Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Sep 07, 2014 12:45 am Currently I am trying to decide whether to go with timber decking for the afresco and the porch or just cement with tiles. A bit of background - my afresco is 5.9m x 3.7m.and my porch is 1.5m x 2.8m. I am quite torn by it - the cost for timber decking seems cheaper, but over time the timber could rot if you don't keep up the the maintenance by applying varnish which could be costly. Also timber decking would attract termite to your house. I research a bit and it seems there are several methods to go with timber decking (or at least the look of it) - 1. Timber decking on concrete steel footings over ground - the downside is the underside of the decking you cannot apply varnish to it and overtime as moisture builds up and it will just start rotting the timber and attract termite. Plus the ground may pool the water or moisture (or if you apply a sheet waterproof membrane it will pool under it. Most of the carpenters I talked to says the timber decking has a lifespan of just 10 years. 2. Timber decking on 100mm concrete slab. This one more costly but I am thinking it could be DIY - once the slab is finished, I thought I might be able to DIY the decking - plus the water will drain instead of pool if the slab is angled slightly. It is also a more leveled ground to work with. The downside is as mentioned before this is far more costly especially if I don't DIY. 3. Timber decking tile over 100mm concrete slab. This one seems to be the easiest for DIY - once the 100mm slab is finished, I can just lay the timbe decking tile over it. The downside of this is this is downright UGLY. It makes the afresco looks like a giant jigsaw puzzle as each tile is only 300mm x 300mm. Now, the other option is a thicker concrete slab (not sure about the cost - as we want to level afresco floor flush against the sliding door) with just ceramic floor tile. The downside to this is it is costly - thicker concrete slab is $$$, and tiling an area of 5.6m x 3.7m is costly too. I had a look around and it seems the neighbourhood where I am constructing most people are going with this option - and I am guessing most people their afresco maintenance free. So the upside to this one is that you don't need to spend any money to varnsh your floor if you go with cement slab and ceramic tiling, and you don't need to fear water damage or timber rotting, nor termite attack. What do you guys think? "Occam's Razor. The simplest explanation is almost always somebody screwed up." Re: HELP! Deciding whether to go with timber decking or tile 3Sep 07, 2014 3:06 pm Hi Dr House. I had timber decking in my last house. It looked gorgeous but to keep it that way was a pain in the you know what! I wanted to tile through to our alfresco area in our current build but the cost was too high. I have just recently decided to go with exposed aggregate through Holcim. Beautiful choice of colours and the finish is stunning. http://www.holcim.com.au/ Just a thought! Re: HELP! Deciding whether to go with timber decking or tile 4Sep 07, 2014 6:21 pm you can get timber looking tiles which are much larger than 300x300 - they come in all different sizes up around a metre long (or possibly longer). DIY decking concerns me, most of the DIY decks I have seen on this forum appear to have joists placed on the soil/sand. I am pretty sure this doesn't meet building code requirements, and probably wouldnt last very long Small footprint in Eliza Ponds, Spearwood WA Re: HELP! Deciding whether to go with timber decking or tile 5Sep 08, 2014 11:04 pm I just had a CRAZY IDEA. Is it possible to just lay my Afresco area with Vinyl Plank? "Occam's Razor. The simplest explanation is almost always somebody screwed up." Re: HELP! Deciding whether to go with timber decking or tile 6Sep 09, 2014 6:55 pm hi i would not go with vinyl planks as i would be looking at moisture. i tiled my alfresco but the tiles were terrible and have since decked over it. my son and i have built the deck ourselves)i was his apprentice). we used a product called a mini builders foot from bunnings. it is height adjustable and allows for moisture etc to escape as it lifts the timber planks off the ground. Re: HELP! Deciding whether to go with timber decking or tile 7Sep 10, 2014 9:28 pm I,ve had tiles both inside and outside,and while I loved them,their certainly not maintenance free,grout is lots of work to keep clean,and any movement will result in possible or likely damage,and you have to clean them far more often than wood,their not as warm looking as wood either Re: HELP! Deciding whether to go with timber decking or tile 8Sep 11, 2014 1:35 pm We've had timber decks before and while nicer underfoot in both summer and winter there is more work to keeping them looking good than a tiled verandah/alfresco/patio