DECKS

The humble deck is being transformed into a contemporary outdoor living space as Australians seek to expand their al fresco living options. Underfloor heating, specialised lighting and purpose-built outdoor rooms are becoming more common in a bid to optimise residential living space.

Architect Shaun Lockyer, who has designed homes from Far North Queensland to Sydney, says decking and outdoor spaces have evolved to become critical elements of the home, affording a place for relaxation and leisure.

“When we think about our living, the outdoor space and decks and verandas are really important,” he says. “Decks now are taking on the same priority and sense of gravity as the house itself.

“The way the spaces need to be protected and enclosed and adorned, it is becoming more commensurate with the level of finish and comfort of the house rather than being a temporary place.”

Traditionally a part of the Australian home that blends the interior and exterior, outdoor extensions and renovations are a key element of the nation’s $28.5 billion home improvement market. According to Queensland’s Department of Housing and Public Works, about 6 per cent of Australian homes have a timber deck. That proportion is likely to be higher in the Sunshine State, where the Queenslander is famed for its outdoor spaces, verandas and decks.

Lockyer says decks and outdoor spaces increasingly feature enclosed areas, built-in seating and amenities designed to maximise the use of the space. Kitchens, audiovisual systems and heating add to their utility for entertaining.

“The outdoor dining is a key component but there is also the inclusion of outdoor entertainment, be it through a bar or barbecue, or cooking facilities – certainly a wine fridge,” he says.

“For some of the outdoor living rooms and decks we’re doing,, people are even adding outdoor bathrooms so they don’t have to traverse the house.”

Lockyer says in some cases people had included hydronic underfloor heating, as well as radiant heating, so the outdoor room could be used in any season.

“This is a massive development in the way people think about outdoor space, because it’s not just seen as a respite in summer, it is being used as a permanent, aspirational space,” Lockyer says.

“People are also bringing in outdoor heating in Queensland, because they think for three months a year they are not using the space to optimal utility.”

Architect Trevor Chudleigh, who has been practising for 30 years in Perth, has carved out a niche in outdoor rooms – extensions to maximise a home’s cross-ventilation and protect exterior space from weather and insects.

In most temperate areas of Australia, the ideal deck or outdoor room space is north-facing to capture winter sun, with roof eaves to protect against the heat of the summer rays, he says. As the seasons change, the sun also changes its elevation in the sky, allowing more sun in winter but less in summer.

“When the outdoor room is north-facing, you’re getting a lot more warm natural light into your outdoor space in the winter months,” Chudleigh says. “For nine months of the year owners will use these outdoor rooms as a natural extension of their informal living and dining areas.”

Mesh screening also affords a slight heating effect during winter as well as excluding insects, making the space more usable for a longer period of the year.

For the true outdoor deck, Chudleigh says, there is no better material than hardwood timber, despite the maintenance required. For comfort, longevity, temperature under foot, swelling in the heat and the aesthetic value, timber is still the best. “There are all sorts of products for artificial decks, but none of them we have found are as stable and as nice to walk on on as timber,” he says.

There are alternatives emerging on the market, however. HardieDeck offers a fibre cement composite for outdoor rooms. Product manager Christian Hansen says it comes in colours from greys to whites, and is water and fire resistant.

“In the planning stages, think about the colour, the style you want and how you will use the space,” he says. “Lighter colours such as the grey hues and contemporary whites reflect both the heat and sun as well as brightening up spaces, summing up a perfect coastal look.”

Herron Todd White director and valuer David Notley says it is becoming commonplace in prestige properties to feature outdoor dining facilities, including kitchens and pizza ovens, plumbed-in gas heating and integrated audio entertainment systems.

“I’m seeing a number of renovations and new builds where they are setting new benchmarks with regards to finishes and fixtures as well as design elements,” he says.

“Fully functioning outdoor kitchenettes are becoming quite common and considered the norm.

“Due to our climate we do a lot of our entertaining outdoors and as such home owners are spending considerable amounts of money relating to integrated indoor-outdoor entertaining.”

Notley says that at higher price points the inclusions were becoming a critical and expected element of prestige properties. But he says the cost outlaid for outdoor spaces did not always result in added value in the short term, as that is dependent on the spend for the renovation or build, the home’s location and its quality compared to surrounding properties. Shifting the boundaries The divide between indoor and outdoor living has all but disappeared in contemporary homes that are all about lifestyle ROSANNE BARRETT Decks T

Top: Shaun Lockyer’s Twin Peaks in Paddington, Queensland, and the dining deck at Gooseberry house. Clockwise from above: deck at Shaun Lockyer’s Z House; Hampton house deck; and a house at Mosman in Sydney

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