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What do you get in a decking frame kit?
A kit is a frame cut and packed for a deck plan. For aluminium that means joists and bearers in the lengths the plan needs, brackets, and fixings. ClickDeck says it supplies made-to-measure kits or lengths you cut on site, and Dahlsens, a ClickDeck stockist, says the frame can be as low as 28 mm and as high as 500 mm.
Check three things before you order a kit:
- Spans and supports. Ask which profile each member is, how far apart the supports sit and what load the maker’s table assumes.
- What’s included. Pedestals, end caps, clips and fascia fixings may be separate lines.
- Board compatibility. The kit has to take the board you’ve chosen at that board’s joist centres. Futurewood’s tables, for example, apply only with Futurewood’s own boards and parts.
How much does a frame kit cost?
We found no published kit price. ClickDeck’s FrameKit page showed an end-of-financial-year sale of $250 off without listing the price, and its price list sits behind a form. Request a quote with your deck dimensions, then put each line into the cost calculator, which shows a partial total until every required price is filled in.
Is a kit better than cutting your own?
It saves measuring and waste. A kit is only as good as the plan behind it, and the span tables bind the design. Cutting your own aluminium needs a special aluminium cutting blade, according to Futurewood, and its joists can be fixed straight to concrete for a deck as low as 48 mm. For a timber frame you build from scratch, see how to build a deck.
Read the frame overview for how the systems compare.
Questions
Can I get a do-it-yourself deck kit?
ClickDeck sells made-to-measure kits or lengths you cut on site, and says it works with an installer network for people who would rather not. Check the kit's span tables against your design.
What is in a decking frame kit?
Joists or bearers, brackets and fixings sized to a deck plan. Some also include pedestals; others don't. Ask for a parts list and compare it with what your board maker requires.
Are there freestanding deck kits?
Kits are sized to a plan, so a freestanding deck is a matter of how the frame is supported and braced. The maker's guide and the NCC set the rules; ask the supplier what the kit assumes.
Sources
- ClickDeck - aluminium decking subframe (home page)
- ClickDeck modular subfloor flyer
- ClickDeck
- Dahlsens Metal subfloor systems
- Clickdeck FrameKits (pre-set sizes)
- Futurewood Aluminium Subframe
- Futurewood CleverDeck Aluminium Deck Frame System Installation Guidelines, Appendix 1 Span Tables (V1, June 2024)
- CleverDeck Xtreme Fixing Guidelines