Tag Archives: Durban

Wooden Decks, Waterfall, Durban

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  • Wooden Decks Durban
  • Wooden Decks Durban
  • Wooden Decks Durban
  • Wooden Decks Durban
  • Wooden Decks Durban
  • Wooden Decks Durban

We recently finished this deck at a client’s house who had been doing some other major renovations.  It was fairly simple deck.  The only part that needed careful planning was to ensure that the top of the deck fitted in below the window sill on the one side and flush with the door on the other side.  We needed to create a small step up of one brick on the sliding doors side in order to get the levels to work.

It was a standard H3 and H4 CCA Treated pine structurer with 19 x 68mm balau deck boards.  Screws were kalgard and counter sunk with screw wholes filled with epoxy and sanded flat.  We finished it with a decking oil which penetrates the timber rather than drying on the surface, making future maintenance easy and inexpensive.

The wrap around steps create a nice finish which can be used as seating as well as access to the deck.  This was a better option, considering the height of the deck, than a standard 1m wide stair case with balustrade around the deck. See above for pics of work in progress and the completed product

For a free no obligation quote you can contact me Garrick Dunstan on 082 496 5444 or use the contact form below.

Balau Wooden Stairs in Hillcrest

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Long time no post.  After building this site over a number of years by adding hundreds of articles and pics of work in progress, work completed and general advice and sharing of experiences in our work, I realized that I had neglected our readers and hadn’t posted anything for a long, long time.  So here it is.

Dah, dah!!!  Some stairs we built in Hillcrest recently.  Yip, that’s balau, the tried and tested timber for deck building, stair building, balustrades and any other outdoor timber construction you can think of.  It’s hard, naturally resistant to rot and insect infestation and cost effective when it comes to this type of thing.  Building in other softer, less stable timbers such as pine will only save you the difference in the cost of timber because the labour is still the same no matter what you build it in.  So you might as well go balau.  It’s for life.  Well mostly, depending on how old or how young you are.

We also build timber decks, balustrades, pergolas, screens, you name it.  Anything wood, think “Wood Joint”.  Contact me, Garrick Dunstan, for a quote on 082 496 5444 or use this little contact us form below. Or just browse the site for many other articles on deck building.

Enjoy the pics

timber stairs hillcrest
timber stairs hillcrest
timber stairs hillcrest
timber stairs hillcrest
timber stairs hillcrest

Covid 19 – Essential Services Permit

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The Wood Joint (PTY) LTD has an Essential Services Permit in the business category SUPPLY, CRITICAL REPAIR ON ESSENTIAL SERVICE.

If you feel your request falls under the category of SUPPLY, CRITICAL REPAIR ON ESSENTIAL SERVICE please use the contact us form below to submit your enquiry or contact Garrick Dunstan on 082 496 5444.

The Wood Joint PTY (LTD) reserves the right to decline to quote or perform any work if it is not in terms with Government Regulations.

The possession of the CIPC certificate is still subject to the company fully complying with the applicable Lockdown Regulations and is a record of the company¶s details. This certificate does not in itself constitute the right to continue operating during the period, and it is the responsibility of the company to ensure that it complies with the regulations. Only businesses which provide essential services in terms of the Lockdown Regulations, as amended, issued by the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs may continue their operations during the COVID-19 lockdown, and only in respect of goods or services defined as essential in the regulations.

Wooden Pergola built in Cotswold Downs Hillcrest

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This wooden pergola was built in the common public area of Cotswold Downs in Hillcrest. The original one had been damaged due to high winds. It was built using H3 CCA Treated pine. Being H3 CCA treated it has a minimum life span outdoors, in the weather, of 50 years. See here for an article on the correct treatment of pine.

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We built concrete bases with galvanised steel drag plates set in the concrete. The ground had a slight fall to it so each plinth was set and cast level with each other. The timber sits out the concrete fixed to the drag plates. This should limit the premature rot of the timber and resulted in H3 being used as opposed to H4.

