Decks & Patios

If you hear the phrase "outdoor entertaining," do you immediately think of a summer bbq, surrounded by eskies, friends and, pesky mosquitoes? There's nothing wrong with a good old-fashioned picnic, but with new technology come new opportunities.

Are you getting a little frustrated with your garden? Is the weeding something you keep putting off and the mowing a waste of a Saturday morning? If your garden is becoming a chore not a pleasure, fill in all that open space with something less labour intensive to better suit your lifestyle.

Peninsula Living looks at how a patio or deck can enhance your home, plus gives you some tips on freshening up existing decks and patios in time for summer.

In today’s world of trademarked products, the trend towards integrating natural building products, such as timber, into homes and workplaces is reassuringly gaining momentum. Whether your home is a city pad or a sprawling suburban mansion, there is hardly a more tried and tested building material than timber to illustrate our affinity for the rich and colourful Australian natural landscape.

There are timbers and there are timbers. Before you embark on any project using timber, do your homework. If you don’t know your radiata pine from your ironbark, you could end up lost in the forest. Here’s how to avoid the splinters.

Tilers and pavers are a stunning way to dress up your backyard and there is such a wide and wonderful range your only problem is trying to make a choice. Here’s a guide to help you decide.

Ready to build or repair a deck so you can enjoy lazy summer days at home? Planning to lay quarry tiles over decking to spruce up your outdoor living area? There are plenty of pitfalls for the unwary if such projects are not constructed with good planning and forethought for their structural integrity and water resistance.

Get on deck ... it's time to plan and build that special outdoors room where you can enjoy good living in your own yard this summer.

Patios are great for family barbecues, entertaining friends and catching some rays on a sunny day. Unlike decks, which are made primarily of wood, there's an array of materials to choose from for your patio. Peninsula Living gives reveals some of these materials and how they can be installed.