Decks & Fences, Hobart — Built to last a Tasmanian winter

A deck in Hobart takes a beating. Salt off the Derwent, a hard summer sun, sideways rain in a Tasmanian winter and frost on the boards at dawn. Build it wrong — undersized bearers, wrong-side fixings, timber too close to the ground — and it looks tired in three years and needs pulling up in ten. Build it right and it’s still solid at twenty. That’s the standard I work to.

I’m a qualified Hobart carpenter with twenty years on the tools. Fifteen of those years were spent on structural frames, which is exactly what a deck really is — a small building minus the walls. That background is why my decks stay flat, my stairs stay square and my handrails don’t wobble two winters in.

What I build most in Hobart:

• Hardwood decks — Merbau, Spotted Gum, Blackbutt and the local Tas oaks. Screwed and plugged, not nailed. Bearers sized properly for the span.
• Entry stairs, side stairs, cascading corner stairs. Solid stringers, closed risers where you want them, open where you don’t.
• Balustrades and handrails — wire, timber, stainless, mixed. Compliant, but they don’t look like a compliance job.
• Pergolas, screens and privacy walls that turn a deck into somewhere you actually sit.
• Timber fences — paling, horizontal batten, slat screen, courtyard walls. Posts set properly, not shoved in wet dirt.
• Gates that swing true and latch first time — hinged, sliding, or a hidden gate in a fence line.
• Deck restoration and repair — a lot of Hobart decks just need boards flipped, joists replaced and a proper oil.

I quote everything in writing before I start. A deck quote spells out the timber species and grade, the joist and bearer sizes, the fixings, the finishes and what happens with the existing structure if you’re rebuilding on top of it. A fence quote lists post depth, post spacing, rails, palings and gate hardware. No hidden bits.

If your job needs structural sign-off (deck heights, engineered posts, close-to-boundary work) I’ll tell you up-front what’s needed and who signs off. If it doesn’t, I get straight on with it.

Qualified, fully insured, free quotes. Hobart, Kingston, Sandy Bay, Bellerive, Howrah, Glenorchy, Claremont and everywhere between. Call or text 0434 727 099 with photos of the space and I’ll come back to you the same day.