Decking Sunshine Coast: Free Quotes from Local Deck Builders

Ready to compare deck quotes?

Send your suburb and a few details about the job. Independent Sunshine Coast deck builders may contact you, and you choose who to talk to.

Start with the height and the size

Whether a deck needs approval turns on a few measurements. Sunshine Coast Council says a development building work permit is required for roofed or unroofed decks that exceed 10 m², have a side longer than 5 m, exceed a mean height of 2.1 m and a maximum of 2.4 m, or sit 1.0 m or higher above the surface below.

Measure your plans against that list before you ask for prices. A deck that clears every limit may need no permit, but a council page also says the structures must meet the same setbacks as dwellings if they are used for entertainment or recreation, and a private building certifier can advise.

Roofs, balustrades and stairs

The same council page lists separate triggers. Re-roofing a structure needs a permit, a balustrade protecting a fall of 1.0 m or more needs one, and so does a stair with three risers or a rise of 1.0 m or more. A covered deck, a high deck and a deck with a stair can therefore need a permit even when the floor area is modest.

Ask each deck builder to state in writing whether your design needs approval and who will lodge it.

Who may build it

The QBCC says a licence is required for building work valued over $3,300, and it publishes a register for you to search. Most decks pass that value. Ask each business which licence the person who will build your deck holds, check it on the QBCC public register, and ask who will do any lighting or power, which has its own licensing.

We are a referral service. We do not check anyone for you.

Timber, hardwood or composite

A national guide published by a home-record start-up gives installed rates per square metre for a standard ground-level deck. Treated pine is about $200 to $350, hardwood such as merbau, spotted gum, blackbutt or ironbark is about $300 to $500, and quality capped composite is about $350 to $600. These exclude stairs, balustrades and approvals.

The guide adds that height changes the cost more than the choice of board. A deck raised a metre or more commonly prices at $500 to $1,000 a square metre and beyond. None of these is a Sunshine Coast quote.

What the board choice means later

The same guide says pine needs a coating on day one and recoating every one to two years, hardwood needs oiling to hold its colour, and composite does not need oiling but can fade, scratch or stain in cheaper ranges. It also says dark composites get hot underfoot in full sun.

Ask for the species or product line to be named in the quote, with the board width, the fixing method and the joist spacing, so that you can compare like with like.

Decks near the coast

Wikipedia describes much of the Sunshine Coast as a string of coastal towns, from Caloundra at the southern end to Coolum Beach in the north. Mooloolaba is bounded on the east by the Coral Sea. We do not have a sourced figure for salt exposure, so ask each builder how it chooses fixings and coatings for your site.

Bushfire areas

The Queensland Government says Queensland has adopted AS 3959 for construction in bushfire prone areas, and that in the most extreme areas new homes need non-combustible material on the roof, veranda or deck. The rules reach additions within six metres of a dwelling. Check with the council whether your property is in a designated area.

Footings and the frame

The guide says the substructure is where quotes differ most. Ask for the footing depth, diameter and concrete specification, and for the price consequence if rock or fill is found. A quote that is vague about footings is likely to grow.

Reading a quote properly

A good quote names the board, width, fixing method and joist spacing, shows the balustrade and stairs as their own lines, says who applies for any approval, and gives a payment schedule tied to finished stages. If any of those are missing, ask before you sign.

Warranty and records

Ask each business to put its workmanship warranty and the boards' manufacturer warranty in writing, with the exclusions. Keep the quote, any approval, the specification and the warranties together as one record for the property. A future buyer's conveyancer is likely to ask for them.

Read the scope, not the total

If you are only comparing prices, you will miss the point of a deck quote. Read each scope line by line and ask what has been left out, because the missing lines are usually where the extra cost arrives later.

Suburbs with guides

We have local pages for Maroochydore, Mooloolaba, Caloundra, Coolum Beach, Alexandra Headland, Buderim, Nambour and Sippy Downs. Each carries a sourced local note and links to a matching service guide.