How much ground clearance for a deck in Victoria?

[jmark5490]

I want to build a deck. Was wondering how much of clearance from ground I need to build it in Victoria? Does it depend apon the wood that I choose to build with?

 There is an area that includes foundation and a part of it is on ground. 

[EricL]

Hello @jmark5490 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's marvellous to have you join us, and thank you for sharing your question about ground clearance for your deck.

According to the Australian Standards all decks should be a minimum of 400 mm from the underside of the lowest timber to the ground. However, I recommend checking the rules and regulations of your local council as their height requirements might be different.

Would it be possible for you to post a photo of the area where you plan to install the deck? Can you also please tell us the proposed size of the deck? I suggest having a quick look at this guide - How to build a low-level deck by @Adam_W. This guide will give you a good idea of how to plan your decking frame.

I also suggest having a look at the Bunnings deck building guide:

• How to plan out your deck
   
• How to set out a deck
   
• How to install stumps
   
• How to install bearers
   
• How to install joists
   
• How to lay decking
   
• How to add a step to your deck.

Please make sure to wear personal protection such as gloves, goggles and a dust mask while working on your deck.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[cristianc]

Dear Bunnings Workshop,

I was planning a little DIY project to build a composite deck over concrete for my porch, but after reading this post about minimum clearance for decks in Victoria I wonder whether this is possible considering the distance from the concrete floor to the top of the boards would be 130mm (see picture), which I was thinking of archiving like this:

Board 23mm

Slat 90mm

Packers 15+2mm

ps: I must say that I've contacted my local coucil about it, but sadly they were not of much help

Your assistance with this i much appreciatedFront viewPorch entranceSide viewPorch dimmensions