Timber Advice & Project Stories
Practical guidance and real project notes from more than a decade of building decks, pergolas and outdoor timber structures in KZN.
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Timber Stairs Built Hawaan Forest Estate, Durban
These timber stairs I built-in Durban were the first stairs I built. This was towards the beginning of my deck building career and I had no idea really what to do. I had been involved in carpentry for a fair while so I had an understanding of timber, how it behaves and how to construct…
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Sundeck Installed in Durban Bluff
This sundeck I installed in Durban I actually subbed out because I had too many new builds on the go at the same time to be able to do it quickly enough. I use a very good subbie who charges reasonable rates, has his own transport and tools and skilled labour. He has actually been…
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Wooden Pergola La Lucia – Durban
Wooden Pergola, Durban This pergola was built for a client of mine in La Lucia, Durban. They were on of my first clients and have since continued to come back to me for other work ranging from sundecks to doors, bars etc. Their pergola is still in good condition and we have since been back…
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Deck Maintenance and Deck Sealing
I was prompted to write an article on deck maintenance and deck sealing this week as we had a small quiet patch and as a “filler in” we sanded and sealed a picnic table, repaired a broken ball and claw foot and a leather couch and this reminded me to write this article. Deck maintenance…
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Timber Stairs Built in Hillcrest – February 2013
As a deck builder and timber stair builder in Durban I have had to learn how to build timber stairs the hard way, through trial and error (and a bit of Googling). Timber stairs have always been a tricky one for me and I have battled to build them in the past. At first I…
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Sundeck Built at Pennington on the South Coast
This was my first deck I built. I had been toying with the idea of building sundecks for some time, rather than trying to sell furniture which I had been making for some years. There simply isn’t a viable market to make furniture in South Africa unless one has large regular orders and a production…
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Timber Deck Installed in Queensburgh, Durban
This was our second deck we installed in Durban and this time around we got the spec right and didn’t spend all our money on timber. The deck was pretty much on ground level but still required normal 30 x 102 joists as it was not supported by a concrete base. Should there have been…
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Wooden Sundeck built in The Bluff Durban – Jan 2013
After the last sundeck we built in Durban we were glad to have a small break. Temperatures reached about 38°C and even though we only had to sand and seal it, it was almost impossible to work in those conditions. This next sundeck in Durban measured about 5.7m wide along the front of the house…
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Wooden Sundeck Built in Forest Hills Durban
This sundeck we built in Forest Hills Durban was an add-on to a deck we completed in 2012. The client initially built a 20 odd square metre deck off the front of his grant flat. It was then decided to extend the deck around the corner to tie up with the kitchen door. We needed…
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Timber Sundecks in Durban
“Summertime ….. And The Livin’ is Easy “… Or it CAN be !! …Yes, with the South African summer right on the doorstep now, what’s the best Christmas present you could give to your family (and yourself)? (This one won’t fit into a Christmas stocking however …) Ponder and Dream of how ‘lekker’ it would…