Dollars for decking near $+ billion

'TIHE DECKINC market in the U.S.

is predicted to reach $4 billion in two years, following l0 years of steady growth of, on average, 8.17o annually.

The 7,200 contractors who specialize as deck contractors build 200 to 500 units annually.

That rate outpaced both the 1.57" rate of new construction and the 3.77o rate of home improvement/maintenance/repair from l99l to 1997. In 1997, the entire U.S. residential deck- ing market surpassed $3 billion.

According to the California Redwood Association, two to three million new decks are constructed each year, translating to more than342 per hour or one about every l0 seconds.

Today, approximately 25Vo of all American homes feature decks-or 30 million decks.

Contractors construct 607o of all decks, homeowners 40Vo. Decks built by professionals cost between $18 and $25 per sq. ft. Do-it-yourselfer-built decks range from $12 to $18 per sq. ft.

The 1,200 contractors in the U.S. who specialize as deck contractors build 200 to 500 units annually. The average size is 160 to 200 sq. ft.

Each year, between 800 million and 1.2 billion sq. ft. of lumber are used in decking projects.

Every year, approximately 4.1 million homeowners purchase some kind of deck materials.

According to a recent suwey,237o of respondents replaced or added a deck in the last two years.

Among new homes, 257o are built with a deck attachment, and more than 80% of new home buyers would like a deck. Almost 7O7o of new decks are constructed for homes under five years old.

A recent cost-vs.-value study revealed that the average deck addition cost $5,921 , with an averageT3Vo payback in property value. The payback, which varied thoughout the country, was highest in San Francisco, Ca., at l49%o.