Decking In Springvale

For most Melbourne backyards, merbau is the best balance of hardness, stability, availability and price, averaging $350 to $500 per square metre installed. Spotted gum and blackbutt are harder and more attractive but cost more, and blackbutt has a bushfire resistance rating that matters on the ranges edge around Ferntree Gully and Lysterfield. Treated pine is the cheapest and is fine for low service decks but marks easily. If you would rather not oil a deck every year, composite is the honest answer even though it costs more upfront. Every job is unique, so we confirm the figure in writing after measuring.

In merbau, a 40 square metre low-level deck averages $14,000 to $20,000 built. In treated pine it averages $10,000 to $14,000, and in composite $20,000 to $30,000. Those are for decks close to ground level with reasonable access. If the deck is elevated, expect more for taller stumps and bracing, stairs and balustrade, with balustrade alone adding roughly $250 to $450 per linear metre. A building permit and engineering, where the deck exceeds 800 millimetres in height, adds an average of $1,500 to $3,500. Every job is unique, so you get a written fixed figure before any work starts.

Treated pine, averaging roughly $250 to $350 per square metre installed, is the cheapest built deck. It is a genuine option for a low platform, a service area or a deck that will be painted, but it is softer than hardwood, dents and marks more readily, and it needs painting or staining rather than oiling. The saving against merbau averages $100 to $150 per square metre, which on a 30 square metre deck is $3,000 to $4,500. For a deck that will be the main outdoor living area of the house, most people find that difference worth paying. Every job is unique, so the written quote is the number that counts.

Generally yes once the deck's finished floor level sits more than 800 millimetres above the ground beneath it. A balustrade also becomes mandatory where the drop reaches one metre. Low-level decks sitting close to ground level usually do not require a permit, though setbacks and site coverage can still come into it depending on your council. We check this before quoting and tell you what applies to your address and what the permit and engineering will add. An unpermitted elevated deck is a problem that surfaces at sale time.

Roughly once a year for merbau and other hardwoods, ideally in autumn before the wet, and more often on a deck in full northern sun. New merbau should be left to weather for a few weeks first so the tannin washes out before the first coat, unless we have pre-oiled the boards. If you skip oiling, the deck will not fail structurally, it will simply silver off to a soft grey, which plenty of people like. Composite decks need no oiling at all, just a wash a couple of times a year.

A straightforward low-level deck of 20 to 40 square metres is usually five to eight days on site, including footings, frame and boards. Footing concrete needs to cure before the frame is loaded, so that stage is not rushed. Elevated decks with stairs, balustrade and screening commonly run two to three weeks. Where a building permit is required, allow several weeks before we start on site for engineering and approval, which is why we raise it at quoting stage rather than after you have committed.