- Licensed and insured
- Owner-run: you deal with Dave from quote to clean-up
- Free written quote before work starts
- Bunnings install partner for 8+ years
What a Shellharbour block asks of a deck
Shellharbour City covers a lot of different ground. The older streets around Shellharbour Village and Warilla sit a short walk from the beach, with a lot of older fibro and brick homes. Shell Cove, Calderwood and the newer parts of Albion Park are tighter estate lots, where the deck usually comes off a slab home at floor height and has to fit between the house and a boundary fence.
Each of those changes how the deck is built. An older house usually means tying into an existing frame or replacing a deck that has rotted at the posts. A new estate block usually means working close to a boundary, which brings setbacks and approval into the conversation early.
Fixings that last near the water
Salt air is easy on hardwood and hard on steel. Anywhere near the coast here, the boards go down with stainless screws, and the bearer and joist brackets are hot-dip galvanised or stainless. It costs a little more at the start. It stops the rust streaks that show up on decks built with cheaper screws within a couple of years.
Composite boards suit plenty of Shellharbour homes, especially around a pool or on a deck that gets full afternoon sun. They don't need oiling, and they hold their colour better than bare timber. Hardwood such as merbau or spotted gum still looks better to a lot of people, and it takes a re-oil every year or so to stay that way.
Approval before anything is ordered
Low decks inside the NSW exempt development limits go ahead without an application. Go higher, bigger or closer to the boundary and you need a certifier or Shellharbour City Council to sign it off. Some estate blocks also carry design rules set by the developer, so check your contract of sale. We work out which path your deck is on during the site visit.
Re-board or rebuild
A grey, splitting deck often has a frame with years left in it. If the joists and posts check out, new boards on the old frame gives you a deck that looks new for less than a full rebuild. If the posts have rotted at ground level, or the footings have dropped, we say so and quote the rebuild.
Getting a quote
Call Dave on 0414 007 351 or send the form with a photo of the area and a rough size. He will come out, measure up and check the ground, then send a written quote.
Questions from Shellharbour
Do I need Shellharbour City Council approval for a deck?
Not always. A low deck that stays inside the NSW exempt development limits for height, floor area and boundary setbacks needs no application. A higher or larger deck, or one close to a boundary, needs a complying development certificate from a certifier or a development application to Shellharbour City Council. Bushfire or flood mapping on the lot can rule out the exempt path. We tell you which one applies before work starts.
Which fixings hold up on a deck near the beach?
Stainless steel screws for the boards and hot-dip galvanised or stainless brackets for the frame. Cheap coated screws rust near salt and leave black stains running down each board, and that happens a few streets back from the water as well as on the front row.
My deck frame is fine but the boards are worn. Do I need a new deck?
Usually not. When the frame underneath is still solid, new boards on it cost a good deal less than a rebuild. We lift a few boards first to check the joist tops and the post footings before recommending either.
How is the price for a deck worked out?
Every deck is quoted in writing after a site visit. Size, height off the ground, the footings the soil needs, the board you pick and how the timber gets to the back yard set the price. The decking service page has a rough per-square-metre guide.
Do you build decks outside Shellharbour itself?
Yes. We cover Helensburgh to Nowra, so Shell Cove, Oak Flats, Warilla, Barrack Heights, Albion Park and Kiama are all part of the normal run.
