Section 4: Board Foot, Lumber Dimensions, and Deck price estimation

[CN]

Anybody point me in the right direction to answer this question:

A Landscape Architect is estimating the cost of decking material for a new outdoor porch. The cost of the decking is $7.50 per board foot. The deck is to be constructed of 2x6 boards. The surface area of the deck is 600 sq. ft. Assuming 15% wastage during construction, what is the material cost for the decking?  

[EB Cink]

so first, Board feet are calculated by multiplying feet by feet by inches (because otherwise it just wouldn't be confusing enough).  So, if you have 600 sq. ft of boards, plus 15% for wastage, so you get 600 + .15(600) = 690 sq. ft   Multiply by 2 (because board feet equals feet x feet (or the area) x 2" of board thickness, and these boards are 2" thick)  = 1280 board feet.  Times $7.5 per board foot = $10,350.  

But I havent' had a good nights sleep in 10 months, so someone please check my math.  

[JG]

You need to know the length of the boards in order to calculate it.  

Board Foot Calculation:

Number of Pieces times Thickness in Inches times Width in Feet times Length in Feet

 Example:  (15) - 2x4’s that are 8 feet long = 80 board feet.

A board foot is 1 foot by 1 foot by 1 inch.

[EB Cink]

JG, that's true, but because they give you the area, that already includes the "length in feet x the number of pieces" and the "width in feet".  That's why the math is even easier.