Deck Builders Runaway Bay

Residential and commercial decking around Runaway Bay

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.

Raised decks are common on two-storey homes and on houses built up off the ground. They give you an outdoor room off the upstairs living area or a view over the yard. They also put a lot of load into a small number of posts and connections, so we design them differently from a deck that sits half a metre off the lawn.

When engineering and approval come into it

In Queensland, many decks need building approval, depending on height, size and whether the deck is roofed or attached to the house. As a rough guide, once a deck sits more than one metre above the ground, you should assume approval and engineering are likely to be needed. We look at your plans, talk you through what is likely, and work with a certifier and engineer where required. Their fees are listed separately in the quote so you can see them.

An engineer's design specifies footing sizes, post sizes, beam spans and how the deck ties into the house. We build to that, and the certifier inspects at the stages they set.

Attaching to the house, or standing alone

A deck can be fixed to the house with a ledger board bolted to the frame, or it can be free-standing on its own posts. Fixing to the house is common, but only works if the house frame at that point can take the load and the connection is flashed so water does not get into the wall. On brick veneer homes, the ledger cannot be fixed to the brick alone. In those cases, we often build free-standing, with posts close to the house.

Posts, footings and bracing

Tall posts need deeper and wider footings, and the frame needs bracing so it does not sway. We use steel or hardwood posts on galvanised stirrups, set into concrete footings sized by the engineer. Diagonal bracing or knee braces stop the deck racking sideways when people move on it.

Balustrades and stairs

Any deck more than one metre above the ground needs a balustrade at least one metre high. Openings must not let a small child slip through, and there should be nothing a child could easily climb. Glass, aluminium and timber balustrades all meet the requirement when built correctly.

Stairs from a high deck take up more space than people expect. A 2.7 metre drop might need 15 or 16 steps and a landing, so we plan the stair position early.

Underneath the deck

The space under a high deck can be useful for storage or a shaded seating area. If you want it to stay dry, there are under-deck drainage systems that catch water between the joists. We can discuss these at the quote stage.

Boards for a raised deck

Hardwood and composite both work. Composite is heavier, so the frame is designed with that in mind. Ekodeck and Ezy Decking are the composite boards we install most. Read more on timber decking and composite decking.

Supply and install, or install only

On elevated decks, we prefer to supply the frame because it has to match the engineer's specification. You can still supply the boards if you like, and we will install them.

Cost

Raised decks cost more per square metre than ground-level decks because of taller posts, bigger footings, balustrades and stairs, plus any engineering and certification. 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. You get a fixed quote with the extra items shown separately.