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Treated Pine Deck & Outdoor Lounge Area — Torbay
A Torbay back yard where two doors from the house opened onto old timber steps down to a small section of uneven pavers. Dark, awkward, and used for nothing. The new deck sits flush with the house at 700 mm off the ground, extends both ways, and covers about 30 m² of treated pine.
What was there before
A slight slope, and a section of back yard nobody went into. Two doors from the house opened onto old timber steps that dropped down to it, and the pavers at the bottom were uneven. It was dark and uninviting, so it had become a disregarded space rather than part of the house — close enough to walk onto from two rooms, and not somewhere anyone chose to be.
Why pine, and whose decision it was
This job came from a client who watched us building another deck in Torbay and called. They already had a pine deck around the house and wanted the new one to match, within a budget, so pine was their call. Hardwood would have added 20 to 25 per cent and cracked less over time, but it would not have matched anything already there.
What made it hard
The deck had to come out flush with the house so the doors open straight onto it with no step, which sets the whole thing off the house level rather than the ground. Down one side it hugs the existing first-level framing, so the line is not straight and every board had to follow it; we cut those on a track saw. At the far end the steps land on uneven ground and were built to it one at a time.
What we built, and what the letters mean
140 × 32 grip-tread Premium Pine over H3.2 SG8 bearers and joists, on 125 × 125 H5 anchor piles set in 20 MPa concrete, with stainless plates, brackets and screws throughout. About 30 m², sitting 700 mm off the ground, extended both ways from the doors to take the full width of the space, with steps at the far end down to the rest of the yard.
The grip-tread boards are laid grooves down. Grip-tread can go either way and most people assume it goes up, for grip; laid down, the grooves let water run away underneath the board rather than sit in the tread. It is our preferred way and it matches the existing decks around the house.
The letters on the timber matter. H3.2 is the treatment level for timber that is outside and weather-exposed but not in the ground, which covers the boards, joists and bearers. H5 is the level above it, for timber that sits in the ground, which is why the piles are H5 and nothing else is. SG8 is the structural grade of the framing itself. Get any of those wrong and the deck fails from underneath, years after anyone remembers who built it.
Consents and who did what
No consent was needed on this job. The deck sits 700 mm off the ground, and the whole job was ours, front and back: the deck, the steps, the sleepers, mulch and planting at the front, and on the far side of the house a 4 m capped paling fence at 1.5 m with a gate, built to keep the new puppy inside the property.
What made it hard
The deck had to come out flush with the house so the doors open straight onto it with no step, which sets the whole thing off the house level rather than the ground. Down one side it hugs the existing first-level framing, so the line is not straight and every board had to follow it; we cut those on a track saw. At the far end the steps land on uneven ground and were built to it one at a time.
What we built, and what the letters mean
140 × 32 grip-tread Premium Pine over H3.2 SG8 bearers and joists, on 125 × 125 H5 anchor piles set in 20 MPa concrete, with stainless plates, brackets and screws throughout. About 30 m², sitting 700 mm off the ground, extended both ways from the doors to take the full width of the space, with steps at the far end down to the rest of the yard.
The grip-tread boards are laid grooves down. Grip-tread can go either way and most people assume it goes up, for grip; laid down, the grooves let water run away underneath the board rather than sit in the tread. It is our preferred way and it matches the existing decks around the house.
The letters on the timber matter. H3.2 is the treatment level for timber that is outside and weather-exposed but not in the ground, which covers the boards, joists and bearers. H5 is the level above it, for timber that sits in the ground, which is why the piles are H5 and nothing else is. SG8 is the structural grade of the framing itself. Get any of those wrong and the deck fails from underneath, years after anyone remembers who built it.
Consents and who did what
No consent was needed on this job. The deck sits 700 mm off the ground, and the whole job was ours, front and back: the deck, the steps, the sleepers, mulch and planting at the front, and on the far side of the house a 4 m capped paling fence at 1.5 m with a gate, built to keep the new puppy inside the property.
Why it cost what it cost
The timber is the affordable option. The substructure is not. H5 anchor piles in 20 MPa concrete and stainless fixings cost the same whether the boards are pine or Kwila, and they decide whether a deck is still flat in fifteen years. A cheaper quote here would not have saved the client money on the boards. It would have saved it underneath, in pile depth and fixing metal, where nobody looks until the deck starts to move.
What the client said
Great price. Franc Landscapes did an awesome job building us a puppy proof fence and a deck. Top quality, fast and well priced. Kevin and Hunter are great guys too with excellent communication, reliability and we even got a spot of puppy minding thrown in. Highly recommend.
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