We finished this one with a mineral based Rystix in Imbuia (black) at the client’s request.

For a free no obligation quote on your pergola, wooden sun decks, stairs and balustrades please contact me Garrick Dunstan on 082 496 5444 or use the contact us form below.

Wooden Balau Deck built in Cotswold Downs, Hillcrest

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This wooden balau deck built in Cotswold Downs in July 2019 was built primarily to cover the JoJo tanks which were being housed below. There were various challenges in getting the beam across the span around the pipes that led into the tanks but with a few tricks we managed to hang a beam from above rather than secure it from below.

Wooden Balau Deck Cotswold Downs HIllcrest Wooden Balau Deck Cotswold Downs HIllcrest Wooden Balau Deck Cotswold Downs HIllcrest Wooden Balau Deck Cotswold Downs HIllcrest Wooden Balau Deck Cotswold Downs HIllcrest Wooden Balau Deck Cotswold Downs HIllcrest Wooden Balau Deck Cotswold Downs HIllcrest

The balustrade was built using balau and marine grade stainless steel wire rope which always works best when you don’t want the view to be obscured when in a sitting position.

There are a few strict rules at Cotswold Downs in Hillcrest with regard to the maximum height of the deck so we had to stagger it and create a split level deck. This resulted in some benches with removable lids for storage and a small flight of stairs to access the lower section.

For a free no obligation quote please contact me Garrick Dunstan on 082 496 5444 or use the contact us form below.

Wooden balau deck built in Hillcrest

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This wooden balau deck was built in Hillcrest. It was built on top of existing slasto. When building on top of a previously laid substrate one can build directly on top of it rather than removing the paving or slasto. It helps with water flow below the deck keeping it drier and thus preventing premature rotting due to excess moisture for prolonged periods of time below the deck.

Timber deck HIllcrest Timber deck HIllcrest Timber deck HIllcrest Timber deck HIllcrest Timber deck HIllcrest

When building on a substrate like this that has a fall, the width of the joists need to be wedge shaped to accommodate the fall. The pieces of treated timber therefore need to be cut and treated again with an end sealer. We use Kugard which protects any cut ends of timber.

Other than that the deck was a straight forward build. There are various other articles on this site that explain the process we use and the measures we take to make sure the deck lasts longer. Please feel free to browse the site.

For a quote on your timber deck please call me, Garrick Dunstan, on 082 496 544 or use the contact us form below.

Wooden Deck Built in Padfield Park, Pinetown

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Wooden Deck Built in Padfield Park, Pinetown

 

Wooden Deck Pinetown

Wooden Deck Pinetown Wooden Deck Pinetown Wooden Deck Pinetown Wooden Deck Pinetown Wooden Deck Pinetown Wooden Deck Pinetown Wooden Deck Pinetown

This wooden deck was built in Doone Village Retirement Village in Padfield Park, Pinetown.

We used an H3 and H4 CCA Treated substructure with 19 x 68mm balau deck boards. The balustrade was balau pots and capping with marine grade wire rope. It is always better to use wire rope when you don’t want the view to be impeded when sitting on the deck as it is less obtrusive than balau. It isn’t however as safe, as small kids can pull the wire rope open to an opening greater than 100mm. So it should be avoided on decks that are fairly high. The wire rope we use is a 4mm marine grade wire rope with swages. The 4mm is the only one that won’t tarnish.

We used bidim below as the section near the house is low level and one can’t get below to weed or cut any grass that grows below the deck.

We left this one without any decking oil so that it can grey naturally which reduces maintenance cost going forward.

For a no obligation quote please use the contact us form below or call me Garrick Dunstan, on 082 496 5444

Wooden Deck Gillitts – July 2019

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The pics here are of a wooden deck we have just completed in Gillitts. The client wanted an old deck removed, dumped and a new one built with slight changes. It was built in the normal way using an H3 CCA treated substructure and balau deck boards of 19 x 68mm which is the most affordable way to build a wooden deck that will last. The H3 CCA treated pine has a minimum life span of 50 years outdoors in the rain and the balau, being balau, will give one many years of use. The balustrades are all full balau in a vertical picket style and the stairs are open risers in balau. These were slightly wider than normal so as to tie into the posts of the balustrade on the deck.

