Browse Forums Renovation + Home Improvement 1 Apr 04, 2013 5:41 pm Hi, we've just bought a house that has a deck on the second story that we'd like to freshen up and make wider. Currently it's about 10m x 2m and we'd like to make it 10m x 4m. We'd need to replace the boards of course, but would we need to also replace the posts/structure etc, or could we work with it? Any idea of costs, and where we could try to DIY wherever possible to keep costs down? We also want to put a roof over the deck. Can someone please offer a breakdown of costs and some things to consider so we know what to expect when we get a quote? Thanks in advance! Re: Second Story Deck 2Apr 04, 2013 6:56 pm It's impossible to advise you what you need to do with regards to retaining or replacing existing structure without any idea as to what it currently is! As a starting point, you are going to need a building permit. This will mean a draftsperson or builder to prepare plans for the new deck. This will mean, depending on how it is to be constructed, potentially requiring an engineer to design the structure. You may also, depending on the council, require planning approval too. Permits will cost, design and documentation will cost, and then you'll finally get the materials and labour costs. It's all going to add up. Contact your council to determine as a starting point what planning regulations may impact you. Engage a draftsperson to advise you on design and documentation and next steps. Completed a knock down and rebuild in northern Melbourne. Handover completed 27/09/2013 and now moved in. Re: Second Story Deck 3Apr 05, 2013 9:55 am Yes sorry, I should have been more specific - IF the current structure is in good condition, is there a reason to tear it down and start again? Any idea of the actual work to be done, after all the official stuff? Re: Second Story Deck 4Apr 05, 2013 10:00 am The current structure will be designed to support the current size and configuration of your deck. Whether it can be retained and added to or whether it would all have to be removed and completely rebuilt is impossible to ascertain without knowing beam and post sizes, timber grades, footing depth and so on. You need to take it from first principals - the existing structure will need to be surveyed and documented and then a new design drawn up accordingly to your brief. Completed a knock down and rebuild in northern Melbourne. Handover completed 27/09/2013 and now moved in. Re: Second Story Deck 5Apr 05, 2013 11:06 am Can anyone help me with the actual "doing" side of things? Forget I asked the question about the existing structure, any ideas based on experience what we can expect for building a deck that large on a second story? It's a "high-set deck". Re: Second Story Deck 6Apr 07, 2013 9:43 pm Hi ChelseaCor, I hate to dismiss anyones helpfull advice totally, but bluesuede is talking it up a little bit. There is no issue with extending off of the current structure. The main issue that you will be faced with is whether or not the deck bearer is big enough. If you want to go from 2m to 4m you are effectivly doubling the floor load put down on that bearer. If you want to run a few basic dimensions for me I can determine what you will need to do with timber sizes etc, and whether or not the existing bearer will be large enough for the upgrade. If you can tell me the size of the bearer for eg (150mmx75mm) and the measurements between the supporting posts I can give you a fair bit of direction of what to expect. If you want someone to do the actual deck it would depend where you are located Andrew Re: Second Story Deck 7Apr 10, 2013 4:15 pm Thanks for your reply Andrew, I visited the house today and am thinking we will be best to tear down the original and start again. Any ideas of a price range for a 4m x 10m high-set deck with patio roof? Re: Second Story Deck 8Apr 10, 2013 5:05 pm The biggest factor in the price would be the roof Is it cutting back into the original roof or a just a flat lean 2 type roof? without knowing specifics you could be looking at around 20K material and labour If you are in qld i could better price it for you. Re: Second Story Deck 9Apr 15, 2013 10:10 am I am in QLD, West of Brisbane in the Centenary Suburbs. I would be scrapping the current/original roof and replacing with a flat patio-type roof with guttering. We don't move in for another 6 weeks so can't get quotes yet - just wanting an idea of how much money we're going to need to put into it... Re: Second Story Deck 10Apr 15, 2013 8:58 pm Coincidently I am on the western side aswell. When you are ready, if you like I can either give you a few pointers or an actual quote or talk about what the most economical way forward might be for you. Just keep it in mind Hi, We have a single story MacDonald Jones house, on a waffle pod slab with steel frame. Are we able to build a second story extension? Other info is we are 900mm from… 0 8505 We were lucky in that our old house was so small (86 square metres) compared to the new house, they were able to take enough readings around the old backyard house before… 8 37160 We are building a second dwelling and are currently selecting window and door frames. We want to blend into the forest and also bring out the stone work and the fake wood… 0 15938 |