Find a trusted carpenter in Melbourne

Weatherboards, verandahs and old timber

Melbourne has a huge stock of timber and timber-trimmed homes: Victorian terraces with turned verandah posts and fretwork, Edwardian houses with leadlight front doors, and weatherboard bungalows on stumps through the northern and eastern suburbs. Cold, wet winters are hard on exposed timber, and the damage usually shows at the base of verandah posts, along window sills and on boards that rarely see the sun.

A carpenter who knows period homes will cut out and splice rotten sections rather than rip out a whole post, and can have boards, mouldings and skirting milled to match profiles that aren’t sold any more. Sash windows that won’t budge often need new cords, freed-up beads and sometimes a new sill, not a whole new window.

Decks from the bayside to the hills

Decks get plenty of use here, so the timber matters. Merbau and spotted gum are popular hardwoods, treated pine keeps costs down, and composite boards cost more up front in exchange for less upkeep. In shady inner-city courtyards, good drainage underneath and proper gaps between boards help stop the frame staying damp through winter. Close to the bay, ask for stainless steel screws and fixings, because salt air eats cheaper ones.

On the urban fringe, including the Dandenong Ranges, Warrandyte, Eltham and parts of the outer east and north, many blocks sit in bushfire-prone areas. A deck or pergola there has to meet the site’s Bushfire Attack Level (BAL), which can rule out some timbers and fixings. Raised decks often need a building permit as well, so ask about it before you sign.

Registration rules for Victorian carpenters

Once a carpentry job passes $10,000, counting labour, materials and GST, Victoria requires whoever does it to hold Building and Plumbing Commission registration, such as Domestic Builder (Limited) in carpentry or framing. Smaller jobs, like hanging a door or fixing a sash window, need no registration. Check bigger jobs on BPC Find a practitioner (builders), and see our Victorian licence checks for a step-by-step guide.

Big job or small, it’s worth seeing a current certificate of public liability insurance and checking the ABN.

Carpentry prices in Melbourne

Melbourne carpenters charge much the same as Sydney’s, generally around $60–$100 an hour or $500–$800 for a full day. Hanging an internal door usually costs $150–$450 in labour, skirting and architraves $300–$900 a room, and a ground-level deck around $300–$600 per m². A 20 m² deck typically lands between $6,000 and $12,000 depending on the timber. Restoration work is mostly charged by the hour, since rot often runs further than it first looks.

Our carpenter price guide has more jobs and what moves the price.

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