Page 24 - HW November 2020

landscaping, decking & outdoor structures
Tough, secure sheds
Riverlea Group’s Duratuf Lifestyle sheds are now available in a wide range of colours offering many combinations of cladding and roller door. They offer secure access and are built from thick, hi-tensile anti-rust steel and full timber frames for strength and rigidity to withstand New Zealand’s wild weather conditions for longer. Duratuf also offers a range of accessories, from shelving to timber flooring and bolt down kits and alarms. Initially ranging from 10m2,
the Duratuf Lifestyle range is being extended with up to 30m2 models which should be on the market by the end of October.
www.duratuf.co.nz
Wide board added to
decking system
TimberTech AZEK Decking is premium capped polymer decking, made without wood, providing high performance as well as great design options, with a lifetime limited product warranty and a 50-year fade & stain warranty. TimberTech’s new 184x24mm wide board decking in the TimberTech AZEK Harvest Collection not only lasts a long time but also has a beautiful and natural hardwood look. This capped polymer (PVC) decking is made
from up to 54% recycled plastic, which provides premium performance and looks while doing the right thing by the planet.
Complete the look using new TimberTech Cortex fasteners which blend right in, remaining hidden because the plug is made from TimberTech decking and is colour matched. Unlike other hidden fasteners, Cortex fasteners can be used on the entire deck surface, including stairs and perimeters.
www.niagara.nz/timbertech-decking/
STYLES & MATERIALS
What are our professionals seeing in terms of uses of outdoor space and styles or materials?
No surprises perhaps when Craig Wilson says it’s all about “outdoor rooms that really do extend living space”, in particular citing the growing use of louvre roofs to create a shady transitional space right next to the house.
Although less than the cost of doing a full formal addition, there is a caveat however, he says: “A key thing to press home
is that while there has been a loosening of the Building Code laws, District Planning laws haven’t changed. A louvre roof in Christchurch for example, adds to site coverage and, if people have already maxed their house out, a louvre can mean that their site coverage needs a resource consent.”
Aspen Landscapes’ Stuart Baines is also working on a lot of outdoor entertainment areas – with spa pools, pergolas and outdoor fireplaces very popular.
In terms of materials, Stuart says top picks are cedar and hardwoods like Vitex and Saligna, with Kwila also still a firm favourite. But awareness of and demand for composite decking is also on the up, he says, with much improved colours and stability.
Ollie Newman agrees that the best composite decking is far better these days, especially in terms of some super easy to use fixing systems, but also agrees that Kwila is “still the tried and tested timber of choice for decks”.
Beech is becoming an interesting alternative, however, with Ollie and the Onlandscapes team having been using quite a bit of this locally derived timber recently.
Robert Luijten and Luijten Landscaping do a lot of swimming pools and until this year, paving has been the pool surround of choice. Now, however, “it’s all deck, deck, deck, it’s just one deck after the other.”
In contrast Craig Wilson and FORM Garden Architecture are using a lot of porcelain hard tiling which, although it commands a premium, he says: “People are seeing the benefits of spending a bit more and getting something that has a better life cycle and needs less maintenance.”
As well as composite timber being on the rise, while artificial
22 NZHJ | NOVEMBER 2020
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