A very important part of the renovation of our home was achieving a better connection from inside to outside, which in the original floor-plan was sadly lacking. The space on the side of the house was wide enough for cars to drive through, but had never been utilised. We built a small room in there, an entry foyer which now created a closed-in space at its back. We added a level platform and changed the existing two large windows into a fixed-panel-and-sliding-glass-door to walk from the living/dining room to the outside and adding to the indoors a sense of larger space.
For the decking I didn't want a product that was going to require lots of maintenance. The harsh Australian sun floods this space with beautiful morning sun. We knew that if I chose a timber product that I’d be staining and looking after it every 12 to 18 months… but of course I wanted that beautiful look of a timber product and ModWood was the perfect solution for a few important reasons. Firstly it’s Australian owned and Australian made. It's also a sustainable product, made using a wood pulp or by-product from the timber industry and mixed with a plastic product, actually reusing milk bottles, to create this beautiful product that's just so easy to maintain. The timber image… well, that gives me that look that I was after and it's also got a beautiful textured grain, so we've got a nice grip on there.
Watch the video below.
As far as the colour... well, I looked of course at the colour palette of the house. I knew that I was going to paint the walls white and have the dark window frames and the Colorbond Bluegum roof. For teh decking I needed a colour to complement my palette, a mid-tone grey: Silver Gum, Natural Grain.
The installation was an easy process and the trades loved it because it was a simple matter of building the timber platform and then screwing in the black plastic tracks. The ModWood boards simply clicked into place. It was that easy...
We now have a really nice place that connects the inside of our house to the outside, a destination where to spend time with our family or for entertaining… and because it's a great product, it's easy to maintain and enjoy for years to come.
Designer James Treble got his ModWood decking products from Walker Bros
James Treble has three decades of accumulated experience in the Building Industry, Real Estate and Interior Design and regularly shares his knowledge and experience in adding value to properties through effective design & styling. James is also an ambassador for Planet Ark and firmly believes in sensible purchasing, recycling and creative re-purposing. Watch his free videos on YouTube, and follow him on Facebook and Instagram for plenty of Design information. Watch his Online Series to see how an Interior Designer renovates his own home.