Waltco Development · Updated October 2026
Box beams are priced per linear foot to build, per beam to install and per foot to finish. How Waltco Development prices them, with a Malibu example.
The short answer
A box beam is a hollow beam built from three boards mitered together: two sides and a bottom face. It looks like a solid timber but weighs a fraction of one, so it can go up on almost any ceiling.
Waltco Development prices built oak box beams from $100 per linear foot. Installing them from scaffolding is priced per beam, and the finish is priced per linear foot. A site measure comes first, because the final drawing sets the final price.
A real example: four white oak beams in Malibu
A recent estimate covered four 3-sided mitered white oak beams, 9 inches high and 5¼ to 5½ inches wide: two at 140⅝ inches and two at 181⅝ inches, 53.71 linear feet in all, with a Rubio Monocoat whitewash.
Built, delivered, installed from scaffolding and touched up, the beams came to $10,231. The whitewash, with a sample board for approval, added $1,324. That is about $215 per linear foot, finished and installed.
What moves the price
Six things change the number more than anything else:
- Species and surface: oak and white oak cost more than Douglas fir; hand-hewn faces cost more than planed ones.
- Length: beams longer than 12 feet need 16-foot boards, which are not always in stock.
- Continuous lumber or splices: one board per face looks cleaner and costs more than spliced pieces.
- Ceiling height and shape: vaulted ceilings need scaffolding and more setting time.
- Finish: stain, oil or whitewash, and whether a sample board is needed.
- How many beams: set-up, delivery and clean-up are shared across the job, so each extra beam costs less.
How we build the estimate
Every Waltco beam estimate uses the same steps, so two quotes for the same ceiling come out the same:
- Linear feet of beam × the rate for the species and surface.
- Number of beams × the install rate.
- One scaffold set-up for the job: delivery, floor protection, touch-up and clean-up.
- One site measure and shop drawing.
- Linear feet × the finish rate.
What is not in the beam price
Ceiling patching and paint, wiring for lights inside a beam, and any structural work are priced separately. A box beam is decorative; if a beam has to carry load, an engineer sizes it first.
Related
See also
Questions
Frequently asked questions
- Are box beams cheaper than solid beams?
- Usually, yes. A box beam uses three boards instead of a full timber, and it is light enough to fasten to blocking in the ceiling.
- Can a box beam be longer than 16 feet?
- Yes, but longer beams need longer boards or a splice. We tell you which before the estimate is final.
- Do you measure before quoting?
- Yes. The first number is a ballpark from your sizes or photos; the final price follows a site measure and drawing.
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