Deck design software for NZ builders: draw it, see it, price it

Draw the deck to scale, spin it round in 3D, change the boards, balustrade and skirting, and watch the price update as you drag — from the same engines that price your quotes. When it’s right, one tap makes the quote, a client drawing or a build set for the crew. Works with a finger on a phone or tablet on site.

See it: a deck in the Design Studio

These are screenshots from the app with demo data, not mock-ups.

Six deck templates, then make it yours

• Deck (6.0 × 4.0 m)
• Raised deck with balustrade (5.0 × 3.6 m)
• Deck with steps (6.0 × 4.0 m)
• Free-standing deck (4.0 × 4.0 m)
• Ground-level deck (5.0 × 3.0 m)
• Raised deck with stairs (5.0 × 4.0 m)
• Deck with a glass balustrade (4.8 × 3.6 m)
• Deck with a wire balustrade (4.2 × 3.0 m)
• Composite deck (5.0 × 3.6 m)
• Entertainer deck (7.2 × 4.2 m)
• Entry landing with steps (2.4 × 1.8 m)
• L-shaped deck (6.0 × 4.8 m)

There are also pergolas, a deck with a pergola over it, and sleepouts with a deck. Or describe it: “8 by 5 ground-level deck with stairs and a glass balustrade” builds the model, asks you to confirm each detail and prices it.

Every part of the deck can change

• Decking: treated pine, kwila, vitex, garapa, composite and more, in the board width that suits, with oil or no finish.
• Balustrade: none, timber or glass; the 3D shows what you pick.
• Skirting and access: close in the sides with pine or kwila slats, textured ply with battens, a weatherboard apron or Colorsteel corrugate, with access hatches (or a door) drawn in 3D and priced, hinges and all. Switch it off and the price returns to exactly what it was.
• Structure: joist centres, height off the ground, fixed to the house or free-standing, piles, bearers and steps.
• Hardware: fixings grade, including stainless for coastal sites, tagged on the plan where each connector goes.

Priced, checked and drawn for the crew

• Live NZ price from the quote engines and NZ merchants’ prices; compare it with the free deck cost calculator.
• NZ advisory checks with the clause named: a deck with a fall of 1 m or more is a barrier job (NZBC F4); pile height above ground and attached-deck bracing are flagged for NZS 3604. They always end with “check with your council or designer”.
• Plans for the layers a deck has: foundation, floor framing, sections and connection details, with fixings tagged and no prices on the sheets.
• Trace the site. Put a LINZ aerial photo at true scale under the drawing, or calibrate a site photo, and draw the deck over it.
• Show the client. Full-screen 3D on your phone at the kitchen table, or the 3D visualiser with sun study on their own house.

Related: Design Studio overview · all templates · deck membrane waterproofing and consent · decking calculator · quoting software.