Last updated October 28, 2026

How to bid carpentry jobs

What a carpentry bid has to say, a worked deck build price from the takeoff up, the permit and special-order lines, and the deposit terms carpenters use on custom work.

Carpentry bids live or die on the takeoff. A deck, a run of trim, a built-in: the material list is most of the price, and the customer can look up the price of a board. So the bid shows the takeoff, prices the labor by the day honestly, and names the two things that surprise customers on carpentry: the permit and the special order.

What a carpentry bid has to answer

The dimensions and the material: a 16 by 20 deck, pressure-treated frame, composite decking by brand and line, aluminum railing.
The structure: footings, ledger, joist spacing, and the stairs. On a deck, this is what the inspector looks at, so it is what the bid lists.
Whether a permit is needed, who pulls it, and that the schedule starts after approval.
Special-order material: what it is, the lead time, and that it is ordered against the deposit and cannot be returned.
Finish: stained, sealed, painted, or left to the customer, as its own line.

How to price it

Example numbers for a 16 by 20 foot composite deck on a new frame, 3 feet off grade, one set of stairs, aluminum rail, in a typical market. Yours will differ.

Takeoff: footings and concrete, treated frame, joist hangers and hardware, 340 square feet of composite with fascia, 60 feet of railing, stair stringers and treads. At cost plus 20 to 30 percent markup, say $5,100.
Labor: two carpenters for four days at $400 a day each, $3,200.
Permit and inspections: $300 on its own line.
Demo of an old deck, if any: a day and a dump run, $600, on its own line.
Total: about $8,600 for a new deck, $9,200 with a demo. $8,900 is a common landing. The <a href="/tools/job-price-calculator">job price calculator</a> adds this up for any carpentry job once the takeoff is done.

Trim and doors price by the opening and the linear foot. Built-ins price by the linear foot of cabinet with the finish as a separate line. Pergolas price like a small deck frame without the decking. In every case the takeoff comes first and the labor days are honest.

Where carpentry bids go wrong

The deck needed a permit and the bid did not say so. The inspector showed up at the neighbor's complaint.
The composite was a special order with a three-week lead time, and the customer expected a start on Monday.
The finish was not on the bid, and the customer assumed the stain was included.
Labor was guessed at two days and took four, because the takeoff was done but the time was not.

A finished carpentry bid, line by line

Four sample carpentry estimates: deck build, pergola, trim and doors, and built-in shelving. The carpentry proposal template is the blank version.

Deposit and payment terms

Half at signing on anything with special-order material, and the deposit should be at least the cost of that material. Balance on completion, after the final inspection where there is one. On a long job, a payment at the halfway point, like frame complete on a deck or boxes set on a built-in. Write the milestone on the bid so the midpoint payment is not a negotiation.

Getting more carpentry jobs

Carpentry customers are buying craftsmanship they cannot see yet, so the bid is the sample. A takeoff with the material named by brand, the structure listed, and the permit handled reads as the carpenter who will not cut a corner. Text it within a day of the visit, with a photo of a deck or built-in you finished last month on it. Follow up at three days and at a week. Ask for the review with the last board down and send a photo of it.

BidWriter Pro writes the bid from your takeoff and notes with photos of past work on it, and the customer signs and pays the deposit from their phone. $29 a month, 30 days free.

Questions contractors ask

How much should I charge to build a deck?

Takeoff the material at cost plus markup, price labor by the day for your crew, and put the permit and any demo on their own lines. Many markets land between $25 and $45 a square foot for a composite deck on a new frame, with railing and stairs moving it most.

Should I take a deposit for special-order material?

Yes, at least the cost of the material, at signing. Say on the bid that it is ordered against the deposit and cannot be returned.

Do I need a permit for a deck?

Often, when it is attached to the house or above a certain height. Check your city, say on the bid who pulls it, and start the schedule after approval.

Write a carpentry bid from your notes

Type the job the way you would text it. It comes back as a finished estimate in about five seconds, in your words. No account.

Type a job the way you would text it

Only what you type goes on the estimate. Nothing gets added.

No account needed to try it.

30 days free, then $29 a month. No card to start.

Free, no account: estimate checker, job price calculator, markup vs margin, hourly rate, and 84 sample estimates.