Deckline Decks Know the number, and what is under the boards, before you build.
Decks get quoted thousands apart for the same backyard, because the cheap quote spreads the joists, sits the footings on the dirt, and goes quiet on the balustrade and the approval. The differences only show up later, when the deck sags or fails an inspection. These guides put them back in the conversation: what a deck costs by the m², hardwood or composite, whether your deck needs council approval, the balustrade rules, what holds the deck up, and how timber lasts near the coast. No sign-up, no sales pitch, just what to ask.
Choosing your deck
Which board, and whether the height or the size needs council approval, so you decide on the facts before anyone quotes.
Hardwood or composite decking?
Composite usually wins on lifespan and upkeep near the coast, no oiling and no rot, for a higher price up front. Hardwood like merbau looks warmer and costs less to lay, but it greys and needs oiling. A straight comparison on lifespan, maintenance, cost and the real question underneath both, the substructure.
Read the guide →Do I need council approval for a deck?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no, and it depends on the height, the size and your council. Many low decks fit the exempt rules and need no approval, while a larger or elevated deck usually needs a Complying Development Certificate or a DA. What decides the path, and how we name it on the quote so you know before we build.
Read the guide →Pricing and quotes
What a deck is worth by the m², how to read a quote, and how to compare like for like.
How the deck is built
What is under the boards, the balustrade rules, and the standards a deck is built to.
Deck balustrade rules and heights (the NCC)
Once a deck is more than a metre above the ground the NCC requires a balustrade at least a metre high, with gaps under 125 mm and nothing climbable in the danger zone. What the rule actually says, when it triggers, and how to make sure the balustrade passes rather than gets pulled up.
Read the guide →What is under the boards: deck substructure
Under every deck is the substructure: concreted footings, posts, bearers and joists, plus the ledger board and its flashing to the house. Why that hidden frame decides the lifespan, what a cheap lump-sum quote leaves vague, and why the footings, bearers and posts are the part we warrant for ten years.
Read the guide →Lifespan and aftercare
How a deck holds up near the coast, the upkeep, and what the substructure warranty covers.
The Honest Deck Cost Guide
What is inside
- Real by-the-m² bands for treated pine, merbau, composite and premium composite
- The costs a cheap deck quote quietly leaves out
- What is under the boards, and why the substructure decides the lifespan
- A one-page checklist to take to every deck quote
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