Post what you want built and local carpenters quote it. No phone number handed around, no per-lead sale — your address is only shown to a carpenter who takes the job.
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These are Melbourne prices for a completed deck, including materials and labour, inc GST. They come from real quotes, not a national average.
| Decking | Per square metre |
|---|---|
| Treated pine | $300 – $375 |
| Hardwood — merbau, spotted gum, blackbutt | $400 – $500 |
| Composite | $500 – $625 |
A typical 20 to 30 square metre deck therefore lands between about $6,000 and $19,000. Height, stairs and access move it inside that range more than the choice of board does.
A sloping block is where deck quotes separate. The decking boards cost the same either way — the difference is underneath. Expect a raised Frankston deck to land nearer the top of the range for its material, and expect a permit, because anything more than 800mm above natural ground needs one.
Where the money actually goes. Most people compare boards. But the substructure — footings, stumps, bearers, joists — is nearly the same cost whether you lay pine or composite on top of it. That is why a low deck on a flat block is cheap and a raised deck with stairs is not, regardless of timber.
Frankston is the one where the block matters most. A lot of the housing stock is older and a lot of it sits on a slope running down towards the bay. That changes the job: instead of a low deck on short stumps you are often building a raised deck with a balustrade and a flight of stairs, which is more frame, more footings and more labour than the same square metres laid flat.
In Victoria this is mostly decided by two things: whether the deck is attached to the house, and how high it sits above natural ground level.
| Situation | Building permit |
|---|---|
| Attached to the house — any size, any height | Yes |
| Freestanding, over 10 m² or more than 800mm high | Yes |
| Freestanding, 10 m² or less and 800mm or lower | Generally not |
Height is measured from natural ground level to the finished deck surface, under the Building Regulations 2018.
Check with City of Frankston before you build. Heritage, design and development, and neighbourhood character overlays can require a planning permit even when the building rules would not. This page is a starting point, not advice on your particular block — your council or your builder gives you the answer for your address.
Ground level, one step up, or a metre off the ground. This changes the price more than the timber does, and it decides the permit.
Wide side gate, or everything carried through the house? Access is real labour and quotes that ignore it get revised later.
Timber, substructure, labour, and whether a permit is included. A single lump sum is impossible to compare against another single lump sum.
Domestic building work over the threshold must be done by a registered builder in Victoria. Ask for the number and look it up on the VBA register.
Post the job once on DeckMate and up to five local carpenters can quote it, each seeing the same description — so you are comparing like with like instead of chasing callbacks.
Almost certainly. Under the Building Regulations 2018 a deck more than 800mm above natural ground level needs a building permit, and a deck attached to the house needs one regardless of height. On a sloping block you cross 800mm quickly.
Because you are paying for what is under the deck, not on top of it. A raised deck needs deeper footings, longer posts, a balustrade and usually stairs. Same boards, twice the frame.
Usually yes — that is what a raised deck is for. It is often cheaper than excavating and retaining, and it keeps the yard usable underneath.