What should your deck cost?

A ballpark from published Canberra prices, and whether your deck needs a development application or building approval under ACT rules.

1What's it made of?

2How big is it?

Length times width. A 5 × 4 m deck is 20 m².

Area (m²)

3How high off the ground?

4Where is it on the block?

This decides how high it can go without approval.

5Stairs and railings

Flights of stairs0

Balustrade or railing (m)

6Anything else?

A pergola or roof over itThere's an old deck to pull out firstSand and oil it once it's built

Standing by

$— – $—

ACT rules

When a deck needs approval

Development application: an unroofed deck needs none if its floor is no more than 0.4 m above the ground in the front yard or within 1.5 m of a side or back boundary, or 1 m anywhere else. Front-yard decks can't have a balustrade, and elsewhere a balustrade can be up to 1.2 m high.
Building approval: none needed if the deck has no walls, the floor is no more than 1 m above the ground, the highest point is no more than 3 m, and no part of the frame spans more than 4 m unsupported.
The general rules still apply either way: heritage, easements, drainage clearances and protected trees can all mean you need approval.

From Planning (Exempt Development) Regulation 2023 (ACT) and ACT Planning: Check if you need a building approval (checked 17 Oct 2026). A guide, not legal advice: check the source before you rely on it.

Cross-checked

2 of 2 independent prices agree

Most published trade prices trace back to one guide, so we check our numbers against any independent source we can find. National prices usually sit below Canberra's.

Merbau deck, installed per m²Leadkit (national): $280–$380. Roughly: $330–$605.overlaps our range
Hardwood deck, installed per m²Property Blueprint Co (national): $250–$450. Roughly: $330–$605.overlaps our range

From Leadkit: decking cost per square metre in Australia 2026, Property Blueprint Co: decking cost Australia 2026.