The price of balcony decking in Singapore depends on several different factors. This article aims to elaborate the different consideration factors behind the pricing of balcony decking.
As a company who has been offering balcony decking services for many years, we can list down the following reasons which will affect the price of balcony decking:
- Area of the balcony decking
- Types of decking material
- Presence of “middle” man or contractor
- Height of balcony decking
- Specific pattern request
- Relationship with customers
- GST
Area of the Balcony Decking
The area of the balcony, normally measured in square foot or square meter, is probably the most influential factor in the price of a balcony decking. The larger the balcony area, the higher the price will be.
Referring to the pictures above, a smaller balcony decking on the left will cost lesser than a bigger balcony decking on the right.
Most contractors charge per unit rate (e.g. ranging from $22 psf to $32 psf) for outdoor decking. However, minimum area often applies for unit rate (psf rate). If the actual area of the balcony is too small, it does not make financial sense for the contractor to apply the unit rate. This explains why some other contractors may not participate in giving quotations for “small jobs”. As a company, we will participate by providing a lumpsum quote for small balcony area.
Types of Decking Material
The types of material chosen will also affect the price of balcony decking. In Singapore, the common materials used are Composite wood, Chengal wood and Teak wood.
The most expensive material for balcony decking in Singapore is Burmese Teak wood decking, like the picture above. Burmese Teak wood is famous for its golden brown colour and beautiful grains. The disadvantage of Teak wood decking is that many owners find it too expensive compared to other alternatives for balcony decking, such as Composite wood or Chengal wood.
Chengal wood balcony decking (on the left) and Composite wood balcony decking (on the right) are quite comparable in terms of pricing. Some contractors may charge one as higher than the other, and vice versa, but the difference is quite minimum. Chengal wood and composite wood are the two most popular types of balcony decking in Singapore, due to their good balance of affordability and durability.
Presence of “Middle” Man or Contractor
It is very common to have a contract with the house owner being a third party beneficiary. This means that the balcony decking company contracts with another contractor company to provide the service for the house owner, who is the beneficiary. This means that the house owner pays a higher price to cater to the margin of the middle contractor. For example, a house owner asks a general contractor to give a balcony decking service, and subsequently, the general contractor decides to get a specialist contractor to provide the service. If the specialist contractor sells the service for $1500, the general contractor is very likely to sell the same service at a higher price, such as $1800 or $2000. In this example, the house owner pays excessively by $300 or $500 to cater to the earnings of the general contractor, who is the middle party between the service provider and the house owner.
This is quite a common practice in the industry. It normally happens when a house owner only wants to deal with one single contractor, who then subsequently deals with all other subcontractors. It also frequently happens when the contracted contractor does not have their own workers with the required expertise to install the balcony decking, as such necessitating a sub-contract to a specialist in balcony decking.
Height of Balcony Decking
The different heights of balcony decking can also potentially cause a difference in pricing. Some balconies require the decking to be raised up, particularly in the context of planter boxes.
The two pictures above show the same planter box balcony decking. The left photo shows the depth of the planter box before the decking was installed. The right photo shows the completed balcony decking
This photo shows the normal balcony without planter hole. As evident from the pictures, the planter box balcony with deeper depths requires more material and more labour time to complete the installation of balcony decking. As such, one can expect that a planter box balcony decking costs slightly more than a normal balcony decking in Singapore.
Specific Pattern Request
In certain balcony decking projects, it is part of the requirement that the design of the decking is done in an unconventional way. This tends to consume more materials and labour time, as such driving up the price.
The photo above shows a composite wood decking done in herringbone design and in curved perimeters. Such requirements invite extra charges into the price of balcony decking.
Relationship with Customers
Quite often, out of goodwill, a service provider is willing to offer lesser price if they have a good relationship with the customers. Such situations normally happen with regular customers or customers who are known or understood to be easy and good paymasters. Although these things may sound like it has nothing to do with the costing of a balcony decking, they do make a difference in the time cost of the company. For example, customers who pay late or have to be reminded several times tend to consume more administrative time of the company.
GST
Many of our customers talk about GST as 9% of a typical balcony decking cost is also a significant amount of money. Fortunately, our company does not charge GST and you can save 9%!
Conclusion
We have discussed the typical factors that can affect the price of balcony decking in Singapore. To get an actual and accurate quotation, please reach out to us! We believe in providing competitive rate with quality and experienced workmanship for all balcony decking projects.
