The cost of decking

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rb99

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#295337 22-Mar-2022 14:03

Hope this is the right forum, but anyway -

A quote for decking, approx 6x4 or 24m2 = $13200 or about 550/m2.

Any thoughts - a lot, that pretty normal nowadays, bargain at half the price...

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

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Stu

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#2890054 22-Mar-2022 14:06

Moved to a more appropriate sub-forum.

People often mistake me for an adult because of my age.

Keep calm, and carry on posting.

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#2890055 22-Mar-2022 14:09

Anything timber related (or anything to do with building/construction), be it work done by professionals, or DIY, is currently ridiculously expensive. The materials can't be supplied fast enough to keep up with demand.

To add; contractors also seem to be so busy that they can charge a premium for labour, as well.

People often mistake me for an adult because of my age.

Keep calm, and carry on posting.

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insane

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#2890059 22-Mar-2022 14:13

It's almost impossible to say without understanding the design, materials used and quality of the builder.

Is it 1.5m above ground? Does it require engineering etc? Hard wood, softwood, composite?

As a rule of thumb don't use the per metre price for anything other than a ballpark indication. Get three or four quotes and the price is the price.

Also don't just go with the cheapest one, the quality and reliability of the builder is key

- What payment terms do they specify? 50% upfront 50% on completion?
- Do they have a good track record?
- Are they happy to provide references?
- If they had to fix something in the past, did they do it promptly?
- Do they show up on time and communicate effectively?

For what it's worth I recently got quoted $450pm for Kwila, and mine was going to be 3-4x the size of yours. Smaller jobs are always more per meter.

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#2890064 22-Mar-2022 14:22

rb99:

Hope this is the right forum, but anyway -

A quote for decking, approx 6x4 or 24m2 = $13200 or about 550/m2.

Any thoughts - a lot, that pretty normal nowadays, bargain at half the price...

get at least 2 more quotes and compare

rb99

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#2890114 22-Mar-2022 14:28

It does seem to be a bad time to do things price and supplies wise, but then if these problems disappear soon will prices actually drop ?

Its a low deck, like 20? cm above ground level. Haven't even considered type of timber.

Shall enquire of other builders / deckers, but fairly small town = fairly limited choice.

The same guy just did a fair bit of wooden retaining, and it seems just fine to me. Mostly they were a bit cheaper quote wise and there examples on Facebook looked good. Timekeeping pretty erratic, but they seemed to be doing several places at once. Payment was pay for materials, then pay after work done, though the retaining was in three sections, so pay after each one.

There is a deck there already which this is replacing, but removing that is extra - so much an hour...

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#2890115 22-Mar-2022 14:28

Depends what decking you want. You will save a lot doing it yourself if you are skilled enough and it can be fun. Treated pine should be the cheapest. Personally I only like decks inserted sheltered areas due to deterioration and maintenance. Would be interested to see the difference in price between the different decking timbers or even synthetic decking.

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neb

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#2890128 22-Mar-2022 14:57

Was going to mention synthetic, after years of spending a small fortune in time and decking oil maintaining a wooden deck I'm so glad we went with Outdure composite, all I've ever had to do is sweep it every now and then. In particular if you're just resurfacing an existing deck then it may be easier to get composite than timber at the moment.

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#2890137 22-Mar-2022 15:22

The composite pricing seems to be all over the place, big box DIY stores have it around 40% more than hardwoods, but then I see other places selling the hollow core wpc? stuff very cheaply (exc clips etc).

Got a sample and it's okay looking, but about 10% hotter in direct sunlight. Will try get a few more samples.

To the OP, perhaps try builders crack to get additional quotes? If you have pictures etc they might be able to quote without needing to visit.

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#2890298 22-Mar-2022 19:33

Apparently that price is for pine.

Forgot to mention it includes replacing a six foot fence next to the deck, not very long, maybe 4 meters, including a gate wider than existing just to be able to fit furniture and stuff though if need be.

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#2890308 22-Mar-2022 19:53

20cm is pretty close to the ground.

rb99

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#2890311 22-Mar-2022 19:59

Jase2985:

20cm is pretty close to the ground.

Didn't measure it, just a response to being asked if it was 1.5 metres. Maybe 30 or 40cm.

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

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#2890878 23-Mar-2022 17:29

I've recently used the imported cheap WPC boards (back when they were $40/sq meter), Vulcan heat-treated (approx $77/sqm) and a pattern of 140mm and 80mm cheap pine boards - all looks good, I found the vulcan boards far easier to install than the others and also the most environmentally friendly - I didn't like all the plastic dust created by the WPC boards, and the cheap pine boards have arsenic treating, which I wasn't keen on due to toddlers occasionally liking to eat off it... but what-ever way you cut it, the actual decking boards themselves aren't more than ~15% of the cost of the deck so probably worth getting something that meets your needs!

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#2908328 29-Apr-2022 13:22

Decks finished. Just pine.

Next question - any thoughts on what to stain it with ? Does it matter, are any better than others, make wise ?

A light oak type colour has been suggested, but am wondering about types / makes - use this one, don't use that one...

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

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#2908396 29-Apr-2022 16:13

Also, stain vs oil ? Oil sounds better as it soaks in, but need to do it every year. Maybe Cabot's Decking Oil ?

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

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