Jetty rebuild specialists in Runaway Bay.
Runaway Bay is among the oldest established canal estates on the Gold Coast — original 1970s–80s subdivision with timber jetties now 40–55 years old. Most original jetty stock here is at or beyond end-of-life: marine borer has hollowed the piles from the inside, decking has been patched multiple times, and the bearer-to-pile-cap interface is rotting through. About 85% of our Runaway Bay work is full rebuild.
The Runaway Bay jetty story.
40–55 year old jetty stock — marine borer attack endemic.
Runaway Bay was subdivided in the early 1970s as one of the Gold Coast’s first dedicated canal-residential estates. The original jetties were built with the spec of the day: untreated or low-pressure-treated hardwood piles, hardwood decking, galvanised steel hardware. Untreated hardwood piles in Gold Coast canal water have a marine-borer-limited service life of 15–25 years — meaning the ORIGINAL Runaway Bay jetty stock should structurally have failed two decades ago. The reason most haven’t fully collapsed is that owners have done partial repairs every 5–10 years to keep them going. By 2026, that patch-and-repair pattern is no longer economical — the pile network is too compromised for further repair, and rebuild on a fresh pile system is the correct call.
Pile-replacement-only rebuild — the budget option.
For Runaway Bay owners who don’t want a full premium rebuild, we offer a pile-replacement-only option: extract the old marine-borer-eaten piles, drive new H6 marine-grade CCA hardwood piles in the same footprint, retain (if salvageable) the existing bearers, stringers and decking. This is the cheapest structural rebuild path — ~$15K–$25K for a typical 4-pile single-span jetty — and buys 25–40 years of additional service life. Most Runaway Bay owners take this path rather than the full demolition rebuild.
Lower property values = repair-conscious budget.
Runaway Bay canal-frontage property values sit at $900K–$1.8m — significantly below Paradise Point ($2.5m–$5m) or Sovereign Islands ($5m+). Owners here are more cost-conscious and the right answer is usually a pragmatic repair-or-replace assessment rather than premium replacement. We’ll honestly assess if a $30K pile-replacement is the right call vs a $60K full rebuild for any given block — the answer depends on the bearer / decking condition, the owner’s 10-year hold horizon, and resale considerations.
Typical Runaway Bay jobs.
- Pile-replacement only (4-6 piles, existing deck retained): $15K–$28K
- Pile + bearer + decking rebuild on existing footprint: $25K–$45K
- Full demolition and new structural rebuild + new pontoon: $40K–$70K
- Salvage assessment + insurance documentation (when storm damage triggers claim): $800–$1,500
- Marine-borer-attack survey (residual life on each pile, recommend repair vs replace): $1,200–$2,000
Other service areas.
Free Runaway Bay on-site jetty quote.
Marine-borer probe on every pile. Pragmatic repair-vs-rebuild call. Pile-replacement-only option if structure is salvageable.