Deckline Decks What a deck costs, and why we put the price on screen.
Decking is one of the most estimable trades there is: the area in m², by board, by height. So instead of making you wait for a design consult to learn a single number, we put an honest by-the-m² range on the screen first. Here is roughly where the numbers sit, what moves them, and how we keep our quote something you can actually compare.
An honest by-the-m² range, in under a minute.
Tell us the board, roughly the size in m², the height and the balustrade, and see a real supplied-and-installed band. It is a guide range, not a quote: the free site measure pins your exact number, and it never folds the substructure, the balustrade or compliance into a round figure.
Price my deck
An honest by-the-m² range in under a minute, supplied and installed, with the substructure and balustrade counted in. Every deck is quoted exactly on site after a free measure, not over the phone.
Your estimate appears here.
Step through the questions on the left. As soon as you answer the last one, we point you to the honest scope and a realistic range for a job your size.
Supplied and installed, by the m², 2026.
| Cheap quote (spread joists, pads on the dirt, board not named) | $160 to $200/m² |
| Treated pine (H3 and H4 pine, concreted footings, correct joist spacing) | $200 to $340/m² |
| Merbau / hardwood (genuine merbau or spotted gum, oiling-ready finish) | $320 to $470/m² |
| Composite (genuine Modwood or Ekodeck, closer joists, no oiling) | $380 to $560/m² |
| Premium composite (genuine Trex, the coastal no-oil top of the range) | $470 to $660/m² |
Six things that decide where your quote lands.
Most of them are under the boards or named on the page, not in the finished look. All of them decide what you pay, and how long the deck stays flat and solid.
Six levers. One honest range.
Board and area
The two biggest levers. Treated pine sits at the bottom, then merbau and hardwood, composite, and premium composite like Trex at the top. And cost is close to linear in area, so the m² of deck is the single biggest number on the quote.
Substructure, footings and joists
What is under the boards. Deeper footings, more posts and joists spaced closer together for composite all add to the frame. The substructure is sized for the board and the height, and it is the part a cheap quote quietly skimps on.
Height and the balustrade
The higher the deck, the more load through the posts into the footings, and once it is over a metre up the NCC requires a balustrade at least a metre high. Height drives both the substructure and the rail, so it moves the number a lot.
Ledger and flashing to the house
Where the deck bolts to the house, the ledger has to be fixed and flashed so it carries the load and keeps water out of the wall. Doing that join properly costs a little more than bolting a board straight on.
Access and slope
A flat, clear backyard is quick to work; a sloping block, tight side access or a deck over a fall all mean more labour and engineering. Both are priced after the measure, never sprung on you at the end.
Approval and compliance
A larger or elevated deck may need a Complying Development Certificate or a DA, and an elevated build may need an engineer's certificate. We tell you which path your deck falls under on the quote and factor it in.
Every deck quote splits into the same lines.
So the figure you are comparing is tied to a board, an area in m² and a footing depth you can read, not a single round number with nothing behind it.
Seven lines. Every one in writing.
- 01Area in m², board and grade named
- 02The substructure, in full
- 03Ledger board and flashing to the house
- 04Balustrade spec to the NCC
- 05Stairs
- 06Council approval or CDC note
- 07Warranty and finish
“$4,500 the house” by text → seven lines, priced.
- 1 Area in m², board and grade named. The price set by the m², with the board and its grade named: merbau or spotted gum, the composite brand, or H3 and H4 treated pine. Not one round number for "the deck".
- 2 The substructure, in full. The footing depth, the bearer and joist spacing, and the posts, sized for the height and the ground. This is the hidden frame that holds the deck up, and the line cowboys skip.
- 3 Ledger board and flashing to the house. Where the deck bolts to the house, the ledger board and its flashing, stated and detailed, because that join is what keeps water out of your wall.
- 4 Balustrade spec to the NCC. If the deck is over a metre up, the balustrade named to the NCC: timber, metal or glass, at least a metre high with gaps under 125 mm, so it passes rather than gets pulled up.
- 5 Stairs. Any stairs their own line: the rise, the run and the landing, built and balustraded to suit the height, not folded into a round number.
- 6 Council approval or CDC note. A plain note on which approval path the deck falls under, exempt, a Complying Development Certificate or a DA, so you know before we build, not after.
- 7 Warranty and finish. The 10-year footings, bearers and posts warranty in writing, the composite manufacturer warranty or the timber oil and coating, and how the finish is handled.
What you get from us
- ✓Joists at the correct spacing for the board
- ✓Ledger flashed where it meets the house
- ✓Balustrade named to the NCC
- ✓Footings dug and concreted to depth
- ✓Board and grade named on the quote
- ✓10-year footings, bearers and posts warranty
Cowboy tells
- ✕Joists spread out to save on timber
- ✕Ledger bolted straight onto the wall
- ✕"We will sort a rail." No spec, no standard
- ✕Pads sat on the dirt, no real footing
- ✕"Hardwood." No board, no grade named
- ✕Cash job, no warranty in writing
A fixed, itemised quote. No surprises mid-build.
Every quote lists exactly what you get, line by line, before you commit to anything.
- Priced by the m²The deck measured on site and priced by the m², never estimated off a photo.
- Board and grade namedThe merbau or composite brand and grade on the page, never just "hardwood" or "or equivalent".
- Substructure and balustradeThe footing depth, the joist spacing, the ledger flashing and the balustrade spec, itemised in writing.
- Removal and a fixed priceOld-deck removal and disposal as their own line, then a single price locked before work starts.
Anything outside this scope, an engineer's certificate, a council approval, rock in the footings, is quoted separately, in writing, before it happens.
Fixed price
Locked before work starts
A compact deck, a full build, or an elevated deck with a balustrade. We will tell you the smaller job if that is the honest answer.
A compact or ground-level deck
A small or ground-hugging deck over an existing slab or new pads, with the airflow and bearer support sorted so the timber lasts down low. No balustrade, usually no approval.
Wrong when: the deck is more than a metre up or needs a balustrade.
A full deck build
A proper backyard deck off the house in your chosen board, on concreted footings and correctly spaced joists, with the ledger flashed to the house and the finish oiled or fixed. The job we do most.
Wrong when: you only need a small ground-level platform.
An elevated deck with balustrade and stairs
A deck more than a metre up, with engineered footings and posts for the height, a balustrade built to the NCC in timber, metal or glass, and stairs to the yard. The full structural job.
Wrong when: the deck sits on or near the ground.
A deck with a pergola or roof
An outdoor room, the deck plus a pergola, patio or roof over it, set out as one structure so the posts and footings carry both. One team, one quote, one warranty, with the approval factored in.
Wrong when: an open deck with no cover is all you need.
What people ask before they book.
How much does a deck cost per square metre?
Why are two deck quotes for the same job so far apart?
Do you give a fixed price, or an estimate?
Is the cheapest quote ever the right one?
Read deeper before you compare quotes
Priced your deck? Book the free site measure and we will pin the exact number.
Tell us what you need. We’ll book a walkthrough and send a quote with the work itemised, not just a number.