:root {
–primary-blue: #004a99;
–success-green: #28a745;
–light-background: #f8f9fa;
–dark-text: #333;
–border-color: #ccc;
}
body {
font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif;
background-color: var(–light-background);
color: var(–dark-text);
line-height: 1.6;
margin: 0;
padding: 20px;
}
.loan-calc-container {
max-width: 800px;
margin: 30px auto;
background-color: #fff;
padding: 30px;
border-radius: 8px;
box-shadow: 0 4px 15px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);
border: 1px solid var(–border-color);
}
h1, h2 {
color: var(–primary-blue);
text-align: center;
margin-bottom: 25px;
}
.input-group {
margin-bottom: 20px;
padding: 15px;
border: 1px solid var(–border-color);
border-radius: 5px;
background-color: #fdfdfd;
display: flex;
flex-direction: column;
align-items: flex-start;
}
.input-group label {
font-weight: bold;
margin-bottom: 8px;
color: var(–primary-blue);
display: block;
}
.input-group input[type="number"],
.input-group input[type="text"],
.input-group select {
width: calc(100% – 20px);
padding: 10px;
margin-top: 5px;
border: 1px solid var(–border-color);
border-radius: 4px;
font-size: 1rem;
}
.input-group input[type="number"]:focus,
.input-group input[type="text"]:focus,
.input-group select:focus {
border-color: var(–primary-blue);
outline: none;
box-shadow: 0 0 5px rgba(0, 74, 153, 0.3);
}
button {
display: block;
width: 100%;
padding: 12px 20px;
background-color: var(–primary-blue);
color: white;
border: none;
border-radius: 5px;
font-size: 1.1rem;
font-weight: bold;
cursor: pointer;
transition: background-color 0.3s ease;
margin-top: 10px;
}
button:hover {
background-color: #003366;
}
#result {
margin-top: 30px;
padding: 25px;
background-color: var(–success-green);
color: white;
text-align: center;
font-size: 1.5rem;
font-weight: bold;
border-radius: 5px;
box-shadow: 0 2px 10px rgba(40, 167, 69, 0.3);
}
#result span {
font-size: 1.2rem;
display: block;
margin-top: 5px;
}
.article-content {
margin-top: 40px;
padding: 25px;
background-color: #fff;
border-radius: 8px;
border: 1px solid var(–border-color);
}
.article-content h2 {
text-align: left;
margin-bottom: 15px;
}
.article-content p {
margin-bottom: 15px;
}
.article-content ul {
margin-left: 20px;
margin-bottom: 15px;
}
.article-content li {
margin-bottom: 8px;
}
@media (max-width: 768px) {
.loan-calc-container {
padding: 20px;
margin: 20px auto;
}
h1 {
font-size: 1.8rem;
}
#result {
font-size: 1.3rem;
}
}
Understanding Your Deck Material Needs
Building a deck is a rewarding home improvement project, and accurate material calculation is key to a successful and cost-effective build. This calculator helps you estimate the total linear feet of deck boards needed for your project, accounting for the deck's dimensions, board size, spacing, and a standard waste factor.
How the Calculator Works:
The core of the calculation involves determining the total surface area of the deck and then figuring out how many linear feet of decking material will cover that area. Here's a breakdown:
1. Deck Area:
The total area of your deck is calculated by multiplying its length by its width.
Deck Area (sq ft) = Deck Length (ft) × Deck Width (ft)
2. Board Coverage Area:
Each deck board covers a certain width on the deck surface. This width is the nominal board width minus the gap between boards. For example, a standard 6-inch board (nominal) is actually about 5.5 inches wide. If you leave a 1/4-inch gap, each board plus its gap effectively covers 5.75 inches of deck width.
Effective Board Width (inches) = Board Width (inches) - Gap Between Boards (inches)
To convert this to feet for consistency:
Effective Board Width (ft) = Effective Board Width (inches) / 12
3. Linear Feet of Boards Needed (Without Waste):
We then determine how many linear feet of boards are required to cover the deck's width. Imagine laying boards across the deck's width. The number of linear feet needed to cover the entire width is the deck's length. To get the total linear feet, we divide the total deck area by the effective width of a single board running its entire length. A more direct way is to calculate the number of boards and multiply by the deck length. However, a simplified approach for total linear feet is:
Linear Feet per Sq Ft = 12 (inches/ft) / Effective Board Width (inches)
Total Linear Feet (Un-wasted) = Deck Area (sq ft) × Linear Feet per Sq Ft
This essentially calculates how many 1-foot lengths of board material are needed.
4. Adding Waste Factor:
It's crucial to account for waste due to cuts, mistakes, or unusable pieces. A typical waste factor for deck boards is between 10% and 15%. The calculator applies your specified waste factor to the calculated linear feet.
Total Linear Feet (with Waste) = Total Linear Feet (Un-wasted) × (1 + Waste Factor (%) / 100)
Use Cases:
- New Deck Construction: Estimate the total length of deck boards required for a new deck project.
- Deck Board Replacement: Calculate how much material is needed if you're only replacing the surface boards of an existing deck.
- Budgeting: Get a clearer picture of the material costs by knowing the quantity of deck boards needed.
- Material Ordering: Provide a more accurate order quantity to your lumber supplier.
By using this calculator, you can ensure you purchase an appropriate amount of decking material, minimizing costly trips back to the store or excessive leftover scraps.
function calculateDeckMaterials() {
var deckLength = parseFloat(document.getElementById("deckLength").value);
var deckWidth = parseFloat(document.getElementById("deckWidth").value);
var boardWidth = parseFloat(document.getElementById("boardWidth").value);
var boardSpacing = parseFloat(document.getElementById("boardSpacing").value);
var wasteFactor = parseFloat(document.getElementById("wasteFactor").value);
var resultDiv = document.getElementById("result");
resultDiv.innerHTML = "; // Clear previous results
if (isNaN(deckLength) || isNaN(deckWidth) || isNaN(boardWidth) || isNaN(boardSpacing) || isNaN(wasteFactor)) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter valid numbers for all fields.";
return;
}
if (deckLength <= 0 || deckWidth <= 0 || boardWidth <= 0 || wasteFactor < 0) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter positive values for dimensions and waste factor.";
return;
}
if (boardWidth <= boardSpacing) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Board width must be greater than board spacing.";
return;
}
// Calculate effective board width in inches
var effectiveBoardWidthInches = boardWidth – boardSpacing;
if (effectiveBoardWidthInches <= 0) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Effective board width (Board Width – Spacing) must be positive.";
return;
}
// Calculate deck area in square feet
var deckAreaSqFt = deckLength * deckWidth;
// Calculate linear feet per square foot of deck
// (12 inches/foot) / effectiveBoardWidthInches = linear feet of board per sq ft of deck
var linearFeetPerSqFt = 12 / effectiveBoardWidthInches;
// Calculate total linear feet needed without waste
var totalLinearFeetUnwasted = deckAreaSqFt * linearFeetPerSqFt;
// Apply waste factor
var totalLinearFeetWithWaste = totalLinearFeetUnwasted * (1 + wasteFactor / 100);
resultDiv.innerHTML = 'Total Deck Boards Needed: