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Bearers & Joists laid – The Spa area, I designed a lot ‘stronger’ to cater for the weight, and eliminate movement/vibration.
Oh – while im on this Pic, - I must mention, that I decided to go “stainless everything”……..not a lot more cost, and I am in a coastal area(like most of NZ…..)
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Top & Bottom Deck’s taking shape.
I love the colours of the Kwila, Specially when it is wet!
I was tough on my builder and made him do some “grading” of the colours – the darkest boards, I wanted saved for the Walkway to the Door & Steps, - to make this a bit of a darker 'feature'
The rest I wanted the darkest against the house, fading out to lighter, as you get further away from the house.
(Fortunately he was patient – but he charged me accordingly …….. boy do builders know how to charge!!)
Here you can also see the fact that there are apsolutely NO screws visable!
I used Shadow Deck fasterners system, - and I love it!
http://shadowdeck.co.nz/
It looks stunnings and no trouble – I might make the builder put a ‘double fasterning’ where Boards join next time (because board width varies a few mm, which was a pain)
It did mean I needed to buy ‘groved boards’ which were slightly more expensive – but hey it was worth it!
At this point I decided to go with the ‘slightly crowned’ boards too – which reduces concave/convex risk, and helps the water run off.
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Steps,
3 Pics,
Pic 1) Layout, of the steps – Here the Builder came up with a edging/bullnose option, which fascinatingly has a “LED Lighting grove” underneath, - I though this was a fantastic idea, - I could fully light every step with ‘hidden’ lighting.
– Being the Geekzoner that I am, I jumped at the idea – It cost a little more, but hey – do it once, do it right – right?
I then decided to run this same ‘bullnose’ with LED Lighting strip around both the lower Spa deck, and Upper Enteraining Deck,
Pic 2
Originally I thought it would look best – if the ‘lines/gaps, between the boards would look best, if they lined up – But once the builder go it done, Trimmed to widths,
(and planed each board, to make sure it had some form of crown)
I looked at it and thought Yuck!
Pic 3
And made him rip it up again, and we changed the ‘run’ of the boards on the steps.
Pic 4
Note : These boards (for the steps & the boarder & the walkway up to the front door)
Have all been oiled with ‘tinted’ CD-50 oil – this was one of my mistakes……
(The final result(layout of the Boards on the Steps), looks WAY nicer!)
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Main deck – Kwila, & CD-50 Oiling
It looked good, but washes off after only 3 weeks – I spent $1,000’s on buckets and buckets of the stuff! – I got a good 8-12 coats on some areas, and it still kept washing off!!
DON’T USE CD-50 OIL, - unless it is an “inside” deck……
(you will also notice, I replaced the Lounge Window, with some ‘fully opening Bi-Fold Doors’)
One of my best choices – Again – Builder came up with two options, then I worked out the best one to suit. (there goes another $6,000)
Main Deck constructed & Eves Lighting done,
Eves lighting……..this was expensive for me, $4,000 for 9 LED dimmable downlights on 2 circuits.
(the problem was – the suffet was asbestos board and was a major exercise to drill the holes through it – in hindsight, I should have got the whole lot ripped out and replaced with Marine ply or similar, - THEN got the Electrician to install the LED Downlights.
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Now for the Vitex,
While ‘yes’ it is slightly shorter lengths than Kwila
Its not a ‘huge’ amount different, and you wont really notice it.
I used the Vitex on the Balustrades / Enclose spa area, to ‘match in’ with the colouring of the house…
I oiled it all with 1-2 coats of CD-50, before giving it to my Builder.
I must also say, there was a lot more ‘imperfections and blemishes in the Vitex - & I even had to send one pack back – because it clearly had not been graded……
I also noticed – that there was a significant variation in colouring, from “light honey” to “dark gravy” in the Vitex boards – I again battled my Builder, and made him grade it all so all darkest boards were at the house end, and it lightened as it came out to the lawn.
(3 years later, it has surprisingly – pretty much all ‘evened out’ in colour so that turned out not really necessary…….on the other hand, the Builder made a lot more money out of me for his efforts.
This pic shows the start of pergola and enclosed Spa area, starting to build on the Left.
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Balistrade [2]
At this point – along with a “no visable nails policy”……I decided I wanted to do a “formed” top Balistrade rail – rather than a 140x40 boring square board!
1) I wanted to out some LED Groves underneath it, so I could run Lighting around both the inside and outside of the top rail,
2) I wanted to angle it so the water would run off better, and reduce the risk of it warping
So I decided to go 1/3, 1/3, 1,3 (1/3 middle flat to allow you to sit your beer on it, and the other 2/3 angled off nicely.
You will also see some “rain groves” which stops the water coming all the way into the wider LED groves. (I learned this, from looking at the “LED Bullnose” I used on the steps, and around the Deck edging…..)
The Builder made another great suggestion,
To step the deck “under-full” back under the deck, by 140mm, and stain it BLACK, to make the deck appear to ‘float’ – that worked out extremely well – 
I love it – but the builder did use that as an excuse to bleed my wallet a little more….
(I also decided to make and install ‘copper endcaps’ on the end of any exposed bearers/joists)
Mostly done,
Still battling using the CD-50 oil which simply washes off!!
I then decide to change over to Cabbots “Natural”(colour) Oil based Decking oil, -
So started a 1-2 year exercise, stripping the remaining CD-50 oil,
and re-oiling the whole deck, - im still finding I need to give it 3 coats over 12 months, to get a really decent “base” to it – and some area’s, I didn’t get 2nd / 3rd coats on soon enough, and I have had to strip them again, and redo.
The Steps/Walkway/Boarder – is stripped of tinted CD-50 and Im oiling that with Sikkens “Teak” tinted Oil – that has been way better,
Except – one thing I haddnt thought about – is heat during Summer
Dark colours get very hot (specially on little 2yo feet……)
Im now trying to decide, if I just do the boarders & Bullnose of each step Dark – and somehow ‘whitewash/or let it silveroff on the main walkway/Mid -step……. – still undecided,????….
A few different options - showing on the steps in that pic.
Oh – Weed mat! – Make sure you put Weedmat under your decks, 2 x layers running one way & 2 layers running at 90 degrees should about do it!
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