Quoting app for carpenters in New South Wales
Decks, pergolas, framing and doors. Sumitt builds a sharp carpentry quote in minutes, then texts your client a link to accept, e-sign and pay the deposit.
The NSWdeposit cap, licence line, payment-claim rules, variation rules and rates below are read from Sumitt’s own tables when this page renders, not written for it.
The rules in New South Wales that Sumitt already knows
Every rule below is read, when this page renders, from the tables the quote builder, the variation composer, the extension-of-time notice and the payment-claim generator run on. Sumitt warns and never blocks, and the page moves the day a table does.
Deposit cap in New South Wales
NSW caps residential deposits at 10%.
Sumitt's default deposit is 10% of the total including GST. It warns you when a deposit goes over the line; it does not enforce it.
Home Building Act 1989 (NSW)
Licence line in New South Wales
Sumitt carries a licence line for New South Wales at $5,000: a quote over it with no licence number on file gets a hard warning in the builder. It warns, it does not block.
Security of Payment claims in New South Wales
Sumitt turns an overdue invoice into a payment claim under the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 1999 (NSW). If the contract is silent, the client has 10 business days to give a payment schedule.
The claim carries the endorsement wording the Act requires.
A claim must be served within 12 months of the work it covers (or the longer period your contract allows), from the last day of the month the work was done in, one claim per month.
Homeowner jobs are covered in NSW for contracts signed from 1 March 2021, but only if you held the licence the work required and any home building insurance it needed. If not, the Act gives you no entitlement for that work.
Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 1999 (NSW)
Variations in New South Wales
In New South Wales the variation rules Sumitt shows are cited to Home Building Act 1989 (NSW).
The variation must be in writing and signed by both parties, the same standard the Act sets for the contract itself.
Describe the change and its price effect; attach it to the contract record.
In NSW, work under an unwritten variation is generally unenforceable against the homeowner. You can do the work and lawfully be refused payment for it.
A signature before the varied work starts is a statutory element there, not just good practice.
Sumitt structures the variation and collects the signature, a record you keep, not legal advice. Where your contract sets its own variation process, follow it too.
Home Building Act 1989 (NSW)
Extensions of time in New South Wales
In New South Wales the contract sets the extension-of-time window. Sumitt's notice defaults to 10 calendar days from the day the delay ended, shows the countdown, and asks you to check the contract's own figure.
A template you serve in your own name, not legal advice. Your contract's own extension-of-time clause governs the window and the grounds, so check it and keep a copy of everything.
Sumitt provides software and templates, not legal, financial or tax advice. Check what applies to your contract.
What the work costs in Sydney / NSW metro
Sumitt's Sydney / NSW metro card runs materials at 1.06 and labour at 1.14 against the national card at 1.00. Outside the metro the Regional (freight + travel) card applies: materials 1.08, labour 1.03.
| Job | Cost | Floor | Healthy | Premium | Healthy, Sydney / NSW metro | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merbau deckper m² · benchmark scope: 25 m2 merbau deck | $264 | $311 | $378 | $441 | $413 | Check your rate |
| Treated-pine deckper m² · benchmark scope: 25 m2 treated pine deck | $214 | $251 | $305 | $356 | $333 | Check your rate |
National figures per unit, ex GST, derived from Sumitt’s 2026 rate cards priced over the benchmark scope shown under each job; the last column prices the same scope on the Sydney / NSW metro card. Cost is the benchmark cost of doing the work before any margin, and Floor, Healthy and Premium are the sell rates that land those margins. Not a survey of what anyone else charges, and nothing here reflects what any Sumitt user charges. How to read it, and the method, are on the index.
Built for carpenters
Every figure here is read from the Carpentry rate card, takeoff engine and hazard library inside Sumitt when this page renders, so it cannot say more than the product does.
The rate card
18 lines in 5 groups, 5 with a grade or billing basis to pick. Size field: Deck / build area (m²). Every rate editable.
- Decking & outdoor
- Framing & interior
- Doors & trim
- Site
- Labour
The takeoff engine
Say it like this and the engine prices it off your card, deterministically.
- “20 m2 merbau deck, 5 steps, 12 lm balustrade, remove old deck”
- “hang 3 internal doors and 25m of skirting”
- “30 m2 merbau deck”
The safety pack
A SWMS drafted from the job you priced, with the carpentry hazard set:
- Cutting & machining
- Nail guns & fixing
- Deck & frame work at height
3 site questions to confirm before sign-off.
You review it against the site, edit it and sign. Sumitt prepares the paperwork; it does not make your business compliant.
The full breakdown, with the graded options, the line-triggered hazards and the PPE, is on the carpenters page.
Straight answers
What deposit can carpenters take in New South Wales?
NSW caps residential deposits at 10%. Under the Home Building Act 1989 (NSW). Sumitt's default deposit is 10%. Sumitt warns you when a quote goes over it, it does not enforce it. Not legal advice.
Is there a licence threshold for carpenters in New South Wales?
Yes. Sumitt carries a licence line for New South Wales at $5,000: a quote over it with no licence number on file gets a hard warning in the builder. It warns, it does not block. Not legal advice.
Can carpenters make a Security of Payment claim in New South Wales?
Yes. Sumitt turns an overdue invoice into a payment claim under the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 1999 (NSW). If the contract is silent, the client has 10 business days to give a payment schedule. Homeowner jobs are covered in NSW for contracts signed from 1 March 2021, but only if you held the licence the work required and any home building insurance it needed. If not, the Act gives you no entitlement for that work. Not legal advice.
Do variations need to be in writing in New South Wales?
In New South Wales the variation rules Sumitt shows are cited to Home Building Act 1989 (NSW). The variation must be in writing and signed by both parties, the same standard the Act sets for the contract itself. In NSW, work under an unwritten variation is generally unenforceable against the homeowner. You can do the work and lawfully be refused payment for it. Sumitt prices the variation and collects the client's e-signature, and flags a running job with an unapproved variation. Not legal advice.
Sumitt provides software and templates, not legal, financial or tax advice.
Built for AU carpenters. Decks, pergolas, framing and second fix, priced properly.