Deck costs in Canberra

Deck prices per square metre in Canberra

We found two Canberra-area businesses that publish deck prices. Most others say only that every deck is quoted after a site visit.

Merbau, hardwood and composite deck prices per m²

Published by a Canberra deck builder (MS Decking & Repairs, page published October 2024 and updated August 2025) and a composite decking supplier that installs across the ACT (Compotech Solution, 9 March 2026), checked 8 October 2026. Neither says whether GST is included. MS Decking doesn't say whether its hardwood figure includes installation. Compotech's figures are for composite only and it sells the boards. A deck's own price is set after seeing the site: height, steps, access and the timber change it.

By our arithmetic, a 20 m² merbau deck at the published $250 to $350 per m² would be $5,000 to $7,000 (20 × $250 and 20 × $350). That's a guide to the order of cost, not a quote: steps, balustrades and a tricky yard are extra work.

What changes the price of a deck

Size and shape

Square metres drive the price, but corners, levels and cut-outs around trees or downpipes add labour. A simple rectangle costs less per square metre than a wrap-around deck.

Height off the ground

A deck that sits near the lawn needs short posts and little bracing. As the floor rises towards a metre, the frame needs more bracing, and at a 1 m fall the National Construction Code requires a balustrade.

Timber or composite

Treated pine is the cheapest board, merbau and spotted gum sit in the middle, and composite boards cost the most to buy. The frame underneath is usually treated pine either way.

Steps, balustrades and screens

Each flight of steps, each metre of balustrade and any privacy screen add materials and time on top of the square-metre rate.

Access and the old deck

A back yard reached only through a narrow side gate means carrying every board by hand. Taking up and disposing of an old deck is a separate line in the quote.

ACT costs when a deck needs approval

A low, unroofed deck within the ACT limits needs no building approval, so none of these costs apply. A deck that does need one, such as a floor more than 1 m up or a roofed deck over the exempt size, goes through a building certifier and a licensed builder, and the ACT charges a building levy. See the deck and pergola approval guide.

ACT approval and asbestos costs

ACT fees for 2026–27 (listed as GST exempt) and a national Australian Government estimate (no GST stated), checked 8 October 2026. The levy and certifier only apply when the deck needs a building approval; which levy rate applies is for the certifier to confirm. The asbestos estimate is the agency's average for a report once the tested materials have been analysed in a laboratory, not an ACT price.

Homes built before 1985 have one more step if the deck needs a building approval: Access Canberra's Certifier Note 1301 says the application must come with an asbestos removal control plan. We found no published ACT price for one.

Ways to keep a deck's cost down

• Keep it low and simple: a rectangle near ground level needs the least framing and no balustrade.
• Choose the board for the job: treated pine under a pergola that'll be stained, hardwood where it takes full sun.
• Plan steps where the ground is closest, so you need fewer of them.
• Ask for the old deck's removal as its own line, so you can compare quotes fairly.

Questions about deck cost