Browse Forums Outdoor Living 1 Jul 04, 2010 9:10 pm Hello everyone. My wife and I are looking at putting a deck on the second story of our house and I have been getting a lot of mixed results about the price. (we want to get a builder/carpenter to do it for us) We have had 2 carpenters come to our house and give us a quote for a 25sqm hardwood deck with a simple roof and they both came in at about $20,000 I had a look around the forums and Adrian B said that the materials for a 50sqm2 was about $4500 http://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=3229 ( I know this was a 2007 price and his deck was on the ground level, but can it go up that much in only 3 years??) Are the $20,000 quotes about right??? Or are we getting ripped off?? In his post, Adrian said that it doesn't cost $8000 in labour, but if people want to pay this then give him a call...hell, if he can do a 50sqm deck for this price, I will fly him first class to my town and put him up at the Grand Mercure for a week Re: Deck Prices 2Jul 04, 2010 9:42 pm there is obviously alot more timber involved in what your after and a second story deck with a roof is a different kettle of fish from adrians post. id get another qoute if its in the ball park which im assuming it will be then you you know thats what its going to cost you. Re: Deck Prices 3Jul 04, 2010 10:06 pm Thanks Jeremy. I just thought that the extra wood and labor needed for a 2nd story deck (with roof) wouldn't have been a HEAP more than what Adrian was talking about (and he said that the $8000 in labor was too much) Here is the way I look at it: For a 50sqm Deck: Adrian's Price: $12,500 (with overpriced labor costs) on the ground level My quotes: $40,000 (double my quote for a 25sqm) on the 2nd story with a roof I might be totally wrong...but $12,500 and $40,000 seem very far apart when the difference is that my deck will be on a 2nd story with a roof... I dunno...?? Re: Deck Prices 4Jul 05, 2010 12:29 pm A couple of things to consider. Have you asked for a breakdown in costs.? There may be extras such as scaffolding, safety equipment and audits, council fees, permits etc that can add up. Check the local timber prices and compare. I dont pay a builder to come to my house, but i do pay him if he is collecting goods for my job, so there may be some time there The height will have an impact on footings, depth, concrete volumes etc plus the timber used will need to be specific for 2 storey loads, It seems high, but again, additional quotations and a 2nd / third quote will help determine. Ask for detail Adrian B Re: Deck Prices 5Jul 05, 2010 2:27 pm Thanks Adrian. One of the carpenters who gave me the quote is going to itemise everything so I can see a breakdown of costs. He is also happy for me to lay the actual decking and the roofing sheets (I have done this before) This may obviously bring the price down. I will post the itemised quote when it arrives. Thanks again Re: Deck Prices 6Jul 05, 2010 6:23 pm Don't be surprised if there is at least $2000 in scaffolding alone. Re: Deck Prices 7Jul 15, 2010 5:50 pm This is getting silly....I don't actually have any written quotes. I have had 2 guys come to my house and say it will be about $20,000 and then they never actually get back to me with a written quote (and won't return my calls) and I have another guy who said about $50,000 and argued with me saying it was cheap....arrgggg A lot of builders that have been recommended to me (by friends) are saying that if I get the plans drawn up, they will build it for me (and it will save me money) So my question is, should I just get a draftsman to draw up the plans and then give the plans to a builder??? Is there anything that can go wrong with this?? THis is the way I THINK things work (tell me if I am wrong): 1. I hire a Draftsmans and he draws up the plans and takes them to council 2. Council approves plans 3. I hire a builder, give the plans to him and he builds the deck 4. A council person comes to my house to inspect and (hopefully) approve deck. Is this how it works??? Thanks Re: Deck Prices 8Jul 17, 2010 7:01 am Get price when plans are drawn up, you need price for council submission, You will more than likely need an engineers report also. Landscape Design & Construction http://cherub.squarespace.com/ Re: Deck Prices 9Jul 17, 2010 7:53 am 50k!?!? Do you live overseas so they have to ship the materials (and themselves ) there!??!! Anyway, I thought that a "draftsman" would not be qualified enough? Wouldn't you need a structural engineer for this, rather than a draftsman? Have you checked with the Council what is required, what will be the fees etc? Maybe they could help too? My signature is distracting people from my wise posts ... Re: Deck Prices 10Aug 12, 2010 11:42 pm I recently builted a merbau deck walkway in my front yard which probably adds up to around 25sqm. It cost me around $2k for everything, and we did it ourselves so saved alot on labour. We used treat pine for bearers and joist. But because your building it up on a second level, that could be a completely different story. It could be expensive because of engineer and council related issues? Idiots are fun, that's why there is one in every village! - Dr. House - Re: Deck Prices 11Sep 06, 2010 2:40 pm So, are you getting quotes from carpenters for a deck there are no plans for yet???? I would say that is your problem. If you want minimise costs you need to: Decide on the plan Get the draftsman to draw them Get engineer spec / drawings if required Get a planning permit Get a building permit. Then, and only then, can you get comparative quotes.To be able to compare quotes you need to be sure everyone is quoting for EXACTLY the same thing. I would say you are being quoted the prices you are is a) you are not coming across as definate in what you want, so b) they are not really interested in the job, or c) the are quoting high to cover any unexpected costs incurred by the final design, plus costs incurred getting designs and plans You are probably not getting written quotes for 2 reasons a) If there are no plans, what are they quoting for? b) It takes (unpaid) time for tradesman to drive to your place and then do the costing to write up a quote. If they are busy, they will not waste their time if they don't think you're serious. You would appear to them simply be getting ideas at this stage, if you don't have plans on paper. Tradie may sit at home but will need to get house plastered as well or will you sit it out? 6 10092 I've just built 3 stairs off a landing out the back and been told by the private certifier I need hand rails sorry tried to attach a pic but couldn't mine don't have sides… 5 5797 So I'm just reading up on this ecosystem of lights. I'm planning on putting deck lights along the outside edge of a large deck. Will need about 3 packs (18 lights) plus… 0 23140 |