About DeckTally

Who runs this site

DeckTally is an independent site built and maintained by one developer. It has no ties to any decking brand, retailer or contractor, carries no ads and sells nothing. The calculators exist because the common deck estimating tools hide their math, and a number you cannot check is a number you cannot trust.

How the calculators work

Every calculator runs in your browser, with no account and nothing saved on your device. Each result uses a short, published formula, and the page shows the working with your own numbers so you can check it.

The deck material calculator lists every formula it uses, its assumptions, a worked example and what it leaves out. Figures that are not arithmetic, such as joist spacing, waste allowances and lumber sizes, are quoted from the building code, manufacturer installation guides and the lumber standard, and each page lists its sources. The results are estimates. Check local building codes and your supplier before you buy.

How the content is checked

The text on each calculator page is generated from the same code that computes the results, so the worked example and the FAQ cannot drift from the formulas. Every release runs the unit tests, builds the site and checks the pages before anything is published. Each page shows the date its content was last reviewed.

Corrections

If you find a mistake, please email a correction and we will fix it.