Timber Cabin
$1,850 / m²
Single-room cabins and granny flats from 30 to 55 m². Treated pine or cypress frame, corrugated steel roof, exposed timber inside. Suitable for a basic detached dwelling or a studio.
Pricing · Far North Queensland · 2025 rates
Timber Home and Sauna Pricing
Timberapex publishes real rates for timber frame homes and cedar saunas so you can work out whether we fit your budget before anyone drives out to your block.
Read this first
What sits inside a square metre price
A per square metre figure is the quickest way to compare builders, and also the easiest way to get burned, because the number means nothing until you know what the builder put in it and what they quietly left out.
Our rates cover the timber frame, structural hardwood, sheathing, roofing battens, tie-downs, bracing, engineering certification, workshop cutting, freight to site within 100 km of Cairns, and installation by our own crew. They do not cover site levelling, slab or pier foundations, electrical, plumbing, council fees or internal fit-out beyond the frame and cladding. Those are quoted separately because they swing hard depending on your block.
If a quote you have in hand comes in well under ours, ask what species they specified, what moisture content the timber is delivered at, and who is doing the engineering. Those three answers usually explain the gap. You can also read our write-up on choosing timber species for a hot and humid climate before you compare anything.
Homes
Custom Timber Frame Homes
Four packages, priced per square metre of enclosed floor area. Full design and build, cyclone-rated frames, fixed scope before work starts.
Family Home Standard
$2,150 / m²
Three to four bedroom homes, 120 to 220 m². Spotted gum structural frame, hardwood decking, western red cedar accents on the entry and veranda. Our most common build.
Family Home Premium
$2,400 / m²
Larger footprint with vaulted ceilings, exposed trusses and full cedar cladding on the weather side. Includes upgraded fixings rated for coastal salt exposure.
Architectural Bespoke
$2,650 / m² and up
Complex rooflines, cantilevers, mixed species and long spans. Priced after engineering review. We will tell you if a detail you want is going to cost more than it is worth.
Where the price moves
- Slope and access: a block that needs a crane or a long driveway adds $14,000 to $38,000
- Cyclone region uplift: about 8 percent to the frame value in the highest wind categories
- Species upgrade from treated pine to spotted gum: roughly $52 per m² of floor area
- Wet season scheduling: builds scheduled December to March carry a 5 percent weather contingency
Typical build timeline
Design and engineering runs four to six weeks. Workshop cutting runs three to five weeks. On-site install for a 150 m² home runs seven to nine weeks, weather permitting.
Full home details
Saunas & bathhouses
Cedar Sauna and Bathhouse Construction
Western red cedar throughout, built for steam and constant moisture. Prices below are the finished structure, including heaters, benching and ventilation.
Four-Person Barrel Sauna
$18,400
1.8 m cedar barrel, 6 kW heater, glass door, timber bench seats and a covered external entry. Delivered and installed within 100 km of Cairns. Ready in about four weeks.
Six-Person Cedar Cabin Sauna
$27,900
Square footprint, full-height cedar lining, upper and lower benches, 8 kW heater with WiFi control, and insulated walls rated for outdoor use in the wet season.
Sauna and Plunge Bathhouse
$46,000
Sauna room, change area, cold plunge with chiller and filtration, and a covered walkway between them. Includes plumbing rough-in and drainage under the slab.
Full Outdoor Bathhouse
$68,500
Screening, decking, integrated cypress shower, plunge, cedar sauna and an outdoor changing shelter. This is the build most of our repeat clients end up with.
Cedar lining and plunge pool, Port Douglas
Outdoor builds need a different approach to drainage and ventilation than indoor ones. We covered the main differences in what changes when you build a sauna outdoors.
Add-ons
Extras, priced honestly
Nothing here is compulsory. We list it so you can decide what matters and what does not, rather than finding out halfway through the build.
Hardwood decking
$310 / m²
Spotted gum or blackbutt deck boards, stainless fixings, oiled on completion. Includes concealed fixing for the first four metres.
Exposed truss ceiling
$8,900
Hand-finished exposed trusses with a vaulted ceiling for a typical 150 m² home. Includes the extra engineering sign-off.
Cedar cladding upgrade
$195 / m²
Western red cedar weatherboards on the exposed faces. Grade A tongue and groove, pre-oiled before installation.
Timber window frames
$1,240 each
Double-glazed hardwood frames with cedar surrounds. Cyclone-rated options available at $1,680 per unit.
Undercover carport
$14,600
Two-bay timber carport tied into the main frame. Includes roof, bracing and stormwater connection to the house system.
Freight beyond 100 km
$4.20 / km
Per kilometre, one way, for sites further out. Cairns to Cooktown works out around $1,340 in each direction.
Bundle a home and a sauna
Building both at the same time saves real money on mobilisation, freight and engineering. Roughly 7 percent off the sauna and 4 percent off the home frame when the two are contracted together and installed in one program.
- One engineering package instead of two
- Single delivery to site
- Shared drainage and services trenching
Payment
How the money actually works
A 10 percent deposit secures your slot in the workshop and freezes the quoted rate for 90 days. Progress claims follow at foundation, frame delivery, roof stage and practical completion. The final 5 percent is held until the two-year settle check, so we have a reason to come back.
Payments are made by bank transfer against a tax invoice. Rates shown on this page include GST and are valid for 2025. Anything quoted before that date was priced on the rates in force at the time, and we do not retro-fit new prices onto existing contracts.
Refund and cancellation terms sit in our refund policy, and the contract conditions are summarised in our terms and conditions.
Straight answers
Pricing questions we get weekly
The ones below come up on almost every first call. If yours is not here, ring the workshop and ask.
Why are you more expensive than the bloke down the road?
Usually because of the species, the moisture content and the engineering. Our frames are test-fitted in the workshop before delivery, which costs us time and saves you rework on site. Ask the cheaper builder what happens if a frame section does not close square on your block.
Is the per square metre price the final price?
It becomes final once your site is assessed and the scope is fixed. The per square metre figure is a starting rate for comparison. Your actual quote is a line-by-line document that names species, grade and finish, and variations only happen if you request them.
Do you build outside Far North Queensland?
We install within about 400 km of Cairns, which covers Innisfail, Atherton, Port Douglas and Mission Beach. Beyond that we can still cut and ship the frame, but you would need a local crew for installation, and we would want to talk to them first.
Can the sauna price come down if I skip the heater?
Yes. A four-person barrel without the heater drops to $16,200. But be honest with yourself about whether you will get around to fitting one later. Most people do not, and an unused sauna is an expensive shed.
What if timber prices jump before my build starts?
Once you pay the deposit, your quoted rate is locked for 90 days. If you want a longer lock, we can hold the rate for six months for a 2 percent holding fee, which comes off the final invoice.
From the journal
Read before you commit
Two pieces we point people to most often when they are working out a budget.
All articles
Materials
Choosing Timber Species for a Hot and Humid Climate
Species choice is the single biggest lever on your final square metre rate. Here is what actually holds up in ten wet months a year, and what we stopped specifying.
Saunas
What Changes When You Build a Sauna Outdoors
Drainage, ventilation and foundations, and why an outdoor build costs more than the same sauna indoors. Worth the fifteen minutes before you sign anything.
Next step
Send us your plans and we will price them properly
Email your drawings, or just tell us the block, the size and whether you want a sauna. You get a line-by-line quote with species, grade and finish named, usually inside four working days.