Decks run $200-$700 per m² installed depending on material, and most pergolas cost $2,000-$12,000. Two honest warnings up front: published rates conflict more in this trade than any other we cover, and approval fees vary too much to quote - so we show the conflicts and leave fees out, rather than inventing tidy numbers.
| Material | Installed rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Treated pine | $200-$350/m² | The budget option; typical published band $200-$350. Needs oiling/staining to stay looking decent. |
| Merbau | $300-$500/m² | The workhorse hardwood - dense, durable, mid-priced. |
| Premium hardwood (spotted gum, blackbutt, ironbark) | $400-$650/m² | Top of the timber range; published rates vary by species and region. |
| Composite - standard | $350-$550/m² | Low maintenance, no oiling. Wider published band for composite overall: $350-$600/m². |
| Composite - premium | $500-$700/m² | Capped, higher-density boards with longer warranties. |
Whole-job anchors: Yellow Pages puts full deck projects at $3,000-$11,500, with most between $5,000 and $10,000. Published labour runs roughly $150-$250/m² of the installed rate. One thing this trade does badly: quotes labelled "per m²" sometimes include stairs and balustrade and sometimes do not. Our calculator prices the deck surface by the metre, then adds stairs, balustrade, removal and finish as separate visible lines.
| Roof type | Installed rate | Source quality |
|---|---|---|
| Open / batten (shade only) | $450-$800/m² | Cross-checked. |
| Flat roof - kit-type / Colorbond | $185-$350/m² | Conflicts with custom pricing - see note below. |
| Flat roof - custom | $800-$1,200/m² | RenoWorx band. |
| Gable roof | $440-$660/m² | hipages' $550/m² midpoint, widened 20% - single publisher. |
| Insulated panel roof | $900-$1,400/m² | Single publisher (RenoWorx) - weakest rate in this guide. A 15 m² insulated Brisbane job at $25,000+ implies about $1,667/m² all-in, so totals do land in this territory. |
| Opening louvre roof | $1,200-$1,800/m² | Plus $1,500-$3,500 for motorisation (automation band). |
Most pergolas overall cost $2,000-$12,000, with simple shade structures from about $1,500 and whole-project averages reported anywhere from $5,000 to $12,700 depending on the publisher. In Brisbane specifically, installed pergolas are reported at $2,800-$18,600 per job (Sparky.fyi, 2026). Flooring underneath: pavers $20-$50/m², a new concrete slab $50-$100/m² (hipages only - single source).
The flat-roof conflict, shown rather than hidden: hipages lists shadecloth/Colorbond at $185/m², while RenoWorx prices custom flat roofs at $800-$1,200/m². These describe different products (simple kit-type structures versus custom builds), so we publish both with their labels and never average them. The same discipline applies to attached versus freestanding: no publisher prices that difference, so our calculator uses a clearly labelled $800-$1,500 allowance for the extra posts and footings on a freestanding build.
A 3.5x swing inside each category: pine to premium composite on a deck; simple flat to louvre on a pergola. This choice dwarfs everything else.
Raised and sloping sites need longer posts, deeper footings and more labour - and over 1 m of fall, balustrade becomes a legal requirement, not an option.
Bigger decks cost less per m² (fixed costs spread), but small decks still start around $3,000-$5,000 because posts, footings and a day or two of labour do not shrink with the deck.
Brisbane, 24 m² merbau deck at 600 mm height, flat site, stairs, 10 m of timber-and-wire balustrade, oiled: deck $7,200-$12,000 × 1.10 height = $7,920-$13,200, plus stairs $800-$1,500, balustrade $1,500-$2,500, oil $720-$1,200 = $10,900-$18,400. Add a 24 m² attached insulated-panel pergola at $900-$1,400/m² = $21,600-$33,600, and the combined project is $32,500-$52,000. Note the pergola out-prices the deck - with insulated roofing, that is normal, and it is exactly why Brisbane's $2,800-$18,600 per-job pergola band (mostly simple builds) is not the right anchor for this spec.
Prices cross-checked against hipages, RenoWorx, ServiceSeeking, Yellow Pages, Sparky.fyi, Stratco and the NSW Planning Portal, October 2026.
Decks run $200-$700 per m² installed depending on material, and most pergolas cost $2,000-$12,000. Two honest warnings up front: published rates conflict more in this trade than any other we cover, and approval fees vary too much to quote - so we show the conflicts and leave fees out, rather than inventing tidy numbers.
The biggest drivers are material (deck) / roof (pergola), height and slope and size - with a twist. Each one is worked through with prices in the guide above, and the calculator prices them for your job.
Use the free calculator linked from this guide - it prices your job with the same installed ranges used here, in about 30 seconds. It is a guide range, not a quote: your contractor confirms a fixed price after seeing the job.
No - they are researched guide ranges, cross-checked across at least two published sources, not quotes. Prices move with your area, the condition of the site and the scope you choose. Get itemised quotes in writing, and check the tradesperson's licence with your state building authority before you book.
The calculator prices the deck by material and area, adds stairs, balustrade and finish as visible lines, and prices a pergola by roof type - flagging single-source rates as it goes.