Unless you belong to an affluent few, most people must adhere to financial restrictions and seek ways to maximise the value of their hard-earned money. Much like any home improvement endeavour, constructing a deck can quickly become costly unless appropriate measures are taken. Fortunately, there exist several actions you can undertake to ensure that your upcoming deck project remains cost-effective while maintaining its status as a durable and valuable addition to your home for many years to come.
How Much is Your Budget for Deck Build
In any home improvement endeavour, you should possess a comprehensive grasp of your financial plan or the extent to which you’re prepared to allocate funds. Honesty and transparency with yourself and your project collaborators are vital in determining your realistic budget. Establishing these parameters empowers you to understand your available budget and maximise the utility of your hard-earned resources.
Additionally, consider your financial flexibility. Is the initially proposed amount the final limit you can spend, or are you open to slight adjustments if need be? The encouraging news is that with cleverness and financial insight, you can successfully construct an exceptional deck with a limited budget.
Use Your Existing Foundation
Integrating your current building and foundation into your deck project can yield substantial cost savings. For instance, creating an entirely new doorway and excavating the terrain for deck construction can swiftly accumulate expenses.
If you possess an existing deck, you can replace the boards. The foundation and framework represent the most financially demanding aspects of the construction process, and you may be pleasantly surprised at the transformative effect of new deck boards on a concrete slab.
Thorough Planning is Key
The age-old wisdom advises, “Measure twice, cut once.” Creating a robust blueprint before laying hands on any tools is paramount to prevent unexpected complications.
Consider the deck’s intended use. Will you need single or multiple access points? Thoughtfully address structural considerations, as rectifying them post-construction can be costly and chaotic.
This stage is suitable for identifying potential build challenges and devising solutions. Research and seek advice from acquaintances; integrating these insights into your planning phase proves invaluable. While perfection remains vague, thorough preparation substantially boosts the likelihood of a smooth project execution.
Choose Simplicity
Regarding deck design, extravagant elements like unique patterns, unconventional materials, atypical dimensions, or excessive decorative embellishments come at an extra cost. This additional expenditure arises due to factors such as procuring specialised materials and incurring additional labour and design expenses if you enlist the services of a deck contractor.
Embracing simplicity in your design is a prudent choice. Often, less intricate designs exude timeless style unaffected by shifting trends. Familiar with the saying, “Less is more”? It aptly applies to your design philosophy. If you seek to infuse your personality and elevate your deck’s ambience, you can achieve this through decor elements such as stylish furniture, greenery, and decorations. These additions will impart a personalised touch to your deck without straining your budget, and the flexibility to modify them over time remains a distinct advantage.
Whether you aspire to construct a budget-friendly deck or undertake a posh project, Homeworx Australia offers an array of decking materials to suit your needs – we supply natural premium timber choices, including redwood, hardwoods, and cedar. We also provide alternatives such as aluminium, plastic, and composites – each material has distinctive properties, upholding the strength and robustness deck-building requires.
Consider Immediate and Long-Term Expenditures
We acknowledge that, during the installation of a new deck, your primary focus tends to fall toward the immediate expenses of your construction endeavour. Concentrating on the current financial outlay without considering the future implications is natural.
For instance, timber may initially present itself as a cost-effective material choice, but it takes little time to realise the associated demerits. It includes issues such as rot, water damage, warping, splinters, and, most notoriously, termite infestations. Wood also carries the reputation of being demanding in terms of maintenance, necessitating treatments and polishing annually.
Material Selection
You need to shift your mind from enquiring about “The most affordable material” to “Which material delivers the best value for money in the long term?” While timber decking might appear initially budget-friendly, composite decking emerges as a superior long-term investment. Furthermore, composite decking is an environmentally friendlier option, easy to install, and demands nil maintenance.
Additional advantages of opting for top-notch materials include:
- Sustained aesthetic appeal.
- Immune to weather-induced vulnerabilities that affect timber, such as rot, warping, splintering, and fading.
- Composite decking is termite-resistant and effectively protects against pest-related concerns.
Deck Maintenance: Long-Term Consideration
One of the most substantial ongoing expenses to consider is the maintenance requirements for your new deck. Your freshly constructed deck will become a preferred gathering spot for family activities and relaxation, necessitating a pristine appearance.
Safety is paramount, mainly when young children visit the area frequently. Timber decking can demand annual maintenance costs of up to $2000, a sum that accumulates significantly over the years. Indeed, you can envision more worthwhile uses for those funds. The choice of material can affect your finances, so exploring different options is vital to getting the best material for your deck.
Minimise Waste
Reducing waste or discarded material saves money and enhances material efficiency. Prudent deck planning is essential for curtailing wasted boards. We recommend the following strategies:
- Base your deck plan on the dimensions of the materials you intend to purchase. For instance, boards are available in 5.4m and 5.8m sizes. Knowing these dimensions enables precise deck design.
- Incorporate picture frames and breaker boards (boards perpendicular to the deck’s orientation) to increase deck width as needed, aligning with your frame’s size.
- Embrace creativity in board placement. Experiment with different orientations, such as north/south and east/west, to cover more surface area with fewer boards.
- To err on caution, consider ordering an additional 5% of boards above your calculated requirements.
Advantages of Ordering Extra Decking Boards:
- Provides added flexibility in case of unforeseen challenges (even the most skilled builders encounter obstacles).
- Reduces the risk of running out of materials on the construction day, eliminating waiting times for deliveries or additional store trips.
- You can conveniently store surplus boards for swift and effortless repairs when required.
Seek Cost-Effective Solutions
When homeowners want to start on budget-conscious deck construction, they are not encouraged to use a “cheap deck.” Instead, their goal is to optimise the value of their financial resources while making prudent choices. This approach demands patience, as it involves exploring multiple possibilities to identify the ideal plan that aligns with your budget while delivering value for your investment.
Never Sacrifice Quality for Inexpensive Materials
Remember that just one-third of your deck’s expenses pertain to boards, while the remainder covers labour and subframe construction. Homeowners may initially be inclined to cut costs by opting for cheaper decking materials. However, this approach yields little substantial savings and ultimately results in an inferior deck. Such decisions also lead to higher long-term expenditures, causing frustration and financial strain.
The best thing to do is to allocate a slightly higher budget for high-quality composite decking boards, as the advantages will offer you enhanced value for your investment.
Contact Homeworx Australia
Homeworx Australia provides a range of decking services and custom solutions in Sydney. As an established decking builder in Sydney, we can help you create high-quality and cost-effective decking solutions. If you are looking for a free measure and quote, contact Homeworx Australia at 1300 538 800, and our expert and friendly team will be happy to assist you.
