What it costs to build a deck in Georgia is decided under the deck, not on top of it.
People compare quotes on decking — pressure-treated against composite, board width, colour. That part is the easiest to price and the least likely to explain why two quotes differ by thousands.
The ground is the first variable
A flat lot with good access is the cheapest deck anyone will build you. A fall of a few feet changes the post lengths, the bracing, and how much of the work happens on a ladder rather than standing up.
Footings go below the frost line, which here means deeper than most people expect on a slope. On the low side the posts carry noticeably more load, and sizing them by eye is how a deck develops a bounce three summers later.
Then the permit
Anything over thirty inches off the ground needs a permit in Cherokee County, and anything over two hundred square feet does regardless of height. That sets the timeline more than the build does, because the inspection has to happen before the decking hides the frame.
Where boards actually matter
Composite costs more up front and nothing afterwards. Pressure-treated timber costs less and wants staining every two or three years. Over ten years the two land closer together than the first invoice suggests.
Neither choice fixes a frame that was underbuilt. Deck construction covers how we approach it, and finished work is on our Facebook page.
