How much does a carpenter cost in Sydney?
Hiring a carpenter in Sydney usually starts with the hourly rate, $63–$150 in our table, or $460–$1,025 for a whole day on site. Fitting a new door, often the back door when locals ask, costs $250–$650 supplied and hung, while rehanging one that sticks or drags is $100–$300. Larger work is quoted per job or per square metre: a built-in wardrobe is $1,200–$5,000, and deck framing labour $80–$190 a square metre. Apartments make up a far bigger share of homes in Sydney than across Australia, so a lot of carpentry here happens inside units, where access and building rules shape the price. Prices include GST.
Comparing cities, or after the Australia-wide picture? See the national guide: Carpenter cost in Australia.
Detailed Pricing — Carpenter Cost in Sydney 2026
| Service | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carpentry (hourly rate) | $63/hr | $98 | $150 |
| 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 | $460per day | $715 | $1,025 |
You're in.
A local installer will be in touch about your job. No spam, no middleman.
Getting quotes for carpenter work in Sydney? Get a quote from a verified local tradie — free, no obligation.
Get Sydney quotes →Prices include GST. Based on Sydney metro area, October 2026. Outer suburbs may vary.
Sydney carpenter prices: hourly and day rates, doors and fit-out
Carpenter hourly and day rates in Sydney
A carpenter in our Sydney table is $63–$150 an hour, typically $98, or $460–$1,025 for a full day.
How much does a carpenter charge to install a door in Sydney?
Supplying and fitting a door is $250–$650 a door in Sydney, typically $400. Repairing or rehanging an existing door is $100–$300.
Skirting, architraves and wardrobes in Sydney
Finishing work is priced by the metre: skirting boards $20–$55 and architraves $10–$45. A built-in wardrobe supplied and installed is $1,200–$5,000.
These answers use the prices in the table on this page.
What Affects Carpenter Costs in Sydney
Working inside an apartment
Apartments account for 30.7% of Greater Sydney dwellings, where the figure for Australia as a whole is 14.2% (ABS 2021 Census). Carpentry in a unit means booking the lift, carrying timber through common areas and working within the building's set hours, all of which add time. Wardrobes, at $1,200–$5,000, and shelving, at $200–$700, suit a unit well, and wardrobes are often made to measure off site.
An hour at a time or a full day
Carpenters bill short jobs by the hour, at a typical $98. For a day of work, the full-day rate of $715 typically comes in below eight separate hours, so group jobs together. For a deck, a wardrobe or anything else with a clear plan, ask for one agreed price covering the whole job instead.
Doors, trims and windows
Doors feature strongly in what Sydney people search for, the back door in particular. A new door costs $250–$650 including the door itself; rehanging an existing one is $100–$300. Skirting is $20–$55 and architraves $10–$45 a linear metre, and a timber window that has rotted or jammed is $150–$500 to repair.
Licence, contract and deposit in NSW
Residential building or trade work above $5,000, counting labour, materials and GST together, needs a holder of an NSW contractor licence. That figure also brings a written contract into play: a small job contract between $5,000 and $20,000, a fuller one beyond. The deposit cannot exceed 10 percent. A top-end built-in wardrobe, at $5,000, reaches or comes close to that line, so ask about the licence before agreeing a price.
Decks and pergolas
Deck labour runs $80–$190 per square metre, and framing a pergola or carport $1,500–$6,000. A deck can skip planning consent as exempt development in NSW only if it meets the state rules, including a deck floor sitting one metre or less above the existing ground, nothing beyond the building line facing the road, and a 900 mm setback from boundaries in most residential zones. Over $20,000, the builder needs Home Building Compensation cover before taking a deposit.
Rain, timber and sticking doors
Observatory Hill records its heaviest rain in June, 133.1 mm on average, with March barely behind on 131.6 mm (BOM averages). Damp weather swells timber, which is when doors catch and windows jam; Sydney's NCC climate zone is 5. A squeaky or loose stair tread or baluster is $300–$1,200 to fix.
How to Save Money on Carpenter Cost in Sydney
Carpenter Cost in Sydney by Job Size
Say a Sydney apartment job runs seven hours: a back door rehung, shelves hung and a loose tread fixed. At $63–$150 an hour that is $441–$1,050, to be read beside the booked day at $460–$1,025 a day. The seven hours are the example's own assumption; ask how the lift wait and carrying are counted.
What moves a job of that size in Sydney: a lift that has to be booked, timber carried through common areas, and a building's set hours that cut a day short. Each adds time at the hourly rate, so ask for it as its own line and for the working hours to be written down.
Carpenter Cost in Sydney: What the Quote Should Include
In Sydney, carpentry in an apartment depends on lift bookings, common areas and the building's working hours, so a carpentry quote for a home in Bondi or Surry Hills should state them. Read each line below against the rows on this page.
- Lift booking, the carry through common areas and the building's working hours stated, with any extra time shown at $63–$150 an hour.
- A back door or any replacement door measured at the opening, with its swing direction and frame noted, priced at $250–$650 a door as supplied and fitted.
- A rehang of an existing door at $100–$300 priced as a separate job from a replacement.
- Skirting at $20–$55 a metre and architraves at $10–$45 a metre, each with its length in metres, and a timber window repair at $150–$500 priced apart.
- Wardrobes made to measure off site at $1,200–$5,000, with the build time and who measures the room stated, plus shelving at $200–$700.
- A stair tread or baluster fixed at $300–$1,200, with the number of treads counted.
- A deck at $80–$190 a square metre in labour or pergola framing at $1,500–$6,000, with timber species and grade named.
- A full day at $460–$1,025 a day against hourly time, with the jobs for the day named in advance.
- Dates, payment stages, warranty and GST in writing; ask for their licence number and insurance.
Frequently Asked Questions — Carpenter Cost in Sydney
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 →