Decking in Nowra and the Shoalhaven
Nowra sits on the Shoalhaven River about forty minutes south of Kiama, and the blocks out here are bigger than anything in the Illawarra. There is usually room to build the deck you actually want rather than the one that fits, and plenty of properties have the space for levels, a wide set of steps and a roof over part of it.
Two things change the brief though, and they are worth understanding before you pick materials. The summers are hotter than on the coastal strip, which matters a great deal for composite decking in direct sun and makes the shade structure part of the decision rather than an extra. And a good number of Shoalhaven blocks are on bushfire prone land, which is a planning question rather than a preference, because the assessed level sets what the deck can be built from.
Marcio is Wollongong based and the Shoalhaven is a regular run rather than a special trip. Decking, pergolas and patio roofs, stairs, balustrades and the steel behind them are all our own work, so a deck with a roof going on now or later gets set out once with the posts and footings sized for the whole load.
Decking Work We Do in Nowra
Bushfire Prone Land Checked First
Whether the land is mapped is on the planning certificate, and the assessed level sets the material requirements. We check before specifying, not after. Finding out at the wrong end of a job is expensive, because it is the materials that change rather than the layout, and a deck already framed in the wrong thing is not something you can adjust.
Shade Planned With a Nowra Deck
Inland summers make an unshaded deck unusable for weeks at a time. A pergola or roof designed in from the start costs less than adding it later, because the posts and footings are sized once for the whole load instead of being cut into a finished deck. If the budget only covers the deck now, we can still set it up so the roof goes on cleanly.
Movement Allowed on Wide Decks
Timber moves across its width with the seasons, and over a large deck that adds up to a real dimension. Board spacing and fixings set out for it. A big deck laid tight looks perfect in the first week and cups and gaps unevenly once it has been through a summer and a winter, and by then it is the boards rather than the setting out you are paying to fix.
Room to Build Levels and Stairs
Bigger blocks mean a deck can step down to the yard properly rather than ending at a ladder. Worth using the space you have, because a second level or a wide set of steps costs far less when it is in the original frame than when it is added to one. The same applies to anything you might want over it later.
Decks We Have Built Around the Illawarra
A large deck set out with the posts and footings sized for a roof structure going on later.
Heat, Size and Bushfire Prone Land
Bushfire prone land is the one to sort out first, because it affects what the deck can be built from. Where a property is mapped as bushfire prone, the construction requirements are set by a bushfire attack level assessed for that site, and the higher the level the more restricted the material choices become. We do not guess at this. The planning certificate for the property tells you whether the land is mapped, and the assessment sets what applies. We check that before specifying anything rather than building first and finding out later, because it is the materials that change rather than the layout.
Heat is the second thing. Inland Shoalhaven summers are hotter than the coastal strip, and that matters for composite decking in particular, which gets considerably hotter underfoot in direct sun than timber does. On a west facing deck with no shade that can be the difference between a space you use in February and one you do not. It also makes the shade structure part of the decision rather than an extra, because a deck and a roof over it share the same structure where the posts land.
Size is the third. A big deck needs movement allowed for, because timber expands and contracts across its width with the seasons, and over a wide deck that adds up to a real dimension. Board spacing and fixing method both have to account for it. A large deck laid tight looks perfect in the first week and cups and gaps unevenly once it has been through a summer and a winter.
The advantage of space is that stairs, levels and a shade structure can all be planned properly rather than squeezed in. A deck that steps down to the yard in two levels, with a wide flight rather than a ladder, costs far less when it is in the original frame than when it is added to one, and the same is true of the posts and footings for a roof you might not build for another two years.
More on decking, pergolas and patios, carpentry and home renovations.
Should the Deck and the Roof Be One Job?
On a Nowra block, usually yes, and it is a cost decision as much as a comfort one.
A deck and a pergola or roof over it share the same structure at the points where the posts land. Building them together means those posts and footings are sized once for the whole load. Building the deck first and adding a roof in two years means either over building the deck now in case, or cutting into a finished deck later to put proper footings in.
The second part is that you will want the shade. An unshaded west facing deck in a Shoalhaven summer gets very little use in the middle of the day, which is a waste of the money you just spent.
If the budget will not stretch to both now, there is a middle path. We can set the deck out with the roof in mind, with footings and posts in the right places sized for the eventual load, and you add the structure when you are ready.
Thinking about a deck in Nowra?
Send through photos of the area and the rough size you have in mind, and you will get a straight answer on what it involves and what it costs.
Contracts, Deposits and What NSW Asks For
Renovation work in NSW comes with consumer protections worth knowing before you sign anything. A written contract is required once the contract price is over $5,000 including GST. Work between $5,000 and $20,000 can run under a small works contract; above $20,000 it needs a full home building contract, and home building compensation cover with the certificate that goes with it. The maximum deposit anyone can ask for is 10 per cent, on a small job or a large one. Variations should be agreed in writing before the varied work happens, not reconciled at the end. None of that is unique to us, and you should expect it from whoever you use.
Quoting a Nowra Deck
Every job gets quoted on what it actually needs. We look at the access, the condition of what is already there, the materials you want and how much of the existing work can be kept, then give you a figure before anything starts. Two jobs that look identical in photos can be very different once someone is standing in the room, so we do not publish a rate card. You get a price for your job, and it does not move once we have agreed it.
Nowra is about forty minutes south of Kiama and the Shoalhaven is a regular run for us rather than a special trip. Work down this way gets batched with Berry, Gerringong and Bomaderry where the timing allows, which keeps travel reasonable on a job this far out. A first look means standing on the spot, checking which way it faces and establishing whether the land is mapped as bushfire prone, because that decides the materials before anything else is settled.
Plumbing and electrical work is carried out by licensed partners, not in-house.
Nowra Decking Questions
Does bushfire prone land change what a deck can be built from?+
Yes, and it is the first thing to establish. Where land is mapped as bushfire prone, a bushfire attack level is assessed for the site, and the construction requirements follow from it. Higher levels restrict material choices considerably. We do not assume anything here. The planning certificate for the property shows whether the land is mapped, and we work to what the assessment says rather than specifying first and dealing with it afterwards, because the materials are what change and a framed deck cannot be adjusted.
Does composite decking get too hot out here?+
It can, and it is a fair question for a Nowra block. Composite runs hotter underfoot than timber in direct sun, and inland summers here are hotter than on the coast. On a shaded or east facing deck it is a non issue. On an unshaded west facing deck it is worth thinking about, and it may push you towards timber or towards building the shade structure at the same time. We would rather raise it now than have you find out in January when the deck is finished and the only fix is a roof you had not budgeted for.
How do I get a deck quoted in Nowra?+
Photos of the area, the size you have in mind, and which way it faces. If you know whether the property is on bushfire prone land, say so at the first contact, because it changes the specification. If you are thinking about a roof over part of it at any point, mention that too, since it changes the footings and it is far cheaper to allow for now than to retrofit. You get the exclusions listed in writing. Call 0413 147 335.
Can you do the deck and the pergola together?+
Yes, and on a block out here it is worth doing. Decking, pergolas, patio roofs, stairs and balustrades are all our own work, so the structure gets set out once with the shade allowed for rather than cutting into a finished deck later to add footings. If the budget only covers the deck now, we can still set it up so the roof goes on cleanly later, which costs a little more today and a great deal less then.
Nowra jobs we also cover include bathroom renovations and welding. Close by, there is decking in Minnamurra and landscaping in Gerringong.
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