Find a trusted fencer on the Gold Coast

Pool fences and Queensland’s rules

With so many backyard pools on the Gold Coast, pool fencing is a big part of a fencer’s work here. Queensland’s pool safety standard sets the rules: the barrier must be at least 1,200 mm high from the finished ground, the gap underneath no more than 100 mm, and gates have to close and latch on their own. There are also rules about climbable objects near the fence, so a new garden bed, a retaining wall or a pool pump in the wrong spot can make a compliant fence non-compliant.

Each pool in the state has to be on Queensland’s pool register, and a licensed pool safety inspector has to issue a certificate before a home with a pool is leased, or within 90 days of settlement when it’s sold without one. Frameless glass is the popular look on canal and waterfront homes, while powder-coated aluminium costs less and suits most family yards. Either way, ask your fencer to build to the current standard, and keep the paperwork.

Salt, termites, bushland and the neighbours

Near the surf, salt air corrodes cheap steel posts, screws and hinges quickly. Ask for products rated for coastal sites, with stainless or heavily galvanised fixings, and rinse the fence occasionally. Away from the beach, termites are the bigger threat to timber: posts set straight into damp soil are where they start. Steel posts or properly treated timber, set in concrete, last much longer.

Where a block backs onto hinterland bushland, it’s worth knowing that steel won’t catch fire the way timber palings can, which matters most for the stretch of fence nearest the house. And for any boundary fence, Queensland’s dividing fence law usually means the neighbour shares the cost of a standard fence. Talk first, then give formal notice if you need to.

QBCC licence check for fencers

Fences worth more than $3,300 need a QBCC licence in Queensland, and the class has to match the material. Structural landscaping covers any type of fence, Carpentry covers timber and metal, and Glass, glazing and aluminium covers glass pool fences. Run the licence number through the QBCC licensee register, and if you need other trades checked, our Queensland licence checks guide shows where to look.

Fencing costs on the Gold Coast

Prices on the Gold Coast run close to Brisbane’s. At 1.8 m high, expect $100 to $180 a metre for treated pine paling and $120 to $200 for Colorbond, fully installed. Aluminium pool fencing sits around $150 to $300 a metre. Frameless and semi-frameless glass runs about $350 to $800 per metre, and hanging a new pedestrian gate usually costs $400 to $900. A 30 m Colorbond back fence usually lands at $3,600 to $6,000. See the fencing price guide for more; it’s a guide only.

One fencer for your fence

Send through the length, the material and your suburb. We’ll pass the job to one Gold Coast fencer who has cleared our checks on QBCC licence, insurance, ABN and reviews, and to nobody else. How fencer matching works, other Gold Coast tradies and a free quote are all a click away.