Services / Pergolas & Decking
Pergolas & Decking
Outdoor rooms built to Australian standards and Adelaide summers
An outdoor room done properly extends the house: it frames the garden, shades the western sun, and turns six months of Adelaide's year into outdoor living. Done badly, it's a hot box bolted to the fascia.
We design and build pergolas, verandahs and decks as structures — engineered footings, correctly sized posts and spans, flashings that keep water out of the house, and decking in spotted gum, blackbutt, Merbau or premium composite, fixed to last.
Development approval is handled where the structure requires it, and every job ends the same way: oiled, cleaned, and handed over ready for furniture. Scroll the build below.
Built as structures, because they are
A pergola is a roofed structure attached to your biggest asset — it gets footings sized to the span, stirrups that keep posts off wet ground, and fixings rated for wind load, because development approval in SA treats it as the structure it is. We handle the paperwork where it's needed rather than building something a certifier will later make you pull down.
For decking, board choice is a maintenance decision as much as a look: hardwoods silver off and want oiling; quality composites cost more up front and ask for nothing. Under either, the subframe is where we refuse to save money — joist spacing and ventilation decide whether a deck bounces and rots or sits solid for decades.
The build — real job, real stages
How your pergolas & decking go together.
Straight answers
Pergolas & Decking — FAQs
Do I need council approval for a pergola or deck in SA?
Often, yes. In South Australia a deck over 500 mm high, or a roofed structure attached to the house, generally needs development approval; freestanding unroofed pergolas under 2.5 m with modest floor area can be exempt. Rules changed under the PDI Act and vary by zone, so we confirm requirements for your address during quoting and prepare the application if needed.
Hardwood or composite decking?
Hardwood (spotted gum, blackbutt, Merbau) is cooler underfoot, repairable, and ages into its character with annual oiling. Quality composite costs about the same as premium hardwood installed, never needs oiling and keeps uniform colour, but gets hotter in full sun and can't be sanded back. Shaded family decks favour composite for zero maintenance; feature decks favour timber.
How long does a pergola or deck build take?
A straightforward deck runs 1–2 weeks on site; a roofed pergola or verandah 2–3 weeks; combined outdoor rooms with lighting and privacy screens 3–5 weeks. Council approval, where required, adds 4–8 weeks before we start — we lodge early so the approval lands as the build slot opens.
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Talk to us about your pergolas & decking project.
Site visits across Adelaide metro and the Hills. Fixed quotes, no obligation.