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The Decksmith

The Decksmith
Should I choose timber or composite decking?

It depends on how you want to live with it, not on which one is “better.” Timber gives you natural warmth, grain and that unmistakable feel underfoot, but it needs periodic oiling and will silver off if you let it. Composite gives you a consistent, low-maintenance surface that resists fading, staining and moisture, which suits busy households and exposed coastal sites, but it won’t have the living character of real hardwood. I work with both because the right answer changes with your site’s exposure, how much upkeep you actually want to do, and your budget. On my consultation I’ll walk you through the honest trade-offs for your specific spot rather than pushing one product.

The Australian hardwoods I build with sit in a clear pecking order for hardness and durability. Ironbark is the hardest and most hard-wearing (Janka around 14), with deep reds through to grey, beautiful and long-lasting, and priced accordingly. Spotted Gum (Janka around 11) is my all-round favourite for the Eastern Suburbs: Class 1 durability, locally grown, and it bleeds far less tannin than Merbau, so it’s kinder to pool surrounds and sandstone. Blackbutt (Janka around 9) is a touch paler and unusually stable, so it holds its shape well in wider boards. Merbau / Northern Box is the most budget-friendly and takes a rich look, but it’s imported, has sustainability question-marks, and bleeds tannin that can stain nearby paving if it’s not managed. I also offer Irondeck, a specialty hardwood decking product, for clients after something a little different. I’ll match the timber to your look, your exposure and your budget. You can see several of these in my Spotted Gum, Ironbark and Irondeck projects.

I only fit composites I’d put on my own home. Millboard is the most realistic: it’s hand-moulded from real timber and is 100% wood-free (polyurethane and mineral), so there’s no wood in it to soak up water or feed mould; it’s the closest thing to timber’s look with almost none of the upkeep. Trex is a capped wood-plastic composite made largely from recycled content, with a protective shell that resists stains, scratches and fade, backed by a long manufacturer warranty, and it’s a dependable all-rounder. NewTechWood and WoodEvo are two separate capped-composite brands I also work with, each with its own grain patterns, colours and board profiles. On the consultation I’ll put samples of each in your hands, in daylight, so you can feel the differences before you commit. See real installs on my Millboard, Trex, NewTechWood and WoodEvo project pages.

These are the three worries I hear most, and the honest answer is that modern composite is far better than its reputation, but physics still applies. Any dark surface in full Sydney sun gets warm, composite included, so on hot, exposed areas I’ll steer you toward lighter tones and factor in shade and airflow. Fading and staining are where today’s capped composites shine: the protective shell on brands like Trex and NewTechWood resists the UV fade and stains that would mark older uncapped boards or oiled timber. Scratching can happen with heavy dragging, but the capped surfaces are tough and, unlike timber, won’t splinter. I’ll set your expectations honestly for the exact boards and colour you choose.

If your priority is “build it and forget it,” a wood-free board like Millboard or a quality capped composite is as close as decking gets: an occasional wash is usually all it asks, with no oiling and no splinters. Hardwood is more involved: it wants a clean and re-oil periodically to keep its colour, or you can let it weather to a natural silver if you prefer that look. There’s no maintenance-free deck, but I can get you very close if that’s what matters most to you.

The frame you don’t see decides how long the deck you do see lasts, so I never treat it as an afterthought. When I’m installing composite I recommend and mostly specify LowDeck H4 framing, which carries a 50-year warranty, so the structure is built to outlast the boards on top of it. Treated pine is the cost-effective, code-compliant standard for many timber builds, and hardwood framing steps up durability where conditions are harsh. Aluminium sub-framing is my go-to for low-clearance, ground-hugging and damp situations: it won’t rot, twist or rust, and it lets me build decks that sit far closer to the ground than timber framing allows. I spec the frame to your site’s moisture, clearance and exposure, not to whatever’s cheapest that week. There’s more on this on my low-clearance decking page.

Yes, pool decks are a big part of what I do across the Eastern Suburbs. The key thing to understand is that a poolside deck has to work with the NSW pool-barrier rules: things like minimum barrier heights and a non-climbable zone around the fence are strict, and the deck must not create a foothold that compromises the barrier. I build to comply and coordinate with your certifier so it passes, rather than leaving you to sort it out afterwards. For materials near water I lean toward low-tannin timbers or composite for slip resistance and easy cleaning. You’ll find pool decks in my Clovelly and Kingsford projects.

Close to the water, exposure is the enemy: salt, UV and wind-driven damp all accelerate wear. Capped composites and wood-free boards cope with coastal conditions with the least fuss, because there’s no timber surface for salt and moisture to attack. If you want hardwood by the sea, the naturally durable Class 1 species (Spotted Gum, Ironbark) hold up best, and I’ll pair them with stainless fixings and a frame chosen to resist the conditions. Being based in the Eastern Suburbs, coastal exposure is what I design for every day.

