Timber decking, designed around your block
A good deck changes the way you use your home. We build with hardwood, picked for the site and the way the space will get used. Pool surrounds, raised decks with views, low-profile builds tucked against the house. Every one is different because every block is.
We work across Adelaide's southern suburbs, the foothills and the Fleurieu. Everything south of Anzac Highway through to Victor Harbor. Sun, slope, soil, salt. They all change the right approach. We'll work it out with you on site.
Scotty's on every job. One crew, one standard, no subbies on the bits that matter.
The kinds of deck we build
Which deck suits you comes down to the block, how far off the ground it sits, and how you want to use it. The ones we build most:
Ground-level decks
Low and close to the ground, sitting just above the soil or over an old concrete slab. They suit a flat block and a clean line off the back door, and they rarely need a balustrade. Good value, and the quickest of the builds to get in.
Raised and elevated decks
Lifted up off the ground on posts, for a block that falls away or a first-floor room that opens onto nothing. A raised deck buys you a level outdoor space where the ground gives you none, and it opens up the view. Once it's up past a certain height it needs a balustrade to code, which we build in to match.
Pool decks
Timber around a pool is warm underfoot and kinder than paving or concrete in the Adelaide heat. We pick a species that handles splash-out and wet feet, set the boards with the right gaps for drainage, and detail the edge so it sits clean against the coping. Fixings get chosen for the chlorine and the salt.
Multi-level decks
Where the block steps down or the house sits over a few levels, a single flat deck fights the site. Splitting it into levels with a step or two between follows the land instead, and gives you separate zones for cooking, sitting and looking out. It's more work in the sub-frame, and worth it on the right block.
Deck-and-pergola combinations
A deck with a pergola over it is the pairing we get asked for most. The deck gives you the floor, the pergola gives you shade and shelter, and built together they read as one room off the back of the house. See our Adelaide pergola page for the overhead side of it, and if the yard needs a fence or screening to finish it off, that's us too.
Deck repairs and restoration
Not every job is a new build. An older deck with a sound frame often just needs boards replaced, a sand back and a fresh coat of oil to bring it back. We'll have a look, tell you honestly what's worth saving and what isn't, and sort the structure before the finish.
Decks on sloping and foothills blocks
A lot of the blocks through the foothills fall away from the house, and that's exactly where a deck earns its keep. Where the ground drops, a deck gives you a flat, usable space that the land won't. It's the difference between a slope you can't stand on and a level floor you actually use.
A sloped block changes the build from the ground up. The footings go deeper and get set to the fall of the land, the sub-frame is engineered to carry the deck out over the drop, and the posts run longer on the low side. We work the levels to follow the slope rather than fight it, stepping the deck down where it needs to so it sits right with the house and the yard.
The reward is the view. On a block that falls toward a gully or out over the hills, lifting the deck up and out puts you above the mess of the slope and captures what the site has got. We build through Aldgate, Stirling and Blackwood, so sloped clay blocks are familiar ground.
The hardwoods we build with
A deck gets walked on barefoot, sat on, rained on and baked in the Adelaide sun. Softwood kits cup and splinter and grey off fast. We build the boards in hardwood, chosen for how it wears underfoot and how it holds up here.
Spotted gum
Dense and hard-wearing, with colour running from pale to a warm brown and a bit of movement through the board. It takes the foot traffic of a busy deck without marking up, and it's a looker, which is why it's a favourite for boards on show.
Blackbutt
Straight, pale to golden and reliably stable, so it lays down flat and stays put. A clean, even look underfoot that takes an oil finish well and doesn't fight a modern house.
Merbau
Rich red-brown, hard-wearing and good value, long the go-to decking timber in Australia because it just lasts. It handles wet and sun well, which makes it a safe pick around pools and out in the open. Worth knowing it bleeds tannin early on, so we let it settle before the finish goes on.
Jarrah
Deep red and full of character where the look calls for it. Hard, dense and long-lasting, it wears well underfoot and holds its colour longer than most before it starts to grey.
And others
We also work with iron ash, silver top ash, Victorian ash and cypress pine where they suit the job and the budget.
Darker boards run hotter underfoot in full summer sun, which is worth thinking about around a pool or on a deck that cops the afternoon. Left unoiled, every one of these timbers silvers off to a soft grey over time. That's a look plenty of people are after, and if you'd rather keep the colour, a coat of oil brings it back. Which one we use comes down to the block, the look you're after and how exposed the site is. Near the water we adjust the species and the fixings for salt. There's more in our decking timber guide.
What changes the cost of a deck
We don't put a headline price on a deck, because the figure only means something once we've seen the block. What moves it:
Size and area. A bigger deck is more timber, more sub-frame and more labour. Area is the first thing that moves the number.
Ground-level or raised. A low deck near the ground is simpler than a raised one on posts. The higher it sits, the more structure, footings and often a balustrade go into it.
The sub-structure. What's underneath does the work you can't see. Footings, bearers and joists get sized to the deck and the ground, and a sloped or reactive-clay block asks more of them.
Timber species. Different hardwoods sit at different price points, and the board you choose runs right across the floor.
