Terms of use

In short

• The design tool is free. Everything it produces is a concept plan, not a construction drawing.
• The deck pack (materials list, cut list, framing plan and downloads) is free. To get it, you give us your details, verify your mobile and agree that we share your request with up to 3 local builders or suppliers so they can quote.
• Prices, renders and colours are indicative. Check them before you buy.
• We don't sell decking or build decks. If you buy from a builder or supplier, your contract is with them.
• Builders and suppliers pay us for leads. A trade rate is "where available". It isn't guaranteed.
• Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law always apply.

1. About these terms

These terms apply when you use www.compositedecks.com.au and its tools (the "site"). The site is run by Composite Decks Pty Ltd ("Composite Decks", "we", "us", "our"). We are an online business: there is no shop or office to visit.

By using the site, you agree to these terms. Some parts of the site have extra terms:

• our privacy policy;
• our review policy, if you post a review or comment;
• the photo licence, if you license photos to us; and
• our merchant terms, if your business uses the merchant portal.

If you don't agree to these terms, please don't use the site.

2. Who can use the site

Anyone can read the site and use the design tool.

To unlock a deck pack, buy renders, post reviews or comments, or license photos to us, you must be 18 or over and give us accurate details.

3. Concept plans only. Not for construction.

Everything the design tool produces is a concept plan. That includes the 2D and 3D views, framing plans, materials lists, cut lists, checks, warnings, prices, and every file you download from your deck pack.

A concept plan helps you picture a deck and estimate what it might cost. It is not:

• a construction drawing or an engineering design;
• certified as meeting the National Construction Code, any Australian Standard, council rules or a manufacturer's installation guide; or
• advice that a design is safe, compliant or suitable for your site.

What has been checked, and what hasn't. A structural engineer has checked the span tables the tool uses to size joists and bearers. Nobody has checked your plan as a whole. Footing sizes and stair and balustrade figures are still placeholders. Every plan is marked concept plan, not for construction.

"Engineer or certifier required." When the tool shows this, the design is outside what the tool can check. Examples include some raised decks, steep ground and tall posts. The tool doesn't design pool barriers.

Before you build:

• have your design checked by a qualified person, such as a registered builder, building surveyor or certifier, or structural engineer;
• check whether you need a building permit or council approval;
• follow the manufacturer's installation guide for your boards and framing. The wrong joist spacing or fixings can void a product warranty; and
• get bushfire (BAL), wind, termite and site conditions assessed where they apply.

We aren't your builder, engineer, certifier or adviser. You're responsible for how you use a concept plan.

Builders and tradespeople can use the tool for clients' projects. You must use your own professional judgement, and you must not present a concept plan as certified or engineered documentation.

4. Prices are estimates

Prices on the site are indicative.

• Each price comes from a seller's website, price list, quote, phone check or feed, on the date shown next to it.
• Some prices are sample data while we check them. They are marked as samples.
• Prices change, and we can make mistakes.
• Unless we say otherwise, prices include GST and don't include delivery, installation, waste or extras.
• A builder's or supplier's quote may be different from the prices we show.
• We don't compare every seller in Australia.

Always get a written quote before you buy.

5. Product information

Product facts on the site, such as warranties, joist spacing, bushfire (BAL) and slip ratings, come from manufacturers' documents and other sources. Each fact shows its source and the date we last checked it.

Manufacturers change their products, guides and warranties. Before you buy or build, check the current installation guide and warranty with the manufacturer.

If you find an error, tell us through the contact page, by email or by phone (section 19).

6. Renders and colours are indicative

• The 3D view shows your design in a colour close to the product. It isn't a photo of the actual product.
• AI renders are AI-generated images based on your design, and for a "deck on my house" picture, on the photo you upload. Each is labelled as AI-generated. They may differ from your plan and from a finished deck in colour, texture, proportions, surroundings and detail.
• Screens show colour differently. Real boards vary between batches and change as they weather.

Look at a physical sample before you choose a colour. Don't rely on a render for measurements, compliance or buying decisions.