etc. I think the trick to them is choosing a semi-gloss tile with a small raised pattern so that they are relatively non-slip but easy to clean and choosing a grout that won't always look dirty. Probably easier said than done. Most people I know that have gone down the timber deck route say never again due to the ongoing maintenance. Stewie Re: HELP! Deciding whether to go with timber decking or tile 9Sep 11, 2014 2:42 pm 1rocky hi i would not go with vinyl planks as i would be looking at moisture. i tiled my alfresco but the tiles were terrible and have since decked over it. my son and i have built the deck ourselves)i was his apprentice). we used a product called a mini builders foot from bunnings. it is height adjustable and allows for moisture etc to escape as it lifts the timber planks off the ground. Hey Rocky thanks for the reply! Can I ask what is this mini builders foot? I searched Bunnings but for the life of me I couldn't find it. Do you have the direct link to the product? Is it hard to assemble your deck this way? How tall is the whole construction? Right now I am guessing I have maybe 300mm to the soil, and if I go with the concrete slab route (100mm) that will mean only 200mm left for the decking construction, which seems way too little since I will need bearers and joists, AND THEN decking which will exceed that 200mm height. Joker I,ve had tiles both inside and outside,and while I loved them,their certainly not maintenance free,grout is lots of work to keep clean,and any movement will result in possible or likely damage,and you have to clean them far more often than wood,their not as warm looking as wood either Thos are excellent points. I know what you mean, the grouts will very likely to crack before the tiles, and tile are certainly not looking as nice or as warm and inviting as the timber. I am not sure about the cleaning part as the house I am renting right now has tiles and so far its pretty easy to clean, just vacuum or mop if it is dirty. The timber decking will require several coat of paint, varnish and seal and these are not cheap, I think $40 bucks per litre from Bunnings (I saw one that's $80 for 4 litres), and I have no idea how many litres will be required to paint over a 5.9m x 3.7m Afresco. Maybe a litre? Also it is recommended to apply these every 6 months. "Occam's Razor. The simplest explanation is almost always somebody screwed up." Re: HELP! Deciding whether to go with timber decking or tile 10Sep 11, 2014 2:51 pm Another question - in Queensland is it require to get planning approval to build a deck that's 5.7m x 3.7m? EDIT: http://www.tradebuildersbrisbane.com.au ... isbane.php "Some decks in Brisbane need planning approval while most others will not. Decks that are classified as ‘self assessable’ and do not require planning permission include those that are in council’s preferred locations which are: • Low density residential zones • Low-medium residential zones • Medium density residential zones • High residential zones Decking designs that don’t need building approval • Decks that are no more than one metre above the ground • No more than 10 square metres in size • No more than 2.4 metres high with an average mean height of no more than 2.1 metres • Not exceed 5 metres in length on any side • Is complaint with safety as outline in the Queensland Development Code. If your decking design does not meet these five requirements you will need to have the plans assessed by a building certifier. Find-a-builder can arrange this on your behalf or comply to government requirements to create a deck that is self assessable (does not require building or planning approval.) If you are looking to attach the deck to the rest of the home or cover it with a permanent roof there is more chance the plans will need to be approved by council." I don't believe it. Even building a low level deck requires council approval. "Occam's Razor. The simplest explanation is almost always somebody screwed up." Re: HELP! Deciding whether to go with timber decking or tile 11Sep 11, 2014 10:20 pm Once you go over 1m high it then comes under the rules for the BCA as it is a falls risk - meaning handrail heights, baluster spacing, stairs etc all come into play. In our council area we are allowed up to 24 sq m but as you've found out it varies council to council and state by state. Stewie hi guys. Please be nice. First time home builder in Qld. I would like some feedback please on whether I should build my granny flat first before my main house at the… 0 4587 Hi, as per the subject. Does anyone have any recommendations for the best value decking oil (Bunning is close to where I live) for a treated pine deck? Thanks 0 10972 Engineering timber is certainly a less fuss option, times cheaper to supply and install and better withstands humidity. 1 15909 |