The existing deck is rotting. The previous owners, in their infinite wisdom, pinned corrugated tin to the underside of the joists ensuring that they stay damp and cannot breathe properly. The decking wood is not good, and is warping and splintering badly. (We've already had two doctor's visits to remove splinters that tweezers couldn't get to.)
Because I am not remotely interested in anything that might possibly require maintenance, I spent time talking to each of the vendors of composite decking.
The first one was UltraShield by NuDeck. Price is up to $120/m2, comes in four colours only, but each one has a subtle faux woodgrain on one side and ridges on the other. It has the highest proportion of recycled materials in the core, and the coating goes all the way around.
The next was Trex. They offer 14 colours, but have an in-your-face faux grain, and no alternative side. cost is about the same as for NuDeck, as is the profile (at least it is for the eight-colour standard range). They have a comprehensive range of accessories as well (railings, fascias, support structures, outdoor furniture etc). On the downside, the boards are only coated on the top side ('to deal with expansion/contraction', they say; I say, 'cos they're cheap), and the woodgrain is really awful.
The third one was NexGen. The groove is machined in later, rather than being part of the forming process, so introduces weaknesses and exposes the core material to the elements. The fasteners are fiddlier, and make removing a board to replace it much trickier, but they are metal rather than plastic. Oh, and they cost 35% more, at $165/m2.
Of the three, my preference is very much for the NuDeck one. But it isn't cheap (none of them are). But the deck does need to be replaced.
While we're at it, we might rejigger the back steps. The present concrete steps a wide and sweep outwards, and the top step is about 2'/60cm deep. Which is big enough to hold a door mat, but not big enough to stand on while you open the screen door so you can get to the back door proper. The access to the deck is awkward as well.
One possibility would be to extend the deck to the full width of the back section of the house, and move the steps back a bit. They can't be moved too far, otherwise you lose access to the space where the washing line is, but there's a good metre to play with, particularly if we increase the gradient slightly.
It won't be cheap, but I think it's something we need to add to the budget/scope of works.
Because I am not remotely interested in anything that might possibly require maintenance, I spent time talking to each of the vendors of composite decking.
The first one was UltraShield by NuDeck. Price is up to $120/m2, comes in four colours only, but each one has a subtle faux woodgrain on one side and ridges on the other. It has the highest proportion of recycled materials in the core, and the coating goes all the way around.
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| Channel side, Ipe colour. |
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| Side by side of NuDeck and Trex. Even this doesn't show the true ghastliness of the Trex grain. |
The third one was NexGen. The groove is machined in later, rather than being part of the forming process, so introduces weaknesses and exposes the core material to the elements. The fasteners are fiddlier, and make removing a board to replace it much trickier, but they are metal rather than plastic. Oh, and they cost 35% more, at $165/m2.
Of the three, my preference is very much for the NuDeck one. But it isn't cheap (none of them are). But the deck does need to be replaced.
While we're at it, we might rejigger the back steps. The present concrete steps a wide and sweep outwards, and the top step is about 2'/60cm deep. Which is big enough to hold a door mat, but not big enough to stand on while you open the screen door so you can get to the back door proper. The access to the deck is awkward as well.
 |
One possibility would be to extend the deck to the full width of the back section of the house, and move the steps back a bit. They can't be moved too far, otherwise you lose access to the space where the washing line is, but there's a good metre to play with, particularly if we increase the gradient slightly.
It won't be cheap, but I think it's something we need to add to the budget/scope of works.
1 comment:
From JD:
A privacy screen on the east wall of the back deck so he doesn't need to look out over the next door neighbours parking area, and the neighbour out smoking. Might stop the dog going nuts too!
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