7. Buying renders

• Price. We show the price in Australian dollars, including GST, before you pay. There are no extra fees at checkout.
• Payment. Stripe processes your payment. We don't see or store your card number.
• Delivery. After you pay, we show you a private link to your order. Your renders appear there when they're ready. We may also email you the link. Anyone with the link can see your order, so keep it private.
• Your house photo. Only upload a photo of a home you own or have permission to use, and avoid photos that show people's faces or other people's private details.
• If something goes wrong. If a render doesn't generate, isn't delivered, or isn't what we described, contact us (section 19). We'll fix it, redo it or refund you, in line with your rights under the Australian Consumer Law.
• Change of mind. We don't give refunds if you simply change your mind, because each render is made to order from your design. This doesn't affect your rights under the Australian Consumer Law.

8. The free deck pack, builders and suppliers

• What it is. The deck pack is your materials list, cut list, concept framing plan and downloads. There's no charge. Everything in it is a concept plan (section 3).
• How you get it. You give us your name, email, mobile, suburb and postcode, answer three short questions, and verify your mobile with a code we text you.
• Sharing is part of the pack. You tick a box that lets us send your name, mobile, email, suburb, design, materials list and answers to up to 3 local builders or suppliers who serve your area, so they can quote. The box never starts ticked. Without it there is no pack, but you keep the free drawing, 3D view, colours, area and price band. If no builder or supplier serving your area has joined us yet, nothing is sent until one does.
• Changing your mind. You can stop the sharing at any time from your deck pack page, or by contacting us (section 19). Because sharing is part of the pack, your pack locks when you do. Our privacy policy explains what happens to your details.
• Builders and suppliers are independent businesses. They aren't our agents or employees. Any quote, contract or work is between you and them, and they are responsible for what they sell and do, including the consumer guarantees that come with their goods and services.
• What we check. Every builder or supplier that receives a request must have an active ABN, which we check. We don't check licences, insurance, workmanship, products or prices. Before you hire a builder, check their licence with your state's building regulator.
• Builders and suppliers pay us. They pay us for each request we send them, and some may pay us a referral fee if you buy from them. Being a paying business never changes a comparison, a price we show or the order boards are listed in.
• Trade rate, where available. Some suppliers may offer trade pricing to customers we introduce. Whether you get a trade rate, and how much it is, is up to the supplier. We don't guarantee you'll get a trade rate, a quote, a particular price, stock or a delivery date.
• We don't sell decking. Composite Decks doesn't sell decking or building materials, and doesn't install decks.
• Get it in writing. Before you buy, get the price in writing and check what's included.
• Problems with a builder or supplier. Tell us (section 19). We'll look into it and may stop sending requests to a business that breaks our terms. This doesn't affect your rights against that business.

9. Your designs

Your designs belong to you. You give us permission to store and process them to run the site. That means working out plans, materials and prices, making renders you order, and sending your design to builders or suppliers as part of your deck pack.

• Designs you work on stay in your browser until you unlock a deck pack or order renders. We then save a copy of the design on our servers.
• We may use designs, with your contact details removed, to improve the design tool and our pricing.

10. Reviews, comments and photos you post

When you post a review, comment or photo on the site:

• you keep ownership of it;
• you give us a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to publish it on the site with your display name, including in search results and page summaries, for as long as it stays on the site;
• you agree it follows our review policy;
• you confirm it's your genuine experience and doesn't infringe anyone's rights; and
• you agree we may hide personal details or offensive words in it. We mark anything we hide.

We moderate reviews and comments under our review policy. We don't reject or remove reviews because they're negative. You can ask us to delete your own review or comment at any time.

Photos you license to us through our contributor page are covered by the photo licence, not this section.

