Decks, Patios, Porches and Docks - Wood deck/patio?

I want to add either a wood deck or concrete patio in my yard either attached to my house or very close to it. I want it to be approx. 12' deep and 24' long, at or close to ground level. Which would be the most economical? Most say that a concrete pad would be cheaper. Will be built on level dirt. Any pro's willing to give their opinion? Thanks..

Concrete will be cheaper -- probably slightly less than 1/2 of the cost of the wood deck.

Will require less upkeep than real wood as well.

And who knows, one day your sweet little better half will come up and say... "How about we close that concrete patio in and make a sun room"... Then you have the chance to decide whether to build a wood or concrete deck attached to that.

Isn't that always the way? Thanks guys for the quick response, Lefty and Scrollmaster. I had a feeling that concrete would be cheaper, and in my neck of the woods (Philadelphia, PA) I'm sure that it would last a lot longer, too. Thanks again.

I just thought of another question. How much would nice stone aggregate add to the cost? Does it make much harder for the concrete guy doing the job?:D

crooznart,

I won't give you a hard price (X no. of $$ per sq. ft.) -- it wouldn't apply in Philly!

Yes, adding an exposed aggregate will increase the cost of the slab a bit. It's added mat'l and some added labor. Don't worry about 'how much harder it makes it for the concrete guy -- unless YOU are the concrete guy.

Call a couple or three concrete contractors and get quotes. At 12' X 24', assuming that the ground is fairly level and this will be just a rectangle, they might give you the price right over the phone. Make sure that they are including 4" of base under the slab, which will probably be 4" thick itself. But be ready for a few questions -- How accessible is this spot? Can they back a concrete truck right up to the slab, or will they have to pump the concrete from the street to the back yard? Will they be able to get a Bobcat into the back yard to prepare the sight (dig out about 7 yards of dirt), or will it have to be hand dug?

Thanks for the reply, Lefty. You also answered some questions I didn't even think of; i.e. equipment getting into the yard.

Gotta look at the ENTIRE project, and how you are going to accomplish it. A 12' X24' slab is like nothing, UNLESS you can't get TO IT with the tools!!!