Frenchs Forest Deck

Brief

The homeowner's deck was partially rotten. Half of it had deteriorated to the point where it was unsafe to walk on, but the other half was still in reasonable condition. They wanted it fixed without paying for a full deck replacement.

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Challenge

The challenge was repairing one half of the deck while keeping the other, and making the finished result look consistent rather than patched together. The deck sat alongside an existing pergola and outdoor living area that needed to remain usable.

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Key considerations included:

• Identifying and removing all affected joists and boards without damaging the good section
• Reinforcing the existing frame to prevent future moisture damage
• Matching the new Merbau decking boards to the existing ones
• Keeping costs down by replacing only what needed replacing

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Solution

We removed the rotten section and swapped the damaged joists for new 90x45 treated pine. The frame was reinforced with brackets and G-Tape to protect against future weather damage. Fresh 70x19 Merbau decking boards were laid on top, cut and fitted to match the existing deck.

The new Merbau has a rich red tone that will weather to match the older boards over time. The repaired section sits alongside the existing pergola and outdoor entertaining area, giving the homeowner their full deck back.

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Result

The homeowner kept the half of the deck that was still good and got the damaged half rebuilt to a higher standard than the original. The reinforcement work underneath means the whole structure is now stronger than it was when it was first built.

Practical fix, sensible budget, and the full outdoor area is usable again.