 on Ottawa Service Directory.

The walking surface area. 12 ft x 16 ft is 192 square feet, which is the worked example the cost source publishes.

Installed cost per square foot, materials and professional installation together.

Taller decks need deeper footings, longer posts and lateral bracing. The uplifts below are the percentages the cost source publishes.

Level changes add framing, extra stairs and more material waste.

The City’s three conditions, quoted
  • Regardless of the deck's walking surface area, if the deck is adjacent to or attached to the house and its walking surface is more than 600 mm (24 in.) above the adjacent grade, a permit is required.
  • Regardless of the deck's walking surface area, if the deck is an elevated deck providing principal access to a building a permit is required.
  • If the deck is independent from the house (eg. is in the middle of the yard) and has a walking surface greater than 10 square metres (approximately 108 square feet) in area and its walking surface is more than 600 mm (24 in.) above the adjacent grade, a permit is required.

Quoted from City of Ottawa, Decks - Do I need a building permit?, read 2026-08-28.

Estimated installed cost

$5,301 to $7,797

Deck construction
$5,184 to $7,680
City of Ottawa building permit
$117 to $117
Per square foot
$27 to $40

Construction cost from Project Landscaping, Cost of Deck Construction in Ontario in 2026, published 2026-02-18, read 2026-08-28. Permit fee from City of Ottawa, Comprehensive Building Code Fee Schedule, January 1, 2026, read 2026-08-28: $12.75 per $1,000 or part thereof of the assessed valuation of the work, with a minimum fee of $117.00.

The City states construction valuation is the total value of all materials, labour, overhead and professional fees for the project, so the deck cost above is what the fee is calculated on.

  • Pressure-treated wood: Published at $27 to $40 per square foot installed, 10 to 25 year lifespan.
  • Ground level: The source's baseline case.

A range, not a quote. It multiplies published per-unit figures by the size you entered; it cannot see your site, your access or your soil.

This page prints the range. For what actually moves a quote — material, height, railings, site prep — and how to read the bids you get back, read What drives the price of a deck in Ottawa.

Rated deck builders in Ottawa

17 of the 18 deck builders listed here carry a sourced public rating, and the highest-rated is Ottawa Deck and Rail at 5.0 stars from 343 Google reviews. They are listed by the published rating score, highest first. No business pays for a listing.

  1. Ottawa Deck and Rail

    Nepean

    5.0(343)on GoogleChecked Aug 2026Deck Builders

    Ottawa Deck and Rail is a railing contractor in Nepean, Ottawa offering deck building. Rated 5 from 343 Google reviews.

    View Ottawa Deck and Rail
    View Ottawa Deck and Rail directory profile

  2. JAL Deck & Interlock

    Barrhaven +8

    5.0(66)on GoogleChecked Sep 2026Deck Builders

    JAL Deck & Interlock is an Ottawa deck and interlock contractor working out of Carp, building custom decks, interlock driveways and patios, fencing, and pool surrounds.

    View JAL Deck & Interlock
    View JAL Deck & Interlock directory profile
  3. Featured

    MyDeck.ca

    Nepean

    4.9(72)on GoogleChecked Aug 2026Deck Builders

    Ottawa deck builder specializing in low-maintenance composite, PVC and cedar decks with aluminum railings and privacy fences, built by their own crews. Based in Nepean and operating since 2006.

    View MyDeck.ca
    View MyDeck.ca directory profile
  4. Featured

    Deckify

    Orléans +1

    4.8(144)on GoogleChecked Aug 2026Deck Builders

    Ottawa deck and patio builder offering custom decks, pergolas and railings with design consultation and material selection. Located on Woodward Drive in Ottawa and serving from Orleans to Kanata.

    View Deckify
    View Deckify directory profile
  5. Featured

    Hickory Dickory Decks (Ottawa)

    Kanata

    5.0(36)on HouzzChecked Jul 2026Deck Builders

    Ottawa franchise of the national Hickory Dickory Decks network, building custom composite, PVC and wood decks. Serves south and west Ottawa and outlying towns; the brand has operated since 1987.

    View Hickory Dickory Decks (Ottawa)
    View Hickory Dickory Decks (Ottawa) directory profile

  6. 613 Decks

    Nepean +1

    4.9(38)on GoogleChecked Jul 2026Deck Builders

    Nepean-based, locally owned builder of decks, pergolas, gazebos and porches serving the Ottawa area, with related deck refinishing, staining and repair. Advertises over 25 years of carpentry experience and $5M liability insurance.

    View 613 Decks
    View 613 Decks directory profile

  7. Final Touch Decks & Fences

    Orléans +4

    5.0(26)on GoogleChecked Aug 2026Deck Builders

    Family-run Ottawa deck and fence builder offering decks, railings, patios, sheds, sunrooms, pergolas and gazebos. Serves a wide swath of Ottawa and surrounding communities and has operated for over a decade.