Site access. A clear, flat backyard is one thing. Carrying materials down the side of a house, over a slope or across a finished garden is another, and it adds time.
Detailing. Fascias, picture-frame edges, steps and screening are where a deck either looks considered or looks cheap. It's also where the hours go.
We'll come out, measure up and put real numbers against your build, itemised so you can see where it goes. There's a fuller breakdown in our guide to what a deck costs in Adelaide.
Built properly, from the footings up
A deck is only as good as what's under it. The frame and the footings are the part nobody sees and the part that decides whether the deck is still solid in twenty years.
We start at the footings, set to the ground and the load, so the deck doesn't shift on reactive clay or a block that falls away. The sub-frame of bearers and joists gets sized to the span and the timber, laid level and true, so the boards have something dead straight to sit on. Fixings are chosen to suit the timber and the exposure, and stepped up to stainless or hot-dipped galvanised near the coast, where salt goes to work on lesser gear.
Once a deck sits up off the ground past a certain height it needs a balustrade or handrail to meet code, and there are rules on how it's built and how far apart the gaps can be. We build those in as part of the job and to the standard, not as an afterthought. If your deck needs one, we'll walk you through it at the quote.
Looking after a timber deck
A timber deck isn't hard to keep, but it does ask for a bit of attention. How much comes down to the timber, the exposure and the look you want to hold.
Left to itself, hardwood silvers off to a soft grey in the Adelaide sun. Plenty of people love that weathered look and let it happen, and there's nothing wrong with the timber when it goes grey, it's just the surface. If you'd rather keep the warm colour, the answer is oil. A clean and a fresh coat every year or two feeds the timber and brings the colour back up. A deck in full sun or hard against the coast wants doing more often than one that sits in the shade.
Beyond that it's simple. Keep it swept so grit doesn't grind at the boards, hose it down now and then, and lift anything that traps water and sits on the timber for weeks. Look after a hardwood deck and it'll pay you back for decades. Let one that's been left too long go, and we can sand it back and recoat it, or replace the odd board that's past it.
Deck builders across Adelaide's south
We're based in Seaford and cover the southern suburbs, the foothills and the Fleurieu. If you're after a deck builder in Willunga, McLaren Vale or Aldinga, that's home ground. We also build through Aldgate, Stirling, Blackwood, Noarlunga, Seaford, Sellicks, Strathalbyn, Mount Barker and down to Victor Harbor and Goolwa.
A small team, doing it properly
Family-Owned
Independent, local, accountable. You'll deal with the same people from quote to handover.
Owner-Operator
Scotty is on every job. No site managers, no middlemen. Direct communication, full responsibility.
Real Timber
Hardwood throughout. Selected for the site, the use and the way it'll weather over time.
Built for SA Conditions
Detailed for hot dry summers, wet winters and the coastal exposure of the southern suburbs.
From enquiry to finished build
Enquiry
Send through the form or give us a ring. Tell us roughly what you're after.
On-Site Visit & Quote
We come out, look at the site, talk it through, then send back a clear itemised quote.
Design & Schedule
We finalise materials, detailing and a build schedule that works for you.
Build
We get stuck in. Tidy site, regular updates, finished properly.
Decks, answered honestly
How much does a deck cost in Adelaide?
It comes down to size, timber species, how far the deck sits off the ground, and the site. For a full breakdown of what drives the price, see our Adelaide deck cost guide. For a real number, request a quote and we'll come out and put figures against your build.
How long does a deck build take?
A typical deck build runs two to six weeks once we're on site, depending on size and complexity. Add design and scheduling lead time before that. We'll give you a clear timeline in your quote.
What materials do you use?
Hardwood timber, primarily. We pick the species after seeing your site and how the space will be used. Sun, exposure, and proximity to a pool all change the right answer. See our guide to the best decking timber for SA conditions.
Do I need council approval?
It depends on height, size, location and your council. Standard low-profile decks often don't need a permit; raised decks and larger builds sometimes do. We'll advise during the quote visit. More detail in our SA council approval guide.
Can you build a deck on a sloping block?
Yes, and it's what a deck does best. A block that falls away is ideal for a raised or multi-level deck, and it's a lot of what we build through the foothills. The footings, sub-frame and levels all get worked to the slope, and the payoff is a flat, usable space and often a view you didn't have before.
How long does a timber deck last?
Built properly in hardwood, with sound footings and the right fixings, a timber deck lasts decades. The timber and the detailing matter most, which is why we pick both for your site. A clean and a coat of oil every year or two keeps it looking its best.
What's the difference between a ground-level and a raised deck?
A ground-level deck sits low, just above the soil or a slab, and suits a flat block and a clean line off the back door. A raised deck lifts up on posts for a block that falls away or a room on the first floor, and it opens up the view. Raised decks need more structure underneath and, past a certain height, a balustrade to code.
How do I look after a timber deck?
Hardwood greys off to a soft silver in the Adelaide sun if you leave it. To hold the warm colour, give it a clean and a fresh coat of oil every year or two, more often in full sun or near the coast. Beyond that, keep it swept and hosed down, and it'll last for decades.
Tell us about your deck
Drop in a few details and we'll be in touch within 24 hours to organise a site visit.