How Much Does Decking Cost in Melbourne?

Prices by timber

Decking Prices in Melbourne, Per m2

Decking prices in Melbourne depend mostly on the timber you choose. Treated pine is the cheapest at about $190 to $370 per m2 installed, and merbau, a Melbourne favourite, runs $315 to $580. Spotted gum costs a little more again.

You'll notice the high end of each range is nearly double the low. That gap is the deck's height, its substructure and how hard it is to get the timber in, not the boards.

Hardwoods like merbau and spotted gum last longer and look better for it, but you'll be oiling them. Composite skips the oiling and costs more up front.

Australia-wide

What Is the Decking Cost Per m2 in Australia?

Across Australia, decking costs about $180 to $350 per m2 for treated pine and $300 to $550 for merbau, supplied and installed. Melbourne pays $15 to $30 a square metre more than the national typical on every timber, which is what you'd expect from labour in a capital city. On a 25 m2 deck you'd pay a few hundred dollars more, so it's no reason for you to pick a different timber.

Another Victorian guide prices it higher: $250 to $400 per m2 for treated pine and $450 to $750 for hardwood. If you're getting quotes in the upper half of those ranges, that's not unusual for Melbourne.

Whole decks

How Much Does a Whole Deck Cost in Melbourne?

A typical deck cost in Melbourne is about $12,600 for a 25 m2 hardwood deck, with most landing between $8,400 and $16,800. If you want a small 15 m2 deck off the back door, it typically comes to about $7,900, and a big 40 m2 entertaining deck about $19,950.

The Quote Yard puts a 20 m2 starter deck at $6,000 to $12,000. If you're surprised a deck costs about the same as a small car, you're in good company. Most of it is in the frame you'll never see.

That's why our deck quotes in Melbourne are measured on site and itemised. You'll see the footings, the frame, the boards and the finishing as separate lines.

Hidden costs

What Pushes the Price of a Deck Up?

Height, balustrades, stairs and access push a deck's price up most. A deck that sits low on flat ground is the cheapest you'll ever build. Raise it, add a balustrade and a set of stairs, and the same floor area can cost you far more.

The frame underneath

A deck rots from below, so that's where we put the money. Footings, bearers and joists have to sit clear of the ground and let air move under the boards, or you'll be replacing a deck that still looks fine from above. It's the part you'll never see and the part that decides whether you're rebuilding in ten years.

Oiling, forever

Timber decks need oiling to stay looking like timber. The Quote Yard puts sanding and oiling at $35 to $60 per m2, and you'll need to do it regularly if you want the colour to stay. Skip it and merbau turns a silvery grey, which some people love and most people call "weathered" with a sigh.

Rules in Victoria

Do You Need a Permit to Build a Deck in Victoria?

Usually, yes, you do. Boroondara Council says "You always need a Building Permit to build a deck", and a planning permit can be needed too, for example where the property has an overlay or the deck floor sits more than 800 millimetres above natural ground on a small block. Rules vary by council, so check yours before you settle on a height.

Consumer Affairs Victoria says work over $10,000 involving more than one trade needs a major domestic building contract, and domestic building insurance applies over $16,000. The deposit is capped at 10% under $20,000 and 5% from $20,000.

Before footing holes go in, lodge a free Before You Dig Australia enquiry. Your post-hole digger doesn't know where the gas line is, and you'd rather it never found out.

Do the sum

Is There a Deck Cost Calculator for Australia?

Online deck cost calculators give you a rough guide, and you can do the same sum yourself in a few minutes. Multiply your deck's area by the per-m2 range for your timber, then add balustrades by the metre and oiling if you'll pay someone to do it.

1. Measure the deck. Length times width, in square metres.
2. Multiply by the low and high rates for your timber from the Melbourne table.
3. Add a balustrade by the metre if your deck sits high enough that you need one.
4. Add stairs and a permit if you need them.

It won't match a quote to the dollar. It will stop you walking into one with a number from a show where the deck went up in a weekend and the crew was a dozen people and a drone.

From the field

How We Price a Deck

I'd rather show you how a deck price gets built than give you a number off a photo. Every quote we write starts on site and ends as an itemised list.

1. We measure the height. How far the deck sits off the ground decides the frame, the balustrade and often the permit.
2. We look at the ground underneath. Footings on clay and footings on sand aren't the same job, and we'd rather know which you've got before we quote.
3. We talk through the timber. Merbau, spotted gum, blackbutt or treated pine, and what each needs to stay looking good.
4. We price every part separately. Footings, frame, boards, balustrade, stairs and finishing each get a line.

If you'd like the list for your own deck, book a free, measured quote.

Questions

Decking Cost Questions