How much does a carpenter cost in Brisbane?
Brisbane carpenters charge $55–$130 an hour, $85 being a typical rate, or $400–$900 for a full day on site. That hourly figure is what the business bills, not what a carpenter takes home: it also pays for the van, tools, insurance and travel between jobs. Larger tasks are usually priced as a fixed sum, such as hanging a new door at $250–$650, a built-in wardrobe at $1,200–$5,000 or framing a pergola or carport at $1,500–$6,000. Most Brisbane homes are detached houses, so outdoor timber work like decks and pergolas appears in the table beside the indoor jobs. Prices include GST.
Comparing cities, or after the Australia-wide picture? See the national guide: Carpenter cost in Australia.
Detailed Pricing — Carpenter Cost in Brisbane 2026
| Service | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carpentry (hourly rate) | $55/hr | $85 | $130 |
| Door installation (supply & fit) | $250per door | $400 | $650 |
| Door repair / rehang | $100per job | $180 | $300 |
| Skirting boards (per linear metre) | $20/lm | $30 | $55 |
| Architraves (per linear metre) | $10/lm | $18 | $45 |
| Built-in wardrobe (supply & install) | $1,200total | $2,500 | $5,000 |
| Timber shelving installation | $200per job | $400 | $700 |
| Minor staircase repairs (squeaky or loose treads, single tread or baluster) | $300per job | $600 | $1,200 |
| Pergola / carport framing (labour) | $1,500total | $3,000 | $6,000 |
| Timber window repair | $150per job | $280 | $500 |
| Deck build labour (per sqm) | $80/sqm | $130 | $190 |
| Full-day carpentry | $400per day | $620 | $900 |
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Get Brisbane quotes →Prices include GST. Based on Brisbane metro area, October 2026. Outer suburbs may vary.
Brisbane carpenter rates: the hour against the day, trim work and doors
A carpenter by the hour or by the day in Brisbane
Our Brisbane table has carpentry at $55–$130 an hour and a full day at $400–$900. Eight hours at the typical hourly rate would be $680, against a typical full-day price of $620, so a full day costs less than eight separate hours at the typical figures.
Skirting, architraves and trim in Brisbane
Trim is priced by the metre in our Brisbane table: skirting boards $20–$55 a metre and architraves $10–$45 a metre. Skirting a 4 metre wall at the typical price comes to $120.
Doors, wardrobes and stairs in Brisbane
A door supplied and fitted is $250–$650 in our Brisbane table, and rehanging or repairing one $100–$300. A built-in wardrobe, supplied and installed, is $1,200–$5,000; timber shelving $200–$700; staircase repairs $300–$1,200.
These answers use the prices in the table on this page.
What Affects Carpenter Costs in Brisbane
Hourly or fixed price
Small jobs are normally billed by the hour, so a door that sticks or drags can be rehung for $100–$300 and a run of shelving fitted for $200–$700. Anything with a clear scope, such as a wardrobe or a deck, is better quoted as a fixed price, which leaves the risk of slow progress with the carpenter. A day rate of $400–$900 suits a list of odd jobs gathered into one visit.
Humid summers, swelling timber
Brisbane's NCC climate zone is 2, meaning warm, humid summers and mild winters, and February brings 176.1 mm of rain on average (BOM averages). Timber doors, window sashes and stair treads take up moisture in that weather and can bind or creak, then settle again in a dry spring. Repairing a timber window costs $150–$500, and fixing a loose tread or baluster $300–$1,200.
Decks and building approval
Deck labour runs $80–$190 a square metre, with timber and fixings on top. In Queensland an unroofed deck needs no building approval if its floor is no more than 1 m above natural ground, its plan area is no more than 10 square metres and no side is longer than 5 m. Put a roof over it, build it higher or make it bigger and it falls outside that exemption, so allow for a building certifier.
Licence, contract and deposit
Once a carpentry job is worth $3,300 or more, Queensland requires the contractor to hold a QBCC licence, and the top of the pergola framing band, $6,000, is past that line. Above $3,300 the job also needs a contract in writing plus the home warranty premium, and on work valued from $3,301 to $19,999 the deposit cannot exceed 10% of the contract price. Check anyone doing structural carpentry on the QBCC licensee register.
More rooms, more trim
Greater Brisbane homes average 3.3 bedrooms against 3.1 nationally, and 41.1% have four or more (ABS 2021 Census). Every extra room adds a door, more skirting and more architraves to a renovation. Skirting is $20–$55 a linear metre and architraves $10–$45, so measure the full run, hallways included, before you compare quotes.
Character homes
Brisbane City Council protects older houses through its traditional building character overlay, and a home there can need planning approval before it is demolished, so repair is often the path owners take. Matching the old profiles of skirting, architraves or window sashes may mean custom milled timber, which costs more than standard stock, so ask for it to be priced as its own item.
Wardrobes and joinery
A built-in wardrobe costs $1,200–$5,000, depending on size, internal fit-out and doors. Custom joinery is usually made in a workshop, so ask about the lead time when you book. Where off-site work is more than half the contract price, Queensland allows a deposit of up to 20%, more than the cap that applies to other mid-sized jobs.
How to Save Money on Carpenter Cost in Brisbane
Carpenter Cost in Brisbane by Job Size
Say three internal doors in Brisbane are replaced, supplied and fitted. At $250–$650 a door that is $750–$1,950 for the three. A repair or rehang of the same doors is priced per job at $100–$300, so a quote that names which doors are replaced and which are eased can be read against both rows. The three doors are the example's own assumption.
What moves a three-door job in Brisbane: frames that have swollen in humid weather, an old profile to match in a character home, and the finish. Extra fitting hours would sit at $55–$130 an hour, so ask for each as a separate line.
Carpenter Cost in Brisbane: What the Quote Should Include
Brisbane's humid summers swell timber doors, sashes and stair treads, so a carpentry quote for a home in Toowong or Bulimba earns its detail. A character home may also need old trim matched. Ask for each item below in writing before work starts.
- Each door counted and named as a rehang at $100–$300 or a new door supplied and fitted at $250–$650 a door, with the frame and hardware shown.
- Any door, sash or tread that binds in humid weather listed with the fix proposed, as swollen timber can settle again in a dry spring.
- Window repairs at $150–$500 and loose treads or balusters at $300–$1,200, each counted per job so a quote that bundles them can be pulled apart.
- Trim measured as the full run in linear metres, hallways included: skirting at $20–$55 a metre, architraves at $10–$45 a metre.
- For a character home, custom-milled timber to match an old profile shown on its own line, apart from standard stock.
- Outdoor timber named as hardwood or treated pine, with deck labour at $80–$190 a square metre and the timber extra.
- Odd jobs gathered into one visit priced either by the hour at $55–$130 an hour or as a day at $400–$900 a day, with the choice written down.
- Shelving at $200–$700 and a built-in wardrobe at $1,200–$5,000, each with its size, finish and internal fit-out described.
Frequently Asked Questions — Carpenter Cost in Brisbane
Our Methodology
These are independent estimates from public cost guides, marketplaces and industry rate data, and no tradesperson can influence them, so always get a few quotes. Last reviewed October 2026. Read our full methodology →