Deck building in Brisbane

Decks we build across Brisbane

Most of the decks we build sit off the back of a house: a new deck where there was lawn or concrete, an extension to a deck that has run out of room, or a deck and stairs built as one job on a high-set home. The site, the height off the ground and how the deck meets the house decide the build, so Ben walks every one before he quotes.

• Low and ground-level decks over lawn, paving or an old slab
• Elevated decks off Queenslanders and high-set homes, with balustrades and stairs
• Rebuilds on an existing subframe, once we have checked it is worth keeping
• Extensions that tie into the existing deck at the same level
• Pergolas and roofed areas over the deck

Hardwood or composite: the boards we lay

Hardwood is still the first choice for most Brisbane decks. Spotted gum, ironbark and tallowwood are rated Class 1 for natural durability under AS 5604, which WoodSolutions puts at more than 40 years above ground with sound detailing, and blackbutt is Class 2 at 15 to 40 years. Every hardwood deck wants a clean and a coat of oil on a regular cycle, and that is the trade-off: the timber looks and ages the way timber should, and you keep it that way.

Composite boards are a wood and plastic mix with a capped face. They do not need oiling and do not grey off, but they move more with heat than hardwood does, so the board gaps and the joist spacing have to follow the brand's own span table rather than timber habits. Ben builds both and talks through the difference against your site and budget when he quotes. Our timber versus composite guide goes through it in detail, and the decking calculator works out board rows, lineal metres and joists for any deck size.

Under the boards, the subframe is treated pine or hardwood sized from the span tables, on galvanised or stainless fixings. Posts and bearers close to the ground carry a higher treatment class than the framing above them, because that is where the water sits.

Built to the deck rules

A deck on a house is covered by the National Construction Code, and the two rules people meet most are about falls and approvals:

• Wherever the drop from the deck is 1 m or more it needs a balustrade, with no opening a 125 mm ball can pass through, under the code's barrier provisions
• Stairs off the deck follow the stair code: risers between 115 mm and 190 mm, goings between 240 mm and 355 mm, and a handrail at least 865 mm above the nosings
• Brisbane City Council lets a small, low, unroofed deck go up without building approval if it passes six checks; a deck over 10 m², more than 1 m above the ground or with a roof needs a certifier, and some character overlays need planning approval too

Our approval guide for decks and stairs goes through those checks job by job, with the sources listed. The work itself is done under QBCC licence 15357497.

How a deck job runs

1. Walk-through and measure. Ben visits, measures the space, checks the ground and the height, and looks at how the deck will meet the house.
2. Written quote. A clear price for the deck you talked through, with the timber or composite named, not a guess.
3. Scope and schedule. Materials, timeline, approval if the job needs one, and a start date agreed before anything begins.
4. The build. Footings and subframe first, set out straight and square, then the boards, balustrade and stairs, with Ben and the crew on site and easy to reach.
5. Handover. We walk the finished deck with you and leave the site clean.

Deck guides from the tools

If you are still working out what you want, these cover the questions we hear most:

• What a deck building service does, and what drives the quote
• Timber versus composite decking for Brisbane homes
• Deck building tips for Brisbane homes
• Timber decks in Brisbane: choosing the timber
• Repair, restore or rebuild an existing deck
• Decking calculator: boards, lineal metres and joists