Deck Builders Paradise Waters

Residential and commercial decking around Paradise Waters

Alongside home decks, we take on decking for managed and commercial properties: outdoor customer areas for cafes and retail, office break-out decks, body corporate common areas, and replacement decks on investment properties for landlords and property managers. Commercial work can be timber or composite, and is scoped and quoted the same way: measure, assess what is there, then a fixed written price.

Plan the deck around how you will use it

Most of the decks we design are for eating and entertaining. A table for six with chairs pulled out needs roughly 3.5 by 3.5 metres. A barbecue needs space to stand at it without blocking the walkway. A lounge setting wants a corner out of the traffic path. When people tell us their deck feels cramped, it is usually because it was sized to the house wall rather than to what would go on it.

We also look at the doors. The best connection is a deck that lands level, or one step down, from the main living area. Sliding doors that open onto a deck at the same height make the space feel like an extra room.

Layout details that make a difference

Board direction

Boards running away from the house draw the eye out to the yard or the water. Boards running across the deck make a narrow space feel wider. Both are fine, but the direction affects how the frame is built, so we settle it before quoting.

Picture-frame borders

A picture-frame border is a row of boards running around the edge of the deck. It hides the cut ends of the main boards and gives a clean finish. It adds some material and cutting time, and it is one of the details people notice most once the deck is built.

Breaker boards

On a long deck, boards have to be joined somewhere. Instead of scattering joins across the surface, a breaker board runs across the deck at the join line. It looks deliberate and avoids a patchwork of butt joints.

Steps, edges and balustrades

If the deck is more than one or two steps above the yard, steps need to be wide enough to carry a tray of food and with consistent riser heights. Once a deck is more than a metre above the ground, a balustrade is required. Glass, aluminium and timber all work. We fit fascia boards around the edge to hide the frame and give the deck a finished look.

Timber or composite

For a family deck that gets daily use, composite has the advantage of no oiling and no splinters. Ekodeck and Ezy Decking are our main brands. Hardwood gives a warmer, natural look and can be sanded back if it gets marked, which composite cannot. If you have dogs or a pool, it is worth reading the composite decking and pool decking pages before you choose.

The frame under it all

Frames are built from treated pine or hardwood, sitting on concrete footings or adjustable steel stirrups. Joist spacing is set for the board you choose. On a canal block, we keep the frame ventilated so it dries out after rain.

Supply and install, or install only

We usually supply everything. If you have sourced boards yourself, we can install only and quote the labour, frame and fixings separately.

Pricing

As a general guide, timber decking runs roughly $350 to $550 per m² and composite $450 to $700 per m² supplied and installed, depending on height, access, framing and finishes. Steps, balustrades, picture-frame borders and removing an existing deck are extra. The decking cost guide walks through what pushes a job to either end of those ranges.