Replicating nature in your great outdoors

Jun 23, 2020

Nicole Bittar

 

The use of responsibly sourced timber in your outdoor extensions or renovations is an aesthetically pleasing and environmentally friendly approach to creating long-lasting, natural surfaces in your outside world. A seamless flow from interior to exterior zones not only provides a natural transition from indoors to the outside, but also offers added “space”, a sense of serenity and can increase property values.

Incorporating timber in your outdoor renovations or home improvements can incorporate a number of elements, including decking, pergolas, fencing and furniture.  

Installing a beautiful deck, constructed from the ultimate renewable — sustainable timber — can provide added family and property values. The price is also affordable for most renovation budgets.

A small timber deck project, encompassing 10m x 10m, and using basic materials, should cost about $150/m2, increasing to about $180/m2, or more, with the use of premium timber species.

Spotted gum, merbau and iron bark are popular sustainable choices for decking. Their beauty lies in the strength, durability and arresting visual array of natural hues within these timber types. Merbau is particularly relevant as a former rainforest timber that has evolved into a Forest Stewardship Council-certified and responsibly sourced wood material with proven sustainability assurances.

With correct installation, recommended maintenance, including an annual application of a natural wood-oil, stain or protectant, you and your family can expect to be entertaining and relaxing deck-side for decades.  

Adding a timber-framed pergola to your deck also creates a stunning feature for your outdoor renovation. Western red cedar is a popular timber for its durability, workability and appearance. Adding a retractable awning or timber market umbrellas to your pergola also provides an invaluable all-weather outdoor-living space.  

Similarly, with fencing, a sustainably sourced timber fence is not only a barrier to the outside world, but also provides an eye-catching design feature. The popular timber types for fencing, in terms of quality and eco-sustainability, include hardwoods, cypress and treated pine, although the durability of cypress and hardwood denotes their more common usage for fence posts.

You could also consider the inclusion of low-cost treated-pine fence extensions that provide extra height to your fence line and can also obstruct a view to the outside world.

Once you have applied the finishing touches to your exterior home improvements, complement and enhance your timber outdoor renovation with key pieces of quality-made or custom-crafted timber furniture.

Choosing beautifully made and responsibly sourced wooden tables, chairs, lounges and wood-framed hammocks will immeasurably add to the continuity and flow of your timber-based design theme.

Australians are well-known for their love of al fresco lifestyles, whatever the weather, and reputable furniture manufacturers follow suit with durable outdoor timber furniture made from certified Western Australian jarrah or plantation-harvested, rather than rainforest, teak. Certification-approved jarrah is particularly popular for its rot resistance and attractive deep-red hue. Regulated teak plantations also provide renewably resourced timber.

Teak is prized as a material for outdoor furniture because, like jarrah, it is resistant to dry rot, offers a rich, natural hue, long-lasting qualities and an elegant appearance.   

Images

Project: 700 Haus

Design: GLOW Design Group

Hayball Pty Ltd - Mider Head Office