
Decking around established trees
The tree was there first. How to build a deck that does not girdle roots, drown a trunk, or turn a living elm into a post.
James Calder · 30 August 2025
Read Decking around established treesMelbourne · Victoria
Independent editorial journal
Volume I · Outdoor rooms
Decking MelbourneAn independent journal of timber, weather and outdoor rooms
Structure
Joists, footings, waterproofing, slopes, trees, handrails and the drainage that keeps water off the house.


The tree was there first. How to build a deck that does not girdle roots, drown a trunk, or turn a living elm into a post.
James Calder · 30 August 2025
Read Decking around established trees
Water has to leave the boards, the house and the neighbour's yard. How to detail falls, gaps and stormwater so a Victorian winter does not sit under the door.
Tom Nguyen · 28 July 2025
Read Drainage, falls and stormwater around a Melbourne deck
Once a deck leaves the ground, it is a barrier problem. How the National Construction Code thinks about height, openings, loads and the stair you were going to wing.
Tom Nguyen · 18 June 2025
Read Raised decks and handrails under the NCC in Victoria
The gully block and the skyline block both want a deck, and both want an engineer sooner than a flat backyard does. How height, access and soil change the job.
Tom Nguyen · 21 May 2025
Read Building a deck on a sloping Melbourne block
When the deck is also a roof, timber taste is the least important decision. Membranes, falls, upstands and outlets decide whether the room below stays a room.
Tom Nguyen · 4 February 2025
Read Waterproofing a deck over a living space in inner Melbourne
The part you will not photograph is the part that fails. How to think about soil, spans, ventilation and the timber under a Victorian deck.
Tom Nguyen · 8 January 2025
Read Substructure for Melbourne decks — joists, bearers and footingsCanonical hub URL: https://deckingmelbourne.com.au/topics/building-and-construction