Wooden Deck Gillitts Wooden Deck Gillitts Wooden Deck Gillitts Wooden Deck Gillitts Wooden Deck Gillitts Wooden Deck Gillitts Wooden Deck Gillitts Wooden Deck Gillitts Wooden Deck Gillitts

Screw holes were filled with epoxy to stop water ingress and sanded flat and the deck was oiled.

There are many other articles on this site that will give you the pros and cons of the different materials that we use. Please feel free to browse.

For a free no obligation quote please use the contact form below or you can call me Garrick Dunstan on 082 496 5444.

Wooden Balau Screen Pietermaritzburg

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This wooden balau screen was installed at a property in Victoria Club Estate in Pietermaritzburg. The purpose of the screen is to offer some privacy between the neighbours. The brick wall does not offer enough privacy so the wall was in essence extended with a screen on top of it.

The wooden screen needed to be installed on top of the wall as opposed to being fixed to the face or front of it. It is much neater this way but it does mean that the posts need to sit on top of the wall rather than the face, so lateral strength becomes a concern. We use a 200mm piece of thread bar drilled and epoxied into the top of the wall 100mm and into the bottom of the post 100mm. The thread bar we use is 14mm so as to give it enough strength and prevent any bending of the pin itself. The holes need to be drilled perfectly straight and square otherwise the post will not sit perpendicular to the top of the wall. The epoxy that is used is the Sika or ABE product as it is extremely strong. We don’t use the same epoxy to fill screw holes as that epoxy is more pliable and doesn’t offer the same strength.

A simple post and rail system is then used to provide structure to fix the deck boards to. We used balau as a structure so that the back end of the screen also looked good. This as opposed to using a treated pine structure. Pine structures work just as well in terms of strength but are not as visually appealing.

The top was finished off with a deck board placed flat as a capping. Screw holes are filled with epoxy to limit water ingress and in this screen the screws were installed from the back end of the screen so they are not visible on the good side. In the pics you can see the epoxy that has been used and the pics were taken just before it was sanded flat.

This screen was left unoiled so that it could grey naturally. There are various articles on this blog regarding oiling or leaving it unoiled and the pros and cons of each system in terms of maintenance, longevity and appearance.

For a free no obligation quote on your timber decking, balustrading, screening and stair needs please call us on 082 496 5444 or use the contact us form below.

Deck refurbishment in Kloof

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This was an old deck in Kloof that we refurbished recently. It had balau deck boards on top of a balau structure. Of the 11 joists that made up the structure only 2 were still in a fair condition. The rest had rotted and we needed to replace them. Please see this article on the pros and cons of using balau as a structure. https://blog.thewoodjoint.co.za/2015/06/21/balau-vs-cca-treated-substructure-in-your-wooden-deck-durban-and-cape-town/

The deck was fairly old (20 years plus). 20 years ago most deck builders used balau as a structure. Over time they have come to realise that a chemically treated pine structure will out last a balau structure because it is chemically treated and therefore it’s behaviour is known. The process of pressure treating is safe and arguably does no more damage to the environment than cutting the purpose grown tree down in the first place.

We ended up lifting all these deck boards, numbering them and replacing them in their same position so that we could use the same screw holes. Rather than sliding new joists in below the deck boards.

The deck boards themselves where quite mottled with black algae but the wood itself was still ok so we pressure cleaned the deck and then oiled it with a penetrating oil. In some pics you can see the difference between coats of oil.  The balustrade is all new as the old balustrade had rotted away beyond repair and had been removed by the client.

For a free no obligation quote on your new deck build or deck refurbishment please contact us on 082 496 5444 or use the contact us form below.