# Forum Home Renovation Decking  Decking costs

## johnnic

I know this is somewhat like asking how long is a piece of string but I am trying to get some basic ideas about the cost of having a deck laid. 
I have a flat area, about 25m2 with brick house walls on three sides.  I am considering either decking or paving (with a pergola in both cases). 
Would anyone be kind enough to give me a ROUGH estimate of the per metre costs of decking, both materials and labour?  I know it will depend on a number of variables, but anything would be useful to me at the moment.  I don't really have any idea if we're talking $100 m2 (I doubt it) or $1000 m2 (I hope not). 
Thanks

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## ibuildbenches

A rough figure is around $200-250 m2 for a merbau deck. 
That includes materials and labour. 
So your looking at around $5000 - $6250 for your deck.

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## 2x4

Depending on the quality and materials used you could easily double that amount. 
Better off giving it a go yourself. Nothing better than kicking back with a beer feeling all proud.    
.

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## ringtail

The job I'm doing now is 20.15 sqm, ss cable balustrade, skillion flyover roof ( no ceiling) solid kwila beer ledge handrails  - price is $ 16500. Ive just put in a quote for a 28 sqm deck with stairs ( steel stringers) and a solar span roof . Cost is $ 27 000. $ 7000 of that is the roof supplied and fitted . 
So unless people out there are working for $ 10 / hour, a realistic figure is between 600 and 1000 per sqm depending on what spec you want. 
My prices are considerably cheaper than others who have quoted. I charge $ 50 an hour + GST for decks and most builders will be double that

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## ibuildbenches

Unless Im missing something... 
I worked out materials to cost around $2600 for stumps, bearers, joists, decking and fixings for a 5m x 5m deck (merbau). 
24 hours labour @ $50 per hour (x 2 guys) = $2400 
plus 5% extras $250 
= $5250.00 
Obviously Im not including any handrail, stairs, roof etc

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## ringtail

So you are only allowing 12 man hours per guy ?  It would easily take 16 man hours to hand nail 25 sqm of decking if everthing went perfectly and you were running between the drop saw and the job 
The way I see it, you have to include everything - earth moving @ 100 / hr, soil disposal, concrete  @ 350 M3 delivered, concrete pump @ 400, HWD posts @ 28 / mt, HWD bearers @ 25 /mt, Joists @ 15 / mt, decking @ 4.5 / mt, nails, bolts for bearer and joists, stirrups, triple grips, etc... the costs just keep going. Then do the labour take off - set out @ half a day, supervise the exacavation@ half a day, pour the concrete, set the stirrups and stand the posts @ 1 day, check out the posts, install bearers and joists @ 1 day, lay the decking 2 days if it all goes perfectly - it never does etc... 
price it all up ,come to a total add in certifier and draftsman fees, trestles and plank hire, then get a sqm price from that. You will scare yourself if you add it all up. Obviously I'm talking about proper decks here, not things that are 300 mm from the ground with pine posts direct in the ground, no balustrade or hand rail, but things that are 2 - 4 mt from the ground that will kill someone if not built properly using the best construction methods and materials

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## teknostar

> So you are only allowing 12 man hours per guy ?  It would easily take 16 man hours to hand nail 25 sqm of decking if everthing went perfectly and you were running between the drop saw and the job 
> The way I see it, you have to include everything - earth moving @ 100 / hr, soil disposal, concrete  @ 350 M3 delivered, concrete pump @ 400, HWD posts @ 28 / mt, HWD bearers @ 25 /mt, Joists @ 15 / mt, decking @ 4.5 / mt, nails, bolts for bearer and joists, stirrups, triple grips, etc... the costs just keep going. Then do the labour take off - set out @ half a day, supervise the exacavation@ half a day, pour the concrete, set the stirrups and stand the posts @ 1 day, check out the posts, install bearers and joists @ 1 day, lay the decking 2 days if it all goes perfectly - it never does etc... 
> price it all up ,come to a total add in certifier and draftsman fees, trestles and plank hire, then get a sqm price from that. You will scare yourself if you add it all up. Obviously I'm talking about proper decks here, not things that are 300 mm from the ground with pine posts direct in the ground, no balustrade or hand rail, but things that are 2 - 4 mt from the ground that will kill someone if not built properly using the best construction methods and materials

  That is a pretty good plan for preparing for, costing and building a deck! 
thanks

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## ringtail

I see it all the time. Figures like 200 - 400 / sqm for a proper elevated deck. No chance in hell. It all adds up. I might do up a take off and post it up so people can see what costs are involved

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## bpj1968

Ringtail, I added up 5 days labour (40hrs?)
Ibuildbenches had 24 hrs x 2 guys = 48 
 A few of your "overhead" costs would be relatively similar, not matter how big, eg draftsman.  I certainly agrre it adds up quick, maybe needs to be broken down into 2 parts a flat rate plus a $/M2 
You're right high decks are exxy, low decks are fairly consistent in price, not taht I could put a price on it, after building a few I no longer look when I hand over the Visa

