How much does it cost to build a timber deck?

Adding a deck to your home can be an ideal way to enjoy an indoor-outdoor lifestyle. So how much does a deck cost? We take a look at some of the factors that can influence it.

There’s nothing like relaxing on your deck and enjoying the cool of an evening after a long day, or inviting your mates around for a barbeque on your new deck on the weekend. In the Australian climate, a deck can be a welcome addition to a home, and if your house does not currently have an outdoor entertaining and living space, you might well be pondering adding one.

As well as the possible lifestyle benefits, building a deck can be a great way to enhance your property, extend your home’s usable floor space, and potentially increase its value. That said, thanks to rising labour and materials costs, and ongoing supply chain disruptions thanks to COVID, a timber deck could be somewhat more expensive to build now than in years gone by.

So what does a deck cost to build? We take a look.

How much does it cost to build a timber deck?

The cost of a deck can vary significantly depending on factors including the size of the deck, the material used for flooring, if it has a roof, the type of balustrade it has, whether it has any stairs, and site conditions (such as height from the ground, whether the land below the deck is level and the type of soil involved). Trade website hipages says that a deck can cost anywhere between $300 to more than $1,000 per square metre in the current climate. To give some guidance, hipages breaks the cost down by materials, and estimates the supply and installation costs as follows:

• Treated pine decking: $200 per m/2
• Hardwood timber decking: $320 per m/2
• Composite decking: $350 per m/2
• Decking with roofing or stairs: $800 per m/2
• Elevated cyclone rated decking: $1,000 per m/2

Trade website service.com.au offers a roughly similar estimate, saying that timber decking is likely to cost you between $200 to $500 per m/2, depending on factors such as the material used and your individual specifications.

Brite Composite Decking Solutions say that you can expect to pay around $220 to $260 per m/2 for treated pine or merbau decking, and between $350 to $500 per m/2 for hardwood or composite decking.

How choice of timber can impact the cost of a deck

The type of timber you use will likely be a major factor in the cost of your deck. Hardware chain Bunnings says hardwoods such as jarrah, spotted gum and merbau are popular choices for decks, with merbau being the most popular.  Other options include treated pine, composite decking, which is made from a mixture of timber fibre and plastic made to look like timber, and modular decking – real timber boards prefabricated into panels for quicker and easier installation.

Generally speaking,

How does the cost of building a deck break down?

According to Brite Composite Decking Solutions, the most expensive part of building a deck is likely to be the labour involved, with the next-most expensive likely to be the subframe. A deck needs a solid foundation and the subframe, consisting of the wooden or steel beams and posts necessary to hold it up, will be costly but important part of the installation. They say you can expect the following costs breakdown when building a deck:

• Labour and installation: 45% of overall budget
• Subframe: 30% of overall budget
• Boards: 20% of overall budget
• Fixings and accessories: 5% of overall budget

What are the options to finance a new deck?

There are many ways to finance a home improvement project, including:

• Savings: Drawing on a savings account means you do not have to take on debt to finance the job, which means you most likely do not have to pay interest or fees on that debt. This means that if you can afford to do so, paying for the job out of your savings will generally save you money in the long run.
• Redraw/offset account on your home loan: You may consider the option of making a redraw on your home loan or using funds saved in your offset account, assuming your home loan has one or both of these features. It is wise to consider the long-term impact this could have on your mortgage, as paying for a job this way may increase the total amount you have to repay over time when interest is factored in.
• Personal loan: Depending on your personal circumstances and the cost of the job, you may be able to consider using a personal loan to fund the work. This could be a secured loan or an unsecured loan. It’s worth keeping in mind, though, that interest rates are generally higher for personal loans than for home loans, and it’s a good idea to read the lender’s terms and conditions first. You can compare personal loans with Canstar.
• Credit card: It may also be possible, depending on the cost and your ability to repay the debt quickly, to pay for the job on a credit card. There could be some fringe benefits for doing so, such as extra insurance cover in some cases (read the card’s Key Facts Sheet or the Product Disclosure Statement for the insurance cover to find out the conditions of the policy). Keep in mind that credit card interest rates are typically much higher than home or personal loans, and interest can quickly accumulate on large balances, so it is a good idea to weigh up your options and consider them carefully. If you don’t think you’ll be able to pay off the card’s balance in full each month, it may be worth re-considering whether a credit card is the right option for you. You can compare credit cards with Canstar.

→ Renovating a home could change what insurance cover you may need. Compare home and contents insurance providers.

Regardless of which option you choose, it could be wise to read your provider’s Target Market Determination, Product Disclosure Statement or other applicable documentation to understand what you’re getting into.

Main image source: PhotoMavenStock/Shutterstock.com

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