Deck repairs and restoration in Perth's northern suburbs
Northern Decking Co repairs and restores existing decks across the City of Joondalup and the City of Wanneroo: replacing rotten or split boards, re-fixing loose ones, treating rot and termite damage in the frame, and sanding and re-oiling timber. The contractor looks at the deck and quotes free.
What you get
What can be saved, and what cannot
The honest first step is an inspection of the frame. Boards are replaceable; a frame is the deck. If the bearers and joists are sound, almost any deck can be brought back with new boards where they are needed, re-fixing and a proper oil. If the frame is rotten or termite damaged, patching the surface wastes your money, and the contractor will tell you so.
Board replacement
Split, cupped, soft or badly checked boards are cut out and replaced with matching timber, fixed with stainless screws into sound joists. New merbau or spotted gum against weathered boards looks different for a season, then oil and sun bring them together. Where more than a third of the boards need replacing, a full re-board on the existing frame is usually the better job.
Re-fixing loose boards
Boards lift and squeak because the original nails or screws have lost their grip, often because the fixings were galvanised on a coastal lot and have corroded. The fix is new stainless screws, pre-drilled, at every joist crossing, and where the old holes are too far gone the board is turned or replaced.
Rot and termite damage
Rot starts where water sits: at board ends, around fixings, where a downpipe splashes, and at the bottom of posts. Termites come up through stumps and along the house wall. Both are cut out well past the visible damage and the affected members are replaced with treated or naturally durable timber. Where termites are found, a pest inspection and treatment comes before any timber goes back in.
Sanding and re-oiling
A grey, weathered hardwood deck is usually sound underneath. The surface is cleaned, sanded back to fresh timber and given two coats of a penetrating decking oil. Deck cleaning products that promise to skip the sanding will lift the grey but leave a rough surface that holds dirt. Sanding is the part that makes the difference.
Composite repairs
Composite boards do not rot or grey, but they can be damaged by dropped objects, scorched by a barbecue or fire pit, or lifted by a frame that has moved. Individual boards can be swapped if the same product is still made; if not, the contractor will say so before starting.
Signs it is time to look
Boards that give underfoot, screw heads standing proud, a bounce in the middle of the deck, mud tubes on the stumps or the house wall, green growth in the gaps, or a smell of damp under the deck after rain. Any one of those is worth a look before it becomes all of them.
How it goes in
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Joists
Joists go across the bearers at the centres the board maker specifies, typically 450 mm for hardwood and tighter for composite.
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Boards
Boards are laid from the house out with an even gap, fixed with screws or hidden clips.
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Finish
Fascia and trims go on and the deck is oiled, or a composite deck settles into its finished colour.
What changes the price
- Size
- More area is more boards, joists and fixings, but the rate per square metre usually falls as the deck gets bigger.
- Height
- A deck over 500 mm needs more structure, probably a balustrade, and may need planning approval and privacy screens.
- Material
- Composite costs more per board than most hardwood, and hidden clip systems add to that, but it is the last money you spend on the surface.
- Access
- A deck at the back of a narrow lot means carrying everything through by hand and takes longer.
- Approvals and engineering
- A building permit, drawings and any engineering for a raised deck are real costs that sit outside the build itself.
We do not publish prices, because two decks of the same size can be very different jobs. Read what affects the cost of a deck, then get a free quote from the contractor.
Approvals
City of Joondalup
- Building permit requirements depend on the deck. Confirm with the City of Joondalup on 9400 4000 before work starts.
- For a single house or grouped dwelling, development (planning) approval is not required for decking 500 mm or less above natural ground level.
- Decking over 500 mm can avoid planning approval if it meets the R-Code setbacks for the lot's density.
- A deck within 7.5 m of a side or rear boundary needs a privacy screen at least 1.6 m high.
City of Wanneroo
- All decking requires a building permit, regardless of height or floor area.
- Planning approval may be required for decking over 500 mm above natural ground level.
- Decking over 500 mm is treated like a balcony, with a 7.5 m setback to side and rear boundaries unless a reduced setback is approved.
Check the DFES Map of Bush Fire Prone Areas for your lot. Decks in a bushfire prone area have to meet the BAL construction requirements of AS 3959. DFES Map of Bush Fire Prone Areas.
Questions people ask
Can a grey, weathered deck be brought back?
Usually, if the boards are sound. A clean, a sand and two coats of oil bring most weathered hardwood back to colour. Boards that are split, cupped or soft get replaced first.
How do I know if my deck has termite damage?
Soft spots, boards that give underfoot, mud tubes on stumps or the house wall, and joists that crumble when probed. If you see any of these, get a pest inspection before repairs.
Is it worth repairing an old deck or replacing it?
If the frame is sound, repair. If the bearers or joists are rotten or termite damaged, the frame is the deck, and replacement is the honest answer. The contractor tells you which after looking.
Get a free quote
Send your details. The contractor calls you, looks at the site and quotes in writing. No obligation.