Selecting the right materials for you deck are an important aspect that is often overlooked. As in most things, the quality of the timber, posts and other materials you use is what matters most. Using cheaper, yet inferior products can mean more costs are incurred later on when parts need replacing.

Choosing the materials you use for your deck are very much like creating the foundations of your home, getting it right at this stage means you'll have a strong, durable and reliable deck.

With these factors in mind, we ensure our pressure treated pine boards and posts, along with the rest of the materials we supply and use in our deck builds is of the best quality, making sure your deck will last.

Materials:

2 x 6 boards (pressure-treated pine)
2 x 2 boards (pressure-treated pine)
2 x 8 boards (pressure-treated pine)
2 x 12 boards (pressure-treated pine)
2 x 8 boards (pressure-treated pine)
4 x 4 posts (pressure-treated pine)
6 x 6 posts (pressure-treated pine)
Carriage bolts and nuts
Post anchors
Galvanized 3" decking screws
Concrete mix for footers (if applicable)
Roll of flashing

First, draw a simple sketch of the deck; decking, rails, footings, posts and beams. Sketch the deck to scale, perhaps 1⁄4" per foot. To save money, stick to standard timber sizes and lengths to the fullest extent possible. For example, decking boards are usually stocked 2 x 4, 2,x 6, or 5/4 x 6 inch and 8, 10, 12,14 and 16 foot lengths. I usually keep a sale flier from the timber yard handy to be sure I know what sizes of timber stock. For the decking, calculate using actual dimensions (5 1⁄2 for a 6 in boards) and don't allow for spacing between boards. (More on that later, but I recommend little or no gap between the boards).