Steel-framed decks, built for ground that does not cooperate
Where the yard falls away from the back door, or the floor level needs to match the house. Engineered to the site, approved and built by one licensed team.
QBCC Licence [00000]Licensed Queensland builder
[4.9] from [NN] reviewsGoogle Business Profile
2–6 weeks approvalWe lodge it and chase it
[6 & 15-year] warrantiesStructural and material
Why the frame is steel
A deck is two things: a frame and a surface. Most of the argument about decks is about the surface — hardwood against composite, oiled against sealed — and almost none of it is about the part that decides whether the deck is still flat in ten years.
Timber framing moves. It shrinks, it twists, and in a Queensland summer it does both in the same week. That is what is behind the springy board, the popped screw and the gap that opens along the house.
A steel frame does not do any of that, and it lets the footings carry the work on a sloping block rather than asking a bearer to span further than it wants to. You can still put a hardwood surface on top of it — plenty of people do.
When a deck is the right answer
- The ground falls away. A back door that opens onto a drop needs a platform, not a slab. This is the most common reason anyone calls us about a deck.
- The floor level needs to match. Stepping down out of the house breaks the connection between inside and outside that the deck is being built for in the first place.
- You want the space covered too. A steel-framed deck with a patio roof over it is one job, designed once. Adding the roof later usually means strengthening the frame first.
- When a patio is the better answer. Flat ground and an existing slab? You do not need a deck. A patio roof over what is already there costs less and does the same job. We will tell you.
One team, from the first measurement to the last screw
Design, engineering, council approval and construction, without a handover in the middle of it.
Design
We come to your place, measure it, and design to what is there — the roofline, the fall of the land, where the sun comes from in February.
Engineering
Every structure is engineered to its span and its site, and certified.
Council approval
We prepare and lodge the application. You do not chase it.
Construction
Our own team builds it. The people who quoted it are the people who show up.
Warranty
[6 years structural, 15 years on materials].
What a steel deck costs
No published starting price on this page, because we have not run the ads that would let us stand behind one. Here is what actually moves the number instead.
- Height off the ground. The single biggest driver. A deck 400mm off level ground and a deck at first-floor level are different structures, and the second one brings balustrade and footing requirements the first does not.
- Size and span. Every extra metre of unsupported span means heavier steel underneath.
- Decking material. The frame is steel either way. What goes on top — hardwood, treated pine or composite — changes both the cost and what you will be doing to it in ten years.
- Ground conditions. Slope, fill, rock or reactive soil all mean more footing work, and a deck is mostly footings.
- Whether it gets a roof. Plenty of jobs are both — a steel-framed deck with a patio roof over it. Deciding that up front is cheaper than adding the roof later, because the frame can be designed to carry it.
- Approval. Decks at height are looked at more closely than ground-level structures. It is part of what we do, and part of the timeline.
You get a fixed price before you commit, and it does not move afterwards. Deposit is [5–10%], then progressive payments as the work goes up — you are never paying for something that has not been built.
The council part is our problem, not yours
Most decks need council approval, and they attract more attention than a ground-level patio because height and the drop below bring balustrade requirements with them.
Boundary setbacks work the same way as any other structure — 500mm with your neighbour's written agreement. Approval usually runs 2–6 weeks.
We prepare the drawings, lodge the application and deal with the council. A certifier inspects and signs off the finished structure.
How council approval worksHow long it takes
| Stage | How long |
|---|---|
| Design and quote | [TBC] |
| Council approval, where needed | 2–6 weeks |
| Build | About 2 weeks |
| Installation | Up to 10 weeks from order |
Recent decks
Ipswich
- Structure
- Steel-framed deck with stairs
- Size
- 5.5m × 3.6m
- Timeline
- 10 weeks start to handover
- Cost band
- $18k–$24k
Project details are illustrative pending confirmed case studies.
Common questions about steel decks
Why a steel frame instead of timber?
Because it does not warp, twist, rot or get eaten, and it holds a straight line for the life of the structure. Timber framing on a Queensland deck moves — that is what causes the springy board and the popped screw a few years in. The decking surface on top can still be timber if that is the look you want; it is the frame underneath that benefits from steel.
What is the difference between a deck and a patio?
A patio is a covered area over an existing slab or ground-level surface. A deck is an elevated platform with its own structure, used where the ground falls away or the floor level needs to match the house. Plenty of jobs are both. See patios.
Do I need council approval for a deck?
Usually, and more often than for a ground-level patio, because height and the drop below it bring balustrade requirements into play. We prepare and lodge the application as part of the build.
Can you put a roof over an existing deck?
Sometimes — it depends entirely on what is under the boards. A frame designed to carry people is not automatically a frame designed to carry a roof and the wind load that comes with it. Send us a photo and we will tell you whether it is a roof job or a rebuild.
How much does a steel deck cost?
It depends far more on height and ground conditions than on floor area, which is why we will not put a single number on this page. What we will do is give you a fixed price after we have measured — and our carports start at $12,000 if you want a sense of how we price a structure.
Tell us about your place
Send us your address, a photo of the space and a rough idea of what you want covered. We'll come out, measure it and give you a fixed price.
Prefer to talk? 07 3276 8899
- QBCC Licence [00000] — licensed Queensland builder
- A fixed price before anything starts
- Council application prepared and lodged by us
- [6 & 15-year] structural and material warranties