Decking Cost $250 to $350 Sqm Is It High?

Hi Guys,
I am planning to head your advice and try decking rather than concrete from my earlier post

https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/620539

I got a 3-4 quotes from service seeking and they varied a lot from $250 to $350 per sqm for material and install for a rough area 25sqm or a bit larger.

Wood used is treated pine. No cover or handrails.

The area under it is a mix of tiles/concrete but the height should be roughly 20-30cm

Does these prices sound reasonable?

Rough idea with pics uploaded here:
https://imgur.com/a/zI2LzBf

Comments

  • So to be clear, to install 'about 25 square metres' of decking you have been quoted $6250 from the cheapest mob, and $8750 from the most expensive. Is that right?

    This sounds a bit exy to me (especially at the high end) for such a small area, but maybe I've been out of the loop too long. Are there perhaps some 'tricky bits' around the edges that might justify these (high—I think) quotes? If you had a '5-m by 5-m square' that you wanted decked I would not expect quotes as high as this. If you have a somewhat 'odd shape' though, that happens to 'total up to' 25 square metres but will require substantial additional planning/cutting/joining/work; that is another story entirely.

    What shape is this '25 square metres', and what is it directly attached to (i.e. doorways, stairs, etc.)?

    • Hi mate. I have just added a bit ore screenshot of what I m trying to do. It does attach to the doorway leading to the backyard. Yes the pricing so far sounds about right.

      Actually the ppl who gave some of the higher quotes did not even comme to the property to inispect and based it of my backyard pics over the phone (the ones with the 275 - 350 range I mean)

    • On the contrary, I had a 50sqm deck built last year for $11k
      Costing up the materials to do it myself, I calculated around $8k.
      This was for Treated Pine subframe, with EKODEK or similar top boards.

      So my price was fairly close to the lower quote.

      • Hi Mate did you get through the hassle of council approval

        • Approval was not required for the deck height in my Council Area.

          • @ESEMCE: How about the area. 25 sqm is my limit of decking

            • @Krytonx85: It's all council specific.
              You'll need to check with your council.
              It wasn't hard for me to find or comprehend. Hopefully your council's website is just as easy to navigate.
              Or ask the quote providers if their price includes council approval.
              One of them is likely to let slip whether or not approval is required in their opinion.

      • Hey. That sounds like a good price. Can I ask if you're still happy with the final product and if so which company you used?

    • Looks like it's not as simple as the original post as there will be demo and removal of the existing deck. The new deck may also have to go around the tree in the top left.

      There is also no quote to go off and the image is not easy to follow w.r.t. what is actually going to be done.

  • It is such a small deck could you not do this yourself?
    would you consider bringing in soil to raise it then pave the area?
    no as much maintenance with pavers compared to decking and a lot of colour style choices while also being more solid

  • Hasn't the price of timber gone up a lot recently.

    https://amp.smh.com.au/business/companies/soaring-timber-pri…

  • Seems a bit expensive but I think due to the govt grant, things have never been better for a lot of small builders and residential trades. Putting an extra profit margin of a $2-4k doesn’t surprise me at this time. Best thing you can do is try another couple of quotes.

  • I've built a deck myself for about $80 p/sqm for materials only (all free labour).

    I want to get another one built as don't have time/energy to do it again.

    I got a bunch of quotes from decking companies in Melbourne, all from google maps searches with 10+ good references. I found those in the outer suburbs were generally cheaper (but not always the case). Cheapest quote I got was 150 p/sqm with the highest $300+ p/sqm.

    I have never had a bad experience (other than being overcharged) by a tradie with a lot of good Google maps reviews. So if you can find someone with decent reviews at around $180 p/sqm, that's a decent price and they probably making around $4-500 a day in labour.

    Make sure you find out about the materials, stump depth and decking board used. Good luck!

  • Hi OP. You haven't identified where you are? Middle of Australia/ Outback? A major city? Prices will vary greatly.

    • Hi. Sorry I am based in Sydney

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