11. Acceptable use

You must not:

• break the law, or use the site to harm, harass or deceive anyone;
• unlock a deck pack or send a request that isn't genuine, or use someone else's details without their permission;
• give a mobile number that isn't yours, or enter a code sent to someone else;
• post a fake review, or a review about a business you work for, are paid by or compete with, without saying so;
• copy large parts of the site, or use bots, scrapers or other automated tools to collect prices, reviews or other content. Search engines that follow our robots.txt file are allowed;
• try to get around our security, or access other people's designs, orders or requests;
• test our systems for security weaknesses without our written permission. To report a security problem, email info@compositedecks.com.au;
• overload or interfere with the site, or upload malware;
• present a concept plan or render as certified, engineered or approved documentation;
• pretend to be someone else, or claim a connection with us that you don't have; or
• use the site to send spam.

12. Our content and other people's content

Our content. We own or license the content on the site, including text, price and product data, design tool outputs, graphics and our logo. You may view, print and share pages for your own use, and link to them. You may not copy large parts of the site, republish our price or product data, or use our content to build a competing service, without our written permission.

Brand and product names belong to their owners. We use them to identify products. Their use doesn't mean a brand endorses us or that we endorse it.

Photos are credited to their owners. Instagram posts are shown using Instagram's own embed and remain the poster's content.

Report an image. If an image on the site is yours and you didn't give permission, use the "Report this image" link next to it. We aim to act on reports within 24 hours. If you tell us you own the image and didn't give permission, we'll take it down while we look into it.

Other websites. We link to manufacturers, sellers and other sites. We're not responsible for their content or practices.

13. Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law

Nothing in these terms excludes, restricts or changes any right or remedy you have under the Australian Consumer Law, or under any other law that can't be excluded.

Our services come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. For major failures with the service, you are entitled to cancel your service contract with us, and to a refund for the unused portion, or to compensation for its reduced value. You are also entitled to be compensated for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. If the failure does not amount to a major failure, you are entitled to have problems with the service rectified in a reasonable time and, if this is not done, to cancel your contract and obtain a refund for the unused portion of the contract.

14. Our liability

Section 13 always applies. Subject to it:

• Free tools. We provide the design tool, prices and product information free of charge. We take care to keep them accurate, but we don't promise that outputs, prices, product facts or availability are complete, current or free of errors.
• Builders, suppliers and other sellers. We're not responsible for what builders, suppliers, brands or other sellers do or don't do, including their quotes, prices, products, advice, delivery or work.
• Relying on concept plans. To the extent the law allows, we're not liable for loss that results from building from, buying from or relying on a concept plan, price or render without the checks described in section 3.
• Business users. If you use the site for a business, and the service isn't of a kind ordinarily acquired for personal, domestic or household use, our liability for failing to meet a consumer guarantee is limited to supplying the service again, or paying the cost of having it supplied again.
• Indirect loss. To the extent the law allows, we're not liable for indirect or consequential loss, such as lost profits or lost opportunities.

We don't limit or exclude liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or for our fraud.

15. Suspending or ending access

We may suspend or end your access to parts of the site if you seriously or repeatedly break these terms, or if we need to protect the site, its users or the businesses that use it.

We'll tell you why, unless the law or a security risk stops us. If you've paid for renders you haven't received, we'll deliver them or refund you.

16. Changes to the site and these terms

We may change the site, add or remove features, or stop offering the free tools. We'll give notice on the site where we reasonably can.

We may update these terms. We'll post the new version here with a new "last updated" date.

• Changes don't apply to renders you've already bought, or to a deck pack request you've already sent.
• If you keep using the site after a change, the new terms apply to that use.
• If a change is significant and you have an open request or order, we'll tell you by email or SMS.

17. Complaints

Tell us about any problem by email or phone (section 19). We'll reply within 5 working days and aim to resolve it within 30 days.

If you're not satisfied, you can contact the consumer protection agency in your state or territory, such as NSW Fair Trading or Consumer Affairs Victoria.

For privacy complaints, see our privacy policy.

18. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of Victoria, Australia. You and we can bring proceedings in the courts of Victoria or in any other Australian court that has jurisdiction. This doesn't take away any right you have to bring a claim where you live.

19. Contact

• Business: Composite Decks Pty Ltd, an online business with no shop or office to visit
• Email: info@compositedecks.com.au
• Phone: 0468 689 791