Yes to all three, and each has its own discipline. Rooftop and over-membrane decks must protect the waterproofing underneath and allow drainage and airflow, so I build them so the membrane is never compromised and water always has somewhere to go. Low-clearance decks, where there’s barely any room between the ground and the boards, are a specialty of mine using aluminium framing that timber simply can’t match for slimness and rot resistance. If your site is tight, damp, or over a room, that’s exactly the kind of problem I enjoy solving. See my low-clearance solutions and my Mascot rooftop build.

That brown streaking on paving is tannin bleeding out of fresh hardwood, and it’s largely a species-and-detailing issue. Merbau is the worst offender; Spotted Gum bleeds far less, which is one reason I favour it near pools and sandstone. Beyond material choice, I manage it through the build with sealing, sensible detailing and drainage, so run-off isn’t carrying tannin straight onto your good stone. If you’ve had a bad experience with a Merbau deck marking your surrounds before, tell me and I’ll design around it.

No, every deck I build is bespoke, so a generic per-metre rate would either overcharge you or hide the real cost of your site. Access, levels, the frame, the material, the finishing details and any built-ins all move the number. Instead of a headline rate that needs “variations” later, I price your actual project after I understand its scope, so the figure you agree to is the figure I build to. For how pricing works and what to expect, see my deck pricing guide.

Five things, mostly. First, size and the frame beneath it: height off the ground, span and sub-structure matter more than people expect. Second, access: a tight side passage or a rooftop lift changes the labour. Third, material: hardwood species and composite brands sit at very different price points. Fourth, levels and detailing: steps, curves, picture-frame borders, screens and seating all add craft and time. Fifth, integrated extras like pergolas, lighting, hideaways or built-in bench seating. On my consultation I’ll show you where your budget is going so you can make informed calls, not guesses. The pricing guide breaks this down further.

It starts with a consultation and an on-site visit, with no pressure and no obligation. I look at the real conditions (levels, access, drainage, neighbouring structures), listen to how you actually want to use the space, and talk through layout, materials and budget on the spot. From there I give you a fixed-price quote that spells out what’s included, with options where they make sense, say a different board or balustrade, so you can compare value and decide. That way there are no nasty surprises mid-build, and the scope we agree is the scope I deliver. You can book a consultation whenever you’re ready.

Sometimes yes, sometimes no, and it hinges mostly on height. As a rule of thumb in NSW, a low deck can be “exempt development” (no approval needed) if it’s behind your building line, no more than about a metre above natural ground, set back at least 900mm from every boundary, no larger than around 25 square metres, and it doesn’t affect drainage or easements. Once you’re higher than about a metre off the ground, it almost always needs formal approval, either a fast-tracked Complying Development Certificate or a full Development Application through your council (Randwick, Waverley or Woollahra out this way). I help you work out which pathway you’re on so you don’t get caught out. There’s a full explainer on my deck permits page, and for your specific block I’ll confirm the requirements before we start.

A typical residential deck takes me about four to five days on site. Larger, multi-level or highly detailed builds, and jobs with difficult access or a council approval pathway, will run longer, and I’ll give you a realistic timeframe with your fixed-price quote. What I can promise either way is that because I build every deck myself, there’s no waiting around for a subcontractor to show up: the person who quotes your job is the person who finishes it.

I do, every board, every screw. There are no subbies and no rotating crew of mystery hands on your property. When you hire The Decksmith you get me on the tools, which is why the quality and the finish are consistent from the first joist to the last board. It’s also why I keep my workload deliberately manageable: I’d rather build fewer decks properly than run a factory line.

Yes. I hold NSW Building Licence 272840C, which you’re welcome to verify on the NSW Fair Trading register (I link it in my site footer). I also carry public liability insurance, and the statutory Home Building Compensation cover applies on qualifying jobs as required in NSW. In practice that means the work is done to code and you’re dealing with an accountable, licensed tradesperson, not an unlicensed operator.

In NSW, licensed building work like mine carries a statutory warranty, and for major defects that’s legislated at six years (with two years on other defects) under the Home Building Act, so you’re protected by law, not just by a promise. On composite boards you also get the manufacturer’s product warranty passed through to you. And on top of all of that, my reputation is the real guarantee: every published review I have is five stars, and I intend to keep it that way.

It depends on the deck. Timber is fixed with stainless steel decking screws, or bugles where they’re specified, chosen to resist coastal corrosion and hold for the long haul. Composite uses a combination of secret-fixing clips and colour-matched plugs to give a clean, screw-free finish on top. I’ll recommend the right method for your boards and explain why on the consultation.

Two places. My gallery and project pages show completed decks across the Eastern Suburbs by material and suburb, and my Instagram @the_decksmith is a living portfolio: many clients arrive at their consultation with screenshots of posts they love, which become the starting point for their own design. Browse either and you’ll get a clear feel for the detailing, craftsmanship and finish you can expect.