When we bought this house, we immediately knew something was missing. The back of the house was just not complete. There was a dinky landing off the second story great room and a long staircase down to the ground. After sketching up several ideas, we agreed on a deck design and then went about choosing a material.
Here is the brief rundown and our findings/thoughts of our material search:
Pressure-treated lumber – lots of chemicals and needs to be painted/stained every year. Definitely the least expensive option.
Cedar – beautiful and resists bugs but finding an eco-friendly source was difficult, and not local to New Jersey. And, it would also require painting/staining each year. Not exactly cheap!
Ipe – Brazillian hardwood … beautiful, but … comes from Brazil, requires sealing every year and is PRICEY!
Composite Decking – lots of color choices, eco-friendly in that it is primarily made from wood waste or plastic waste. And, no painting/staining!
Trex Eco-Friendliness
TimberTech Eco-Friendliness
We chose Timbertech www.timbertech.com for its local availability, cost & eco-friendliness –
• TimberTech wood composite products are manufactured with recycled wood waste that would otherwise go into landfills.
• TimberTech recycles water (during the manufacturing process) through a closed loop water system.
• Skids, corrugate and product dust are recycled.
• Unlike wood, TimberTech products are a one-time purchase for most homeowners – with a limited 25-year residential warranty.
• TimberTech products do not require painting, staining or sealing.
• Scrap products are reclaimed and put back into the manufacturing process.
We realize that the claim of zero to low maintenance very much depends on where you live (climate, etc). We expect to have to pressure wash this new deck once a year … hopefully we can do it without nasty chemicals.
The other benefits of this deck for us include: easier access to that jungle of a garden, much easier access to the pool, a quiet place to enjoy morning coffees and the ability to put in a sliding glass door off the bedroom. We have noticed that the dogs will scratch up the stairs if we don’t take some measures … we thought about clipping their nails but Stella growled so we ditched that idea. We are probably going to get either some indoor/outdoor carpet or a plastic runner for the stairs. Little sacrifices for our four-legged friends. :)
Here is the brief rundown and our findings/thoughts of our material search:
Pressure-treated lumber – lots of chemicals and needs to be painted/stained every year. Definitely the least expensive option.
Cedar – beautiful and resists bugs but finding an eco-friendly source was difficult, and not local to New Jersey. And, it would also require painting/staining each year. Not exactly cheap!
Ipe – Brazillian hardwood … beautiful, but … comes from Brazil, requires sealing every year and is PRICEY!
Composite Decking – lots of color choices, eco-friendly in that it is primarily made from wood waste or plastic waste. And, no painting/staining!
Trex Eco-Friendliness
TimberTech Eco-Friendliness
We chose Timbertech www.timbertech.com for its local availability, cost & eco-friendliness –
• TimberTech wood composite products are manufactured with recycled wood waste that would otherwise go into landfills.
• TimberTech recycles water (during the manufacturing process) through a closed loop water system.
• Skids, corrugate and product dust are recycled.
• Unlike wood, TimberTech products are a one-time purchase for most homeowners – with a limited 25-year residential warranty.
• TimberTech products do not require painting, staining or sealing.
• Scrap products are reclaimed and put back into the manufacturing process.
We realize that the claim of zero to low maintenance very much depends on where you live (climate, etc). We expect to have to pressure wash this new deck once a year … hopefully we can do it without nasty chemicals.
The other benefits of this deck for us include: easier access to that jungle of a garden, much easier access to the pool, a quiet place to enjoy morning coffees and the ability to put in a sliding glass door off the bedroom. We have noticed that the dogs will scratch up the stairs if we don’t take some measures … we thought about clipping their nails but Stella growled so we ditched that idea. We are probably going to get either some indoor/outdoor carpet or a plastic runner for the stairs. Little sacrifices for our four-legged friends. :)
And, finally, some photos!
This little spot was designed to hold a rain barrel ... hopefully that will get added soon so we can water the jungle garden with yummy rainwater!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment