Building a deck for home is an activity that provides immense satisfaction to house owners. It is the kind of thing that ordinary people without construction experience can handle single handedly and be proud of it. Many homeowners indulge in this to contribute their share in construction and to satisfy their creativity.

Before starting decking Melbourne, decision on materials must be done to avoid wastage of money. Deck building is an expensive affair and knowledge of right materials will make the effort a fruitful one.

• Construction of Footings: This part connects the deck with the ground. Some people use treated wood for these pier pads however, best material for this part of decking is concrete. Though it is a costly affair, it will last longer than treated wood, which will definitely rot within few years.
  


• Framing: This part consists of floor joints, main beams and posts. Treated lumber is ideal material for these. Area under the deck will mostly remain wet since this area does not get sunlight and rain leaks will remain there longer. This treated lumber though costly will last longer. It is better to use treated wood for areas that are less than 6 inches from ground.



• Decking or platform: For actual decking part, the two best choices are composite or wood. In case, wood is preferred then go for cedar, which is ideal for platform. On any account, do not select wood that are stamped as €outdoor' in the wood market. They are cheap material make to look great in lumberyard. When used, they will very soon become worst by looking ugly, twist and bend.


Some manufacturers produce cedars with grooves and radius as ready-made products easy to fit into platform.

Regarding composite material, though it is costlier than cedar, it has so many advantages and hence it is very popular. Composite material is eco-friendly; has good quality, tough, durable and easy to maintain. They do not twist or warp.


• Railings: Selection of material varies according to the treatment you are going to give. If you are going to stain or leave the railings natural then cedar is best. In case you are going to paint, then outdoor wood with natural oils like SPF is good.



• Fasteners: Deck screws, nails and hidden fasteners are used to fasten the decking structure. Ideal ones are hidden fasteners, deck screws are second in the list and finally nails are the last choice in the process of building decking Melbourne. When using nails, use of twist shank nails are better choice.