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## ibuildbenches

Yes its 3 days with 2 guys (48 hours). 
Day 1 - set out and stumps, day 2 - bearers and joists, day 3 - decking and beers  :Smilie:  
Im simply quoting a price to do the deck, nothing else. A typical 300mm off the ground deck out the back door usually doesn't need stuff like earthmoving, concrete pumps or even a draftsman. 
Ringtail, Im not knocking your way of thinking, its certainly a good idea to know every cost aspect associated with a job, but the decks you are describing are not the average backyard deck. 
I agree that a deck sitting 3 metres in the air, with uneven ground and postholes 5 metres deep may be a touch over $200 m3 :P

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## ringtail

Just putting the finishing touches on a make believe typical take off for a deck that is 2.4 mt off the ground, 6 mt x 4mt with a solar span roof, cable balustrade with wide handrail, a privacy batten screen and a steel stringer staircase with the same balustrade handrail. I'll post it up in the deck section - obviously - for everyone to pick the eyes out of it. Probably tomorrow- sleepy now. 
Sorry about the misunderstanding with your labour figures IBB
Oh, and up here, a high set deck is the norm, low sets are not very common at all. Most people with a low set house just pave, while most existing Brisbane houses are between 1000 -  1800 off the ground, with most new ones been 2 storey with a deck/s on the upper

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## nelum

Need your help... 
I got a quote done today to replace an existing deck. Quote included colourbond roof with 6 polycarbonate sheets in between, new gutters connected to existing storm water drainage, treated pine flooring, no staining, no handrails required, removal of old deck. Proposed deck will be 8mx3m. Its flat surface; on the ground (in the sense its not off the ground!). The quote came to $7,000. 
Is this reasonable?

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## ringtail

When you say replace an existing deck do you mean - 1 it already has a roof and you are just changing the roof sheets ? 2 - are just removing the old decking boards and replacing with new or are they ripping it all out and startng from scratch ? How is it actually built - timber joists sitting on the ground - bearers / joists, posts / bearers/ joists ?

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## nelum

The latter - removing the entire existing deck and starting from scratch (roof polycarb sheets, treated pine flooring, treated pine posts, joists which are sitting on the ground). The existing deck boards are about 10-15cm off the ground. 
The roof is leaking and it has ruined quite a few boards. The quote guy said there's about 4yrs worth left on the boards and i thought might as well get the whole thing ripped off and new one installed.  
Hope that helps.

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## ringtail

Ok, so for $ 7000 they are going to completely demolish and remove the entire existing deck and roof structure and build a new veranda from scratch - correct ? If so $ 7000 is a very good price considering that the tin for the roof, polycarb, guttering and stormwater will cost around $ 900 by itself, then the actual timber frame for the roof, plus the labour, then the materials and labour for the deck, concrete for the roof posts.Plus the demolition of the existing structure, skips etc.. You generally work on a split of 55% materials and 45 % for labour. As I said before, $ 7000 is a very good price - a bit too good IMO, are they licenced contractors ? Have you got a second or third quote ? ( a must )

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## nelum

Yes that's correct...and yes i thought it was too good to be true as well. 
I got several quotes but for a different design; which included this side deck plus another on the other side of the house...a more of a 'L' shape, this quote is only for the '_' of the 'L' shape; hope you know what i mean!! For that design the quotes ranged from $18K to $48. 
This quote is from a licenced builder called Austek.  
I'm now wondering whether before i sign anything up, i should get another quote for the exact design.

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## ringtail

Yes - get another quote, in fact get 2. Try and get one from a builder and one from a carpenter. As the builder will use a carpenter to do the work and put at least 30 % mark up on top, get a price direct from the chippy and cut the builder out all together. Everything is within the chippies scope of work so there should be no dramas going straight to him and saving the builders mark up.

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## Gooner

I am in the process of building a ground-floor deck on a concrete slab using post stirrups to hold up the joists. It is a 6.2 x 5.5m deck with hand rails around about half the perimeter of the deck. hand rails and posts all need to be painted. Bought the decking timber (Merbau) to fixed lengths and have very little watage. (Approx 1% wastage).  
Doing it all 100% myself and have kept detailed list of items I buy. (some tools I have had to buy, such as cordless impact drill, new socket spanner, etc etc) I have not listed. Also not listed is stuff I am yet to do such as oil the deck. All in all I believe it will cost $7000 almost exactly. The railings adds up to around $2300, (and a whole lot of extra work) so the deck itself would be around $4700 if there were no posts.

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## peanuts

I've just finished some works for a client.
total price was $9000.
This was for updating a 24sqm covered deck 1m off ground, which was actually approved 15 years ago.  
Removing existing fiberglass sheet roof, replacing battens with ones that actually meet the BCA for the span, re sheeting with laserlight xpt. 
Remove treated decking boards,which were held down with 1 screw each, replace 4 joists which were beyond service, nail off all the triple grips all of which had 1 nail in them, add joist hangers which were non existent.
Add 3 adjustable steel piers as the main beam was undersized for the existing spans.
Add a second face beam as the existing face beam was undersized for the spans. 
Run a straightedge over the joists and plane off all the humps,Re lay deck with merbau ,screwed down, 3 coats of spa n deck. 
Remove old handrails and replace with design pine rails and picket infill. 
If i had to pull it all down and re-do this from scratch i'd estimate close to $17000 un-painted. (design pine pergola, treated pine deck structure).

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## shannon_t

The draftsperson fee shouldn't be too much if you find someone that wants the work and doesn't charge large "design" fee for desiging a decking

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