Installed Cost by Dock Type
| Type | Installed $/sq ft | A 6 × 32 ft dock (192 sq ft) | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seasonal pipe | $18–$28 | ~$3,500–$5,400 | Sheltered water, moderate depth |
| Roll-in | $24–$34 | ~$4,600–$6,500 | Gradually shelving shoreline |
| Crib | $40–$60 | ~$7,700–$11,500 | Rocky bottom, exposed frontage |
| Permanent pile | $50–$75 | ~$9,600–$14,400 | Deep water, fixed berth |
A typical whole new dock in this region lands between $3,000 and $30,000. That band is wide because the inputs genuinely vary that much — a small seasonal dock on an accessible shoreline and a large permanent structure on an island are different projects by an order of magnitude.
The configurator will narrow it to your plan in a couple of minutes.
What Moves the Number
Decking
| Material | Effect on cost | The real trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Pressure-treated | Baseline | Perfectly good. Cups and splits over time; expect board replacement. |
| Cedar | +15–25% | Better looking, pleasant underfoot, weathers to silver. Softer, so it marks. |
| Composite | +35–60% | Low maintenance, but genuinely hot in August. Think hard if this is a swimming dock. |
| Aluminium | +50–80% | Coolest underfoot and far the lightest to carry up the bank each October. |
Accessories
| Item | Typical installed cost |
|---|---|
| Boat lift | $4,000–$12,000 by capacity |
| Canopy | $2,200–$6,000 |
| Bench seating | $600–$1,600 |
| Dock lighting | $450–$1,400 |
| Ladder | $350–$750 |
| Bumpers & cleats | $250–$700 |
Access
A drive-up site and an island are the same drawings and different jobs. Steep or limited access adds mobilisation effort; island and barge access adds both cost and weather risk, and the barge rather than the dock becomes the cost driver. Island work is quoted per property for exactly that reason.
The Annual Cost Nobody Budgets For
A seasonal dock is not a one-time purchase. Install and removal recur every year for as long as you own the property, and that figure belongs in the buying decision.
Booking both visits as an annual contract costs less than two one-off calls, and — more valuably — it secures your position in the schedule, which is what actually protects the dock. Add periodic repair and component replacement over the structure's life: hardware, decking boards, the occasional footing.
A permanent dock has no annual service cost, but it has a repair profile instead, because it spends every winter in the ice rather than on the bank. Over twenty years those two curves are closer than they first appear.
Three Costs That Are Not in a Construction Price
Permitting
Separate cost, separate timeline, and on a permanent structure frequently the longest part of the project. A seasonal notification is modest; a full wetlands application is not. Budget for it deliberately rather than treating it as an afterthought — and note that the NHDES voluntary dock registration for existing structures runs around $200.
A survey, if the lines are unclear
The 20-foot dock setback runs from the property line or its imaginary extension. If your boundary is uncertain, that needs establishing before the dock is sited, and a survey is cheaper than moving a structure.
Consulting, on a complicated application
For a permanent structure, a prime-wetland question, or anything contested, a wetlands scientist alongside the contractor is worth the money. Not every project needs one; the ones that do, need one badly.
Questions
Why is there such a wide range?
Because the inputs genuinely vary that much. Dock type alone spans roughly fourfold per square foot, and then size, decking, accessories and access each move it again. A configurator gets you to a band in minutes; a site assessment turns that band into a number.
Is a cheaper dock a false economy?
Not inherently. A seasonal pipe dock on sheltered frontage is not a compromise — it is the correct structure, and spending four times as much on a permanent one there buys a harder permitting process and a winter ice problem you did not previously have. The false economy is the opposite error: a light system on exposed frontage that fails.
What is the cheapest way to get a usable dock?
A modest seasonal pipe dock, pressure-treated decking, sized to where depth actually arrives rather than to the neighbours, on a frontage with drive-up access. If that describes your property you are in the best position in this table, and the honest advice is not to over-build.
Do you publish prices because you are the cheapest?
No — we publish them because nobody else does, and because a waterfront owner ought to be able to work out what they are getting into before making a phone call. On any given job we may or may not be the lowest number. We will be the one that told you the ranges up front.