How much does a carpenter cost in Wollongong?
Carpenters in Wollongong charge $59–$140 an hour, typically $92, or $430–$970 for a full day on site. Hanging a new door costs $270–$700 supplied and fitted, a built-in wardrobe $1,300–$5,400, and deck building is quoted at $86–$205 a square metre for labour. Seven in ten Wollongong dwellings are separate houses (71.3%, ABS 2021 Census) and 34.8% of homes are owned outright, above the national 31%, so the jobs below are the ones established houses keep needing: decks, stairs, doors, trim and wardrobes. All prices include GST.
Comparing cities, or after the Australia-wide picture? See the national guide: Carpenter cost in Australia.
Detailed Pricing — Carpenter Cost in Wollongong 2026
| Service | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carpentry (hourly rate) | $59/hr | $92 | $140 |
| Door installation (supply & fit) | $270per door | $430 | $700 |
| Door repair / rehang | $110per job | $195 | $325 |
| Skirting boards (per linear metre) | $22/lm | $32 | $59 |
| Architraves (per linear metre) | $11/lm | $19 | $49 |
| Built-in wardrobe (supply & install) | $1,300total | $2,700 | $5,400 |
| Timber shelving installation | $215per job | $430 | $755 |
| Minor staircase repairs (squeaky or loose treads, single tread or baluster) | $325per job | $650 | $1,300 |
| Pergola / carport framing (labour) | $1,625total | $3,250 | $6,500 |
| Timber window repair | $160per job | $300 | $540 |
| Deck build labour (per sqm) | $86/sqm | $140 | $205 |
| Full-day carpentry | $430per day | $670 | $970 |
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Get Wollongong quotes →Prices include GST. Based on Wollongong metro area, October 2026. Outer suburbs may vary.
Deck restoration in Wollongong
Restoring a deck in Wollongong
This page prices carpentry. It has a row for deck-building labour, at $86–$205 a square metre in our Wollongong table, but none for sanding or re-oiling a deck, so we don't publish a deck-restoration price here. Sanding and re-oiling prices for the city are in our Wollongong decking cost guide.
These answers use the prices in the table on this page.
What Affects Carpenter Costs in Wollongong
Deck builds and deck restoration
Deck restoration is the job Wollongong searchers ask about most. Replacing rotten boards, refixing loose ones and re-oiling is usually charged by time, at $430–$970 a day, while a new deck is quoted per square metre: $86–$205 for labour alone. A 25 square metre deck at the typical rate is about $3,500 in labour before any timber, so get the materials priced separately.
When a deck needs approval
In NSW a deck is exempt development, with no planning approval, only if its floor is no more than one metre above existing ground, it covers no more than 25 square metres, it sits behind the building line and it is at least 900 millimetres from the boundary. On a sloping block the low side of a deck can rise past one metre quickly, and an approval adds time and fees to the job.
Licence, contract and insurance
NSW requires a contractor licence for residential building or trade work worth more than $5,000 in labour and materials, GST included, and a written contract over the same line. Check any contractor's licence on the Service NSW builder and tradesperson licence check before the job starts. Pergola or carport framing at the top of our band ($6,500) is past it on labour alone. Above $20,000 the builder must hold home building compensation cover before taking any money, and the deposit is capped at 10 percent.
Stairs and balustrades
A squeaky tread, a loose stringer or a single broken baluster is a small fix at $325–$1,300. Rebuilding a whole staircase or a run of deck balustrade is quoted from a measure and drawings, not by the hour. Outside, February and March average over 150 mm of rain each in Wollongong (BOM averages), and wet timber rots first where treads and balusters are fixed, so have those joints checked.
Doors, trim and wardrobes
A door that drags or will not latch can usually be rehung for $110–$325, and at typical prices that beats buying and fitting a new one. Timber doors swell in damp weather, and Wollongong averages 1,323.7 mm of rain a year (BOM averages), so a door that sticks only in the wet months may need planing rather than replacing. Skirting runs $22–$59 a metre and architraves $11–$49.
Hourly rate or a day booking
Small jobs are billed by the hour; a set project such as a deck or pergola is better priced as a fixed quote once the scope is settled. For a list of odd jobs, a full day at a typical $670 costs less than eight hours billed at the typical $92 an hour. Confirm whether timber, hardware and fixings are in the price or charged on top.
Timber windows and salt air
Repairing a timber window sash or sill costs $160–$540. Coastal homes in Wollongong face sea air, which corrodes plain steel fixings; ask for stainless or hot-dip galvanised screws and brackets on decks, pergolas and outdoor joinery. The timber species and grade change the price as much as the labour, so agree them before work starts, along with the lead time on any made-off-site joinery.
How to Save Money on Carpenter Cost in Wollongong
Carpenter Cost in Wollongong by Job Size
Say the hall and two rooms of a Figtree house have 18 metres of skirting. At $22–$59 a metre that is $396–$1,062 for the length, with architraves for the same doors a separate line at $11–$49 a metre. The 18 metres is the example's own assumption; measure each wall and ask for the total in metres.
What moves a job of that size in Wollongong: a door that swells in damp weather and needs planing first, wet timber near stair and balustrade joints, and fixings in sea air. Each can add hours at $59–$140 an hour, so ask for it as its own line.
Carpenter Cost in Wollongong: What the Quote Should Include
In Wollongong sea air corrodes plain steel fixings and wet weather rots timber at stair and balustrade joints, so a carpentry quote for a home in Thirroul or Figtree should name its fixings and what is checked underneath. Read each line below against the rows on this page.
- Joists and bearers checked on any deck job, since framing found rotten underneath can add lines to a boards-only price.
- A deck restoration split into boards replaced, boards refixed and re-oiling, each its own line, with the day rate of $430–$970 a day shown if charged by time.
- A new deck at $86–$205 a square metre in labour, with the area and the height of its low side on a sloping block noted.
- Fixings named as stainless or hot-dip galvanised for outdoor work, since sea air corrodes plain steel.
- A squeaky tread, loose stringer or broken baluster counted as a repair at $325–$1,300, apart from a rebuilt staircase or balustrade, which is quoted from a measure and drawings.
- A dragging door or one that misses its latch rehung at $110–$325, with a note of whether planing is enough where the door swells in damp weather.
- Skirting at $22–$59 a metre and architraves at $11–$49 a metre, measured room by room.
- Timber window sashes and sills repaired at $160–$540, named by window.
- A day at $430–$970 a day for a list of small fixes, or hourly time at $59–$140 an hour, with timber and fixings shown as in or out.
Frequently Asked Questions — Carpenter Cost in Wollongong
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 →