Carpentry that meets the code, not just the eye

Balustrade is the part of a deck most likely to fail an inspection, and the part most likely to matter if someone falls. The rules are specific, and they are not a matter of opinion — the National Construction Code sets a minimum height and a maximum gap, and a balustrade either meets them or it doesn't.

The common failure we're called out to fix is an older balustrade that was compliant when it was built, or was never compliant at all, and has since loosened at the posts. Rot at the base of a post is the usual culprit, and it isn't always visible from above.

Style is the easy part once the numbers are settled. Vertical timber battens, hardwood with timber top rail, and stainless wire all work — wire needs the most attention, since tension and spacing decide whether it passes the gap rule over time.

Stairs are set-out work. Get the rise and going right at the start and the whole flight feels comfortable; get it wrong and every step feels off, which is exactly the kind of thing people trip on. Consistency between treads matters as much as the individual dimension.

External stairs on a hills block have the added problem of landing on ground that isn't level and won't stay put. Footings, a proper landing, and drainage away from the base of the stringer are what stop the flight moving over the first few wet seasons.

Stair construction and fit-out sits squarely inside the scope of a QBCC carpentry licence, alongside framing, flooring and cladding.

Most of the repair work out here starts the same way: something feels soft underfoot, or a rail moves when you lean on it. By the time it's noticeable from above, the damage is usually in the frame rather than the surface.

A repair is only worth doing if it addresses why the timber failed. Replacing a rotted board without fixing the water that rotted it just resets the clock. That usually means looking at drainage, ground clearance, flashing, and whether the fixings have been holding moisture against the timber.

We'll tell you honestly when a repair is the right call and when you're better off rebuilding. On an older deck there's a point where patching costs more over five years than replacing the frame once.

Timber structures in this climate fail slowly and then quickly. An elevated deck that's been up fifteen years is worth looking at properly, because the parts that fail first — post bases, bearer ends, and the fixings holding the balustrade — are the parts you can't see from the deck surface.

A maintenance visit is a structural look rather than a clean. We check the frame where it meets the ground, the condition of fixings, whether the balustrade still meets the height and gap rules, and whether water is getting somewhere it shouldn't.

For most decks this is worth doing every year or two. For anything elevated, or anything you're about to put a crowd of people on, it's worth doing before rather than after.