What each job was filed at
"Usual" is the middle permit: half were filed for less, half for more. "Middle half of firms" takes every firm with three or more permits in the trade, finds each firm's usual job, and shows the band the middle 50% of firms sit in; it is the number to hold a quote against. A dash means fewer than eight firms had three or more permits.
| Job | Usual filed value | Middle half of firms | Permits (share priced) | Pages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deck | $29,000 | $24,000–$53,481 | 1,101 (85.8%) | cost · compare firms |
| Backyard unit (ADU) | $112,256 | — | 139 (97.8%) | cost · compare firms |
| Swimming pool | $150,000 | $116,012–$190,000 | 328 (80.8%) | cost · compare firms |
| New home | $456,960 | $449,094–$806,326 | 1,703 (99.6%) | cost · compare firms |
Electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits in Raleigh carry no job value (0.0% of 16,812 electrical permits), so they have no cost page. The electrical, plumbing and HVAC compare pages still rank firms by permits and finished share.
What moves the price in Raleigh
The home. Each cost page splits firms into thirds by the usual value of the homes they work on (Wake County parcel values). Raleigh's single-family value figure is $463,000.
| Job | Firms on the least expensive third | Firms on the most expensive third |
|---|---|---|
| Deck | $23,660 | $40,550 |
| Swimming pool | $72,000 | $150,000 |
| New home | $401,229 | $776,483 |
| Backyard unit (ADU) | $115,520 | $106,882 |
Figures from each cost page, data of 12 October 2026. Pools and new homes roughly double with the neighbourhood; ADUs do not move.
The firm. The ten busiest new-home builders usually file $454,395 a house, while the 172 builders with fewer than ten permits usually file $672,837 (Raleigh new-home cost page), so the busiest builders are not the dearest. Deck builders barely split, $30,380 for the ten busiest against $29,000 for 373 smaller firms.
The season. Deck permits peak in August (index 120, where 100 is an average month) and are fewest in December (84). Pool permits peak in April (index 132). We have no prices by month, so this is about builders' calendars, not discounts.
Filed value is not the price
- It is what the applicant wrote down. Some builders write the contract price, some only the structure; 1 in 10 Raleigh deck permits is filed under $9,800 and 1 in 10 over $75,200 (Raleigh deck cost page).
- One permit type covers small and large jobs. A deck permit is a landing or a two-level deck with a roof; read the cost page's spread before you judge a quote.
- Several permits for one project. A new home or a pool can carry separate electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits. Those carry no value in Raleigh, so whether their cost sits inside the main figure depends on the builder.
- The lot. New-home and ADU values are construction only.
Check a quote in five minutes
- Find your job in the table and open its cost page.
- Put your quote against the "middle half of firms" band. Inside it is normal for Raleigh; above it, ask what the extra covers.
- Open the compare firms page, find the builder, and read its usual filed value, permit count and finished share.
- Check the builder's North Carolina license with our Raleigh contractor license lookup guide.
Permit rules by job: deck, ADU, new home. Across cities: deck construction cost, pool installation cost, new home construction cost and what home projects cost by city.
How we know this
Every row is a permit type the City of Raleigh issued in the window 2023-10 to 2026-09 with at least 100 priced permits making up at least 80% of the type. Usual = median of the permits that carry a value; middle half of firms = 25th to 75th percentile of the usual value of firms with three or more permits in the trade (shown when at least eight firms qualify). Days to final are not shown for these four jobs. The home-value thirds and the busiest-firm figures are copied from each job's cost page and dated. Permit fees are left out; the City of Raleigh publishes its development fee schedule.
Numbers come from City of Raleigh building permits, data through October 12, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Compare every Raleigh deck builder by usual job and finished share →
Questions
- How much does a deck cost in Raleigh?
The usual deck permit in Raleigh was filed at $29,000, across 1,101 permits, and the middle half of 71 deck builders usually file between $24,000 and $53,481. Builders on the least expensive third of homes usually file $23,660, against $40,550 on the most expensive third (Raleigh deck cost page, data of 12 October 2026).
- How much does an inground pool cost in Raleigh?
The usual swimming-pool permit was filed at $150,000 (328 permits), and the middle half of pool builders file between $116,012 and $190,000. On the least expensive third of homes the usual figure is $72,000; on the most expensive third, $150,000.
- How much does it cost to build a house in Raleigh?
New-home permits were usually filed at $456,960 across 1,703 permits, and the middle half of builders file between $449,094 and $806,326. That is construction value only; the lot is not in it. The ten busiest builders usually file $454,395, the 172 smaller builders $672,837.
- How much does an ADU cost in Raleigh?
The usual backyard-unit permit was filed at $112,256 across 139 permits. Home value barely moves it: $115,520 on the least expensive third of homes, $106,882 on the most expensive (Raleigh ADU cost page). Zoning rules are in our Raleigh ADU guide.
- Why is there no Raleigh figure for HVAC, electrical or plumbing?
Raleigh's trade permits carry no job value (0.0% of 10,761 HVAC permits), so we can't price them. The compare pages still rank those firms by permits and how many reached final.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Home improvement costs in Nashville, TN (2026): what 10 kinds of jobs were filed at
- Home improvement costs in San Diego, CA (2026): what 8 kinds of jobs were filed at
- Raleigh contractor license lookup: which board, where to search, and what the permits show
- ADU cost in San Diego County: what the permits were filed at, by size
For one city
- Raleigh ADU rules: sizes, setbacks, the Not For Rent rule for owner-builders, and what ADU permits were filed at
- Raleigh building permit search: the Permit and Development Portal and records requests
- Do I need a deck permit in Raleigh? New decks, board-only replacements, the $40,000 line and what to submit