    View Final Touch Decks & Fences
    View Final Touch Decks & Fences directory profile

  8. The Deck Store

    Nepean

    4.9(36)on GoogleChecked Aug 2026Deck Builders

    The Deck Store is a fence contractor in Nepean, Ottawa offering deck building and siding. Rated 4.9 from 36 Google reviews.

    View The Deck Store
    View The Deck Store directory profile

Compare all 18 deck builders in Ottawa · How this order is decided

Where these numbers come from

The base is the pressure-treated installed range Project Landscaping publishes for Ontario, $27 to $40 per square foot. Every other material below is that page's own published range for that material, expressed as a multiple of the base, so the deck-only figure this calculator prints is the figure that source prints.

How it compares against Ottawa figures

  • An Ottawa deck builder publishes $35 to $55 per square foot installed for pressure-treated and $45 to $75 for composite. The composite figure matches the Ontario-wide source used above exactly; its pressure-treated figure sits above the Ontario-wide $27 to $40.

Checked against the source’s own examples

The cost source publishes total project costs for these builds. Entering them above reproduces its figures, which is how the encoding here is verified rather than asserted.

BuildPublished total
12 ft x 16 ft pressure-treated$5,200 to $7,700
12 ft x 16 ft cedar$6,700 to $10,600
12 ft x 16 ft composite$8,600 to $14,400
12 ft x 16 ft PVC$10,600 to $18,200

What this does not know

  • This prints a range, not a quote. Four controls cannot know your soil, your access, your lot slope or what a builder's summer looks like, and a calculator that implied otherwise would be lying politely.
  • The per-square-foot figures include materials and professional installation. They are Ontario-wide, from a source whose own municipal section covers the GTA rather than Ottawa. The permit half of the answer is City of Ottawa data.
  • The height uplift is the percentage the cost source publishes, plus 20 to 30 per cent raised and plus 40 to 50 per cent second storey. That source's elevation table quotes a $50 to $75 per square foot baseline rather than its own $27 to $40 pressure-treated figure, so the percentage is applied and its dollar figures are not.
  • Railings, stairs, lighting and built-in features are not included. The same source publishes wood railing at $25 to $45 per linear foot installed, aluminium at $50 to $90, composite at $45 to $85 and cable at $75 to $120, and puts a standard 6 to 8 step staircase at $1,400 to $2,600. Those are per linear foot and per staircase, so folding them into a per-square-foot number would need a perimeter assumption we have not made.
  • The permit fee is calculated on the deck cost as the assessed valuation of the work, which is what the City's own definition asks for. Confirm your own valuation and permit requirement with the City or by calling 3-1-1 before you budget on it.
  • No business pays for a listing on this directory, including the builders shown below this calculator.

Questions people ask

Do I need a building permit for a deck in Ottawa?

The City of Ottawa publishes three conditions. A deck attached or adjacent to the house needs a permit if its walking surface is more than 600 mm (24 in.) above the adjacent grade, whatever its area. An elevated deck providing principal access to a building needs one regardless of area.

A free-standing deck needs one if it is larger than 10 square metres (about 108 square feet) and more than 600 mm above grade. Confirm your own case with the City, and note that zoning setbacks are a separate question a Development Information Officer answers.

How much is the deck permit itself?

The City's Comprehensive Building Code Fee Schedule dated January 1, 2026 charges $12.75 per $1,000, or part thereof, of the assessed valuation of the work, with a minimum fee of $117.00. Valuation is the total value of materials, labour, overhead and professional fees.

On a small deck the minimum is what you pay. The rate rounds up to the next whole $1,000, so it only overtakes the $117 minimum above $9,000 of construction value. At $9,001 the fee is $127.50.

What does composite decking cost against pressure-treated in Ontario?
The 2026 Ontario cost guide used here publishes pressure-treated at $27 to $40 per square foot installed and composite at $45 to $75. It also publishes 20-year maintenance of about $6,000 for pressure-treated against about $1,500 for composite, which is why it treats composite as the better long-term value despite the higher upfront figure.
How long does a deck permit take in Ottawa?
The City publishes a first review target of 5 business days, based on the Council-approved enhanced service level. Inspections must be booked 48 hours in advance, and a deck typically needs three: excavation and foundations, framing, and final.
Is this an estimate or a quote?
An estimate, and deliberately a wide one. It multiplies published Ontario per-square-foot ranges by your deck area and adds the City's permit fee. It cannot see your site. Use it to sanity-check the quotes you collect, then get those quotes from the builders listed below.

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