How We Set These Ranges

The ranges on these pages come from Ottawa and Ontario builder and drafting pages that publish prices, read in September 2026. We do not name them. They are vendor estimates, not quotes, and not a survey of what Ottawa homeowners paid.

The two-source rule

A range appears only where at least two published sources give one. Where fewer do, the page says so and gives no number: that is why railings, stairs and deck removal have no range.

• What a Pressure-Treated Deck Costs in Ottawa: 5 published sources
• What a Cedar Deck Costs in Ottawa: 2 published sources
• What a Composite Deck Costs in Ottawa: 5 published sources
• What a PVC Deck Costs in Ottawa: 3 published sources
• What Deck Railings Cost in Ottawa: fewer than two published sources, no range
• What Deck Stairs Cost in Ottawa: fewer than two published sources, no range
• What Deck Removal Costs in Ottawa: fewer than two published sources, no range
• What Deck Permit Drawings Cost in Ottawa: 3 published sources
• What an Ottawa Deck Permit Costs: City of Ottawa fee schedule, January 1, 2026

What the comparator shows

The comparator multiplies your deck size by each material's published per-square-foot range, as an illustration. For wood it counts re-coats over the years you pick, from the USDA Forest Products Laboratory's finish intervals (US data, where expected life depends on climate and exposure); it shows a count, not a cost. For composite and PVC it shows the manufacturers' warranty terms, and a warranty is not a lifespan. The permit fee line applies the City's formula to the midpoint of the illustration; the City values the work, not us.

What it does not show

No lifetime dollar total and no cost per year: we found no published upkeep prices to base one on, and no government lifespan for composite or PVC. The only lifespan figure for wood is about 20 years, from a 2007 US industry survey.

Reviewed 2026-09-30.