Key takeaways
- -Most deck quotes are still written per square metre, which works fine on flat, open ground close to a driveway. In the hills it falls apart, because two decks of identical size ...
- -Height off the ground. Once a deck is more than around a metre up, you are into deeper footings, longer posts, bracing, balustrade and often a permit.
- -Spend on the substructure, drainage and fixings. They decide whether the deck is still sound in fifteen years, and they are the one part you cannot upgrade later without pulling...
01
Why per-square-metre pricing is misleading
Most deck quotes are still written per square metre, which works fine on flat, open ground close to a driveway. In the hills it falls apart, because two decks of identical size can take very different amounts of labour.
The honest answer is that the deck surface is one of the cheaper parts of the job. What you are really paying for is everything under and around it.
02
The four things that move the price most
Height off the ground. Once a deck is more than around a metre up, you are into deeper footings, longer posts, bracing, balustrade and often a permit.
Access. If every board, bag of concrete and offcut is hand-carried down the side of the house, that time is real and it goes in the quote.
Substructure. Footings into rock, reactive clay or fill, steel bearers, and ventilation detailing all sit below the boards where you never see them.
Finish level. Picture framing, hidden fixings, stairs, built-in seating and integrated lighting each add labour rather than material.
03
Where to spend and where to save
Spend on the substructure, drainage and fixings. They decide whether the deck is still sound in fifteen years, and they are the one part you cannot upgrade later without pulling the boards up.
Save by keeping the shape simple, staying low where the ground allows, and adding benches, screens or planting in a later stage.
04
How to get a number you can compare
Ask every builder for a written scope that names the timber, the fixing method, the footing type and the waterproofing or flashing details. Two quotes are only comparable when they list the same inclusions, exclusions and allowances.
If you would like a fixed quote for your block, book a site visit and we will price what your site actually needs.
Thinking about your own project?
We build across Belgrave and the Dandenong Ranges. Send through photos of what you have and we will tell you what the site allows.