Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Dec 08, 2009 8:55 pm Hi, First time post on this forum so be kind. I am going to be building a deck and pergola this summer and had a few questions that hopefully someone on here can shed some light on. First a little background. The deck itself is going to be 8m X 4m in length and in keeping with the KISS principle it will just be a rectangular shape (If I ever build one again I might get a little bit more fancy). A sliding door will lead out to the deck and it will be sitting 450mm off the ground (we are on floorboards) and the deck will have some stairs to the side. The maximum height of the pergola will be 2.8m, and also in keeping with the KISS principe I was just going to build a flat pergola or one with a slight slope away from the house. The thinking at the moment is to use merbau decking. The deck/pergola will directly face North and there isn't a lot of shade (we are going to plant a deciduous tree when the weather cools down a bit). I have started drawing my design up using Google SketchUp (awesome tool which I only just recently discovered it isn't finished yet but I might post it up if anyone is interested. I have spoken to the council (ACTPLA in Canberra) and everything I am doing is exempt from requiring approval so YAY! My questions are at the moment. 1. I would ideally like to have no pergola posts in the middle of the deck, and I believe treated pine pergolas aren't able to support a 4m span, the maximum is 3m. Someone suggested using Oregan instead as this potentially can support this span. Does anyone here have any experience with using this timber? Is it readily available in timber stores? Is there a better or cheaper alternative out there. 2. I was thinking of using treated pine for the deck bearers, joists and ledger however is there a better alternative?. I would also prefer to use stirrups, but is the deck to high for this to be a possibility? 3. I have been told by a few people to spend the extra money and time to screw down the decking rather than nailing it. What are people's thoughts on this? Is it worth it? 4. We are undecided on wether or not to use timber railing which runs vertical (Good for the kids who won't be able to climb on it) or using the metal cables which look better but not as kid friendly and possibly a bit more exxy. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? 5. Finally the biggie. My wife and I are at loggerheads over what to use (if anything) for the roof of the pergola. She wants a roof that instantly protects her from the sun, keeps the rain of us when entertaining guests outside. I haven't done a lot of research into materials for roofs but I'm guessing on our limited budget laserlite would probably be the cheapest option that would look suitable for a timber pergola. I'm guessing that colorbond would be a bit more expensive, heavier (would this rule out a 4m span for the pergola posts?) wouldn't let in the light and might look a little funny on timber posts? Personally I am not a fan of laserlite, my experience is that they are still very hot to sit under in summer, scum builds up on them and I am guessing a 4 X 8m pergola roof won't be easy to clean without some kind of high pressure hose. I on the otherhand would perfer no man made roof at all but have some kind of climber running up the pergola, but using some temporary shade cloth until the climber is doing its job. This will let in more warmth in the cold Canberra winter but when fully established keep the deck cool in summer (much cooler than laserlite I hear). My wife isn't convinced so I was looking at finding some middle ground. I suggested some timber slats running across the pergola, but this of course doesn't prevent the rain coming through. Her suggestion is that we go half laserlite and half an open deck with a climber, which sounds like a fair compromise but I am worried that it might look somewhat disjointed. Could we potentially use some kind of thatched roof? What is the temperature like in summer under a thatched roof? Will I regret using the loss of light in the cold winter months, or could you easily remove and reinstall it? Also what impact will this have on my design? Will the pergola need to be sloped away from the house or can it run horizontally? Is it expensive to purchase and where would I source it from? Are there any other materials we could use? Anyway this post is long enough now, but if anyone has anything to add on any of the above issues I would be very grateful to hear it. I'm sure as you know the finished product will make all these headaches worthwhile Cheers, Re: deck and pergola questions 2Dec 09, 2009 10:57 am I dont know the answers but just wondering if this would be better off in the "outdoor living" section, most pergola type threads are in there and then you might get an answer. You might have to pm one of the mods and ask to have it moved Re: deck and pergola questions 3Dec 10, 2009 6:20 pm Oregon/Douglas Fir has been banned from outdoor use in NSW since 1995 so you may want to check ACT guidlines. It is a less than durable species which also happens to be one of termites favourite foods. It has the same durability rating as untreated radiate pine. You can span the 4 metres with you beam fine using a 240 x 45mm MGP10 treated pine member. Stirrups are the way to go for the piers. Sit the shoe part approx 100mm out of the ground with 90x90 posts to make up the height. The bearer will sit in the top of the post (rebated) Laserlite has a better range than the type you cook under. The Apollo range lets in light but blocks out heat. Screwing v's nailing the deck - its a purely aesthetic choice. Screwing does mean easy lifting of boards if you ever need to though. I can help with spans and sizes for your rafters/ battens/ joists/ bearers etc if you need Re: deck and pergola questions 4Dec 11, 2009 9:25 am Thatched roof looks great, although they don't last long... You have to replace it every few years... It will be a lot cooler under the thatched roof than colorbond, for sure.. Regards, Ari Ari & Scott Darwin, NT Re: deck and pergola questions 5Dec 12, 2009 7:41 am Thanks for the replies, Oregon is definetly off the list, so I will be using H4 treated pine for everything besides the decking slats. The Apollo laserlite could be a winner, they sell it down at our local Bunnings store so I might check it out. Cheers for that. I hadn't thought of using a combination of Stirrups and posts. What would be the measurements of the bearers and the joists to get me to the the 450mm height. Sorry being a bit lazy here. Cheers, Re: deck and pergola questions 7Dec 13, 2009 6:55 pm nihh Thanks for the replies, Oregon is definetly off the list, so I will be using H4 treated pine for everything besides the decking slats. I hadn't thought of using a combination of Stirrups and posts. What would be the measurements of the bearers and the joists to get me to the the 450mm height. Sorry being a bit lazy here. Cheers, H3 treated pine is all you need for outdoor above ground usage. To give bearer and joist sizes I would need detailed span lengths for the deck/roof structure Is there a building permit? RU in Victoria? 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