In American society, it is culturally expected to tip, especially when it comes to eating food at a nice restaurant or when you are provided general services. However, with how pivotal tipping is in our society, there is also a lot of room for confusion. For example, for workers who contribute on house projects such as building a deck, should they be tipped, and if so, how much should they be tipped?
Whether or not a deck builder should be tipped is up to the individual's own choice. Many will tip deck builders either 15% to 20% or $50, $100, or $150 per builder if they feel the workers have done a good job. However, as mentioned, it is up to the individual and not required.
While that is the general idea, it is more complex than that. The reality is, every situation can be unique even if the job is the same. Here's a little more insight into the various aspects in regards to whether or not a deck builder should be tipped and how much should they be tipped when they are given that added bonus.
As mentioned, a big part of the culture in the United States is tipping. There can be a tip box or container in all kinds of places. However, there isn't exactly a tip box set alongside the tools the deck builder is using for the project. Understandably, when the customer feels that the deck builders didn't work up to par or didn't work in a manner to deserve a tip, there is no need to give a tip. However, it is highly recommended that they are given a tip when they work exceptionally well on the project.
The collection of tips can go a long way for them in helping to earn enough to reach the cost of living for the area they work and live in. If they were extra polite, efficient, and/or quick, tipping is always a good idea!
The harder situation to discern is the middle ground, or in other words, when they didn't necessarily work poorly but they also didn't quite work above and beyond. When it comes to that grey area, an idea is to gauge it based on where they are at on the spectrum given their work efforts. If it is felt that they deserve some tip, maybe it makes sense to tip some but maybe not as much as above and beyond workers would be tipped.
On the other hand, an idea can be to tip them in a different way such as providing lunch or snacks. Again, it is up to the individual based on the specific circumstances behind their collaborations with the deck builders.
When determining a fair tipping amount if it has been decided to tip the deck builders, it is useful to take into account how much they are making and factor in their efforts and the time they spent building the deck. That being said, for the national average, a deck builder tends to make around $36,700 a year, and statistically speaking, about 92.57 percent of their wage goes to paying their rent.
As far as metro cities throughout the United States go, deck builders who work in Denver usually make the most averaging around $42,106 a year. To paint a general picture of some of the average salaries for deck builders in the United States, we created the table below. Deck builders in the state of South Dakota have the lowest average salary making around $35,020 on average in a year while deck builders in the state of Alaska have the highest average salary as they earn an average of $47,518 on a yearly basis.
| State | Mean Salary | State | Mean Salary | State | Mean Salary | State | Mean Salary | State | Mean Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $36,838 | Hawaii | $43,656 | Massachusetts | $36,098 | New Mexico | $36,913 | South Dakota | $35,020 |
| Alaska | $47,518 | Idaho | $36,770 | Michigan | $41,065 | New York | $44,124 | Tennessee | $36,363 |
| Arizona | $36,098 | Illinois | $36,098 | Minnesota | $41,463 | North Carolina | $37,436 | Texas | $37,830 |
| Arkansas | $35,088 | Indiana | $38,324 | Mississippi | $35,191 | North Dakota | $38,780 | Utah | $37,653 |
| California | $45,134 | Iowa | $37,389 | Missouri | $35,047 | Ohio | $39,377 | Vermont | $39,352 |
| Colorado | $41,069 | Kansas | $36,887 | Montana | $37,061 | Oklahoma | $35,781 | Virginia | $40,780 |
| Connecticut | $45,402 | Kentucky | $37,022 | Nebraska | $36,356 | Oregon | $40,880 | Washington | $44,029 |
| Delaware | $41,533 | Louisiana | $37,142 | Nevada | $42,238 | Pennsylvania | $40,502 | West Virginia | #36,208 |
| Florida | $37,950 | Maine | $38,661 | New Hampshire | $41,398 | Rhode Island | $42,905 | Wisconsin | $40,006 |
| Georgia | $37,947 | Maryland | $43,192 | New Jersey | $45,847 | South Carolina | $37,187 | Wyoming | $38,607 |
As previously mentioned, when it comes to tipping deck builders, it is up to the individual's digression. If it has been decided that the deck builder or builders should be tipped, it is smart to tip around 15 percent to 20 percent as that is pretty customary for a tipping amount in American culture.
For the most part, people choose to tip when the deck builder or builders did a phenomenal job, or when they are planning on using those builders for another project down the road. A common thing people do when that is the case is to pay each worker as a bonus an additional $50, $100, or $150 each depending on the quality of work they each did.
Something else that people sometimes do is provide lunch, water, or other similar things as an incentive and encouragement for the people building the deck. Based on the average amount that deck builders make per hour in their individual state, here is a foundation to use as a basis when deciding how much to tip when and if it is felt that the deck builders deserve to be tipped for their efforts.
| State | Tip Amount | State | Tip Amount | State | Tip Amount | State | Tip Amount | State | Tip Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $2.66 per Hour | Hawaii | $3.15 per Hour | Massachusetts | $3.21 per Hour | New Mexico | $2.67 per Hour | South Dakota | $2.53 per Hour |
| Alaska | $3.41 per Hour | Idaho | $2.66 per Hour | Michigan | $2.97 per Hour | New York | $3.19 per Hour | Tennessee | $2.63 per Hour |
| Arizona | $2.77 per Hour | Illinois | $3.06 per Hour | Minnesota | $2.99 per Hour | North Carolina | $2.70 per Hour | Texas | $2.73 per Hour |
| Arkansas | $2.54 per Hour | Indiana | $2.77 per Hour | Mississippi | $2.59 per Hour | North Dakota | $2.80 per Hour | Utah | $2.72 per Hour |
| California | $3.26 per Hour | Iowa | $2.70 per Hour | Missouri | $2.79 per Hour | Ohio | $2.84 per Hour | Vermont | $2.84 per Hour |
| Colorado | $2.97 per Hour | Kansas | $2.66 per Hour | Montana | $2.68 per Hour | Oklahoma | $2.54 per Hour | Virginia | $2.95 per Hour |
| Connecticut | $3.28 per Hour | Kentucky | $2.67 per Hour | Nebraska | $ per Hour | Oregon | $2.95 per Hour | Washington | $3.18 per Hour |
| Delaware | $3.00 per Hour | Louisiana | $2.68 per Hour | Nevada | $3.05 per Hour | Pennsylvania | $2.93 per Hour | West Virginia | $2.62 per Hour |
| Florida | $2.74 per Hour | Maine | $2.79 per Hour | New Hampshire | $2.99 per Hour | Rhode Island | $3.10 per Hour | Wisconsin | $2.89 per Hour |
| Georgia | $2.74 per Hour | Maryland | $3.12 per Hour | New Jersey | $3.31 per Hour | South Carolina | $2.69 per Hour | Wyoming | $2.79 per Hour |
