A good deck earns its keep. It takes an awkward slope or a plain patch of backyard and turns it into the part of the house everyone actually uses, from morning coffee to a barbecue that runs long. Ovas is a deck builder working across Wollongong, the Illawarra and the Southern Highlands, and we build timber and composite decks that are set out properly, framed to last, and finished for the way you want to live on them.
Timber deck or composite decking, and how to choose
Most decks we build fall into two camps.
- Hardwood timber. Merbau and spotted gum are the local favourites for good reason. They are dense, they wear well underfoot, and they have a warmth that is hard to fake. The trade-off is upkeep: a timber deck wants a clean and an oil every so often to hold its colour, otherwise it silvers off to grey.
- Composite decking. Modern composite boards give you a consistent look and very little ongoing work. No oiling, no splinters, and they cope well with pool surrounds and coastal weather. They cost more up front than most timbers, and the feel is different, so it is worth standing on a sample before you decide.
There is no single right answer. It comes down to your budget, how much weekend maintenance you actually want to do, and where the deck sits. We talk you through it honestly rather than push one product.
Low platforms to raised entertaining decks
A deck can be many things. Sometimes it is a simple low platform off the back door, sitting just above ground level to even out a slope and give you somewhere flat to stand. Sometimes it is a raised entertaining deck off a first-floor living room, with a proper balustrade, wide stairs, and room for a table and a lounge setting.
The higher and larger the deck, the more the structure underneath matters. On a sloping Illawarra block that often means posts, footings, and a subframe designed to carry the load and the people on it. We build for the site you have, not a generic plan.
Deck builders in Wollongong, Shellharbour and Port Kembla
Ovas builds residential timber and composite decks right across the Illawarra, from Helensburgh and Thirroul in the north through Wollongong, Port Kembla, Unanderra and Figtree, down to Dapto, Albion Park, Shellharbour, Warilla and Kiama, and inland to the Southern Highlands.
We're the crew that does the whole deck, not just the boards: footings, subframe, decking, balustrades, stairs and the first oil, on a fixed-price proposal after we've seen the site. If your deck needs approval, we handle that before anything is built.
One thing worth clarifying, because people search for both: this is backyard and entertaining decking in timber or composite. Structural steel floor decking and formwork for suspended concrete slabs is a different trade and not something we take on.
Composite decking in Wollongong and the Illawarra
Yes, we build composite decks throughout Wollongong and the Illawarra, and we'll fit whichever board range you've settled on rather than push one brand. Composite boards are a timber and polymer mix: they don't need oiling, they don't splinter, and they hold their colour instead of silvering off the way an unfinished hardwood does.
Composite earns its keep on a coastal block. Around the Illawarra beaches and on pool surrounds it's the board we recommend most often, because salt air and chlorine are hard on a timber deck and the upkeep that keeps hardwood looking good is exactly the upkeep people stop doing after the second summer. It costs more up front than most timbers, so the trade is real money now against weekends and oil later.
Two things worth knowing before you decide. Composite gets warmer underfoot than timber in direct sun, so on a deck with no cover and a western aspect, board colour is a decision rather than a detail. And the boards are only the visible half of a deck: what's underneath is still a timber or steel subframe on footings sized for your soil and deck height, and a composite board laid over a subframe with the joists spaced wrong will telegraph every fault in it. We build the structure to suit the board, not the other way around.
Deck designs that suit an Illawarra block
The design decisions that matter most around here are level, aspect and shelter, well before you pick a board.
Getting the deck close to level with the internal floor is the single change that makes a deck feel like part of the house rather than a platform stuck on the back, and it's easiest to achieve when the deck is planned with the doors rather than after them. Where the block falls away, stepping the deck down in one or two levels usually beats one high platform with a tall balustrade around it.
Aspect decides how often you use it. A west-facing deck bakes through summer afternoons unless there's cover, and a southern deck sits in shade through winter. On exposed blocks near the coast, a bit of screening or a partial roof turns a deck that gets used twice a year into one that gets used weekly. Any of that is far cheaper to build in than to add later, since the posts and footings have to be set for it from the start.
What we handle, footings to finish
Every deck is more than the boards you see. Ovas takes care of the whole build:
- Footings and posts set to suit your soil and the deck height.
- Subframe of bearers and joists, spaced and fixed to Australian Standards.
- Decking boards laid with even gaps, tidy lines, and clean edges.
- Balustrades and stairs where the height calls for them, built to the required safety heights.
- Finishing, including the first oil on a timber deck so it starts life protected. After that, how often a deck needs oiling depends on where it sits.
You get a fixed-price proposal before we start and one point of contact the whole way through, so you always know who to call.
Approvals, sorted before we build
Small, low decks can often be built as exempt development, which means no application. Larger or higher decks usually need approval, either as complying development or through your council. The exact line depends on height, size, and your block, so we check it for your project and confirm it with the certifier or council rather than guess.
We handle that side for you and only start once the paperwork is right. A deck built to the correct footings, spans, and rail heights is safer, lasts longer, and is one less thing to sort out if you ever come to sell.
Common questions
- How much does a new deck cost?
- It depends on the size, the height, and whether you go timber or composite, so the range is wide. A small low deck in a common hardwood sits at the lower end, while a large raised deck with balustrades, stairs and composite boards costs a good deal more. We give you a fixed-price proposal once we have seen the site, so treat any figure before that as a starting point, not a quote.
- Can you build a deck over an existing concrete slab or courtyard?
- Yes, in a lot of cases. We can fix a low-profile subframe down onto a sound slab and deck over the top, which is a tidy way to cover tired concrete without ripping it up. We check the slab and the drainage first, since the deck still needs airflow underneath to last.
- How long will a timber deck last?
- A well-built hardwood deck can last decades if the structure is right and you keep up with cleaning and oiling. The frame and footings do the heavy lifting for longevity, which is why we build them to the correct spans and fixings. Composite boards ask for less upkeep and hold their look longer, though the timber underneath still matters.
- Can the deck be covered or tie into the house?
- Yes. We can connect a deck to your home and add a pergola, a carport-style roof or a covered section so you can use it in the rain and through summer. It is worth planning any cover at the same time as the deck, so the posts and footings are set for it from the start.