Browse Forums Outdoor Living 1 Jun 06, 2008 11:25 am Hi all, I'm very new to the forum but hoping for some feedback assistance here.
Hubby and I are looking to undertake a big reno of our outdoor space and add a deck/pergola and replace our existing timber balcony. We've had one quote come in at around $25k so I'm glad I was sitting down...who knew it could be so expensive!! The total area is around 53sqm. We're also looking at sustainable/renewable eco options as this is an important choice to us and we definitely don't want merbau. My question is could anyone recommend alternatives that are good for this type of outdoor use? Is ecowood pine an option for the whole lot or just the posts? I know there is also Futurewood which we'll have to go and look at but hubby is concerned about a plastic appearance. From the research I have done on this it's so hard to get the real truth even about Australian timber as a lot of the "sustainable" talk is hard to distinguish whether old growth forests have been cleared to make way for plantation timber. Aaaargh why is it so hard and so much more expensive to try and do the right thing!! Anyway hoping for some feedback/opinions please and in the meantime I better organise another quote! Re: Deck/Pergola/Balcony extravaganza! 2Jun 06, 2008 11:32 am Welcome to the forum maman!
We used treated pine for the our whole deck and stained it. Partly for cost and partly cause we didnt want to use merbau etc, due to the environmental *******!! some pics for you here: http://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=6393 Built Porter Davis "Dromana" 2007. Re: Deck/Pergola/Balcony extravaganza! 3Jun 06, 2008 11:36 am Thankyou Vanderlay!
Wow that is a gorgeous deck, thanks for sharing. Seeing how lovely your deck looks in Pine makes me feel ecopine now may be a very serious contender! Anyone else have any thoughts about EcoPine for this job? It also seems a lot cheaper than Merbau etc. which can only be good news for us lol! Re: Deck/Pergola/Balcony extravaganza! 4Jun 06, 2008 7:30 pm Look at Monarch decking by Woodhouse. Its composite decking that really looks like timber Re: Deck/Pergola/Balcony extravaganza! 5Jun 06, 2008 8:06 pm Good for you not going merbau!
I don't know much about ecopine sorry, but: FCS certified timber may be an option- it certifies sustainable forest management- so it may be native forest but can't be ecologically significant (including old growth). They also don't certify plantations where the land had native forest on it after 1994 (date is from memory, don't quote me!). http://www.fscaustralia.org/companies-and-products There is also some very nice post-consumer recycled timber decking out there if you're prepared to hunt it down. [/url] Re: Deck/Pergola/Balcony extravaganza! 6Jun 07, 2008 8:43 am Thanks so much for the info! That's such a help, I've learned so much in the past few days about timber I can't believe it! Thankyou also for the FSC link, I've been wondering how to find this out.
I was talking to husband last night about the lack of information in the public arena about merbau, teak etc. When I think about how much outdoor timber is of these two it's quite sad Luke off to look at the Monarch site now. Thankyou! Re: Deck/Pergola/Balcony extravaganza! 7Jun 09, 2008 10:03 pm Hi maman, sorry for the late reply but I'd just like to add some comments to hopefully allay your fears about timber and the environment.
The Australian timber industry is sustainable; whatever pockets of old growth (generally accepted as trees over 400 years old, most species rot and fall over a long time before then anyway) are by far protected already. By comparison, exotic species like teak are obtained by basically kicking Orang Utans out of their homes, in countries where Greenies would be shot dead. Any mainstream species of pine in this country has come at the expense of land that was originally used for something else. If you can afford it, go for an Australian native species, safe in the knowledge that you are not contributing to the destruction of the environment. Have a look at what is available for floorboards, and imagine that on a deck! As an alternative, try this for recycled hardwood: http://www.spec-net.com.au/company/archhard.htm Geoff - Decophile. Re: Deck/Pergola/Balcony extravaganza! 8Jun 15, 2008 10:28 am Geoff thanks for the post, really appreciate it and after quite a bit of research I had basically come to a similar conclusion as your good self.
We've asked our builder to quote us on Spotted Gum. He said recycled was going to be a very expensive exercise as a lot of the timber is not suitable having holes etc. SO we shall see where this quote takes us! Thanks again for the post. Re: Deck/Pergola/Balcony extravaganza! 9Jun 15, 2008 12:11 pm Spotted gum is generally all from plantation hardwood First time building 2 storey home in NSW. Below Current plan have separate balcony. But thinking to do a multipurpose lounge with balcony (kind of sunroom) in first floor… 0 4780 Well you won't get cooked by the afternoon sun when sitting out on the balcony on a summers afternoon but you won't have much to look at besides the neighbours… 4 3753 Dear all, Requesting your help in relation to a CDC code. We are building a new home in NSW on a corner lot (500m2, 15m wide) following Greenfield CDC code. Our design… 0 4784 |