Building A Garapa Deck for Outdoor Entertaining in Pyes Pa, Tauranga

The Initial Consultation

After meeting local Landscaping Partner Nigel Ramsden at a home show, Pyes Pa homeowners Sandra and Trevor enlisted his help to improve their outdoor living space. 

While they had a beautifully landscaped lawn, the existing entertaining area wasn’t so inviting. The space was made of a simple concrete patio, and the homeowners weren’t entirely sure of the best approach for upgrading. 

During their initial consultation with Nigel, they were able to explore different opportunities for transforming the patio. Nigel saw plenty of potential for the space, so it was only a matter of helping Sandra and Trevor choose the best option for them.

Going for Garapa

During the concept creation process, Sandra and Trevor decided to go ahead with building a brand new deck. Nigel presented multiple options for the design and focused on which materials were best to use. While they considered composite decking, the homeowners ended up choosing Garapa decking for its durability and affordability. 

Garapa hardwood is a dense Brazilian timber known for its ability to withstand the harsh weather conditions of all seasons. Long-lasting and honey in colour, garapa is the perfect choice for a sunny region like Tauranga as it doesn’t become overly hot and can handle heavy sun exposure. 

Deck Building

Using a ProFrame aluminium deck frame allowed Nigel to save the homeowners money big time. Generally, the existing concrete would have had to be removed to accommodate traditional timber foundations. But by utilising the easy-to-install frame, the team could simply build the deck on top of the patio slab, significantly reducing labour time and costs.

The project’s final cost came in at $18,500 – well under the original $20,000 budget. And although it took two months for the materials to arrive, the deck took less than a week to build. 

Taking advantage of Zones’ professional project management often results in these significant budget savings. Equipped with years of expertise and backed by an extensive network of industry professionals, Nigel was able to deliver high-quality results for the best possible price.

A Modern Garapa Deck

The new garapa deck is far more sophisticated than the previous patio. Rather than featuring cold looking concrete, the garapa’s honey colouring has transformed the outdoor living area into a warm and welcoming space to relax. 

Nigel’s attention to detail is evident as the deck is now perfectly flush with the many exterior doors of the home. He also enlisted the experts at Tauranga Kerb and Pave to install a concrete mowing strip around the deck – a wise choice to make landscape maintenance easy. These small buffer zones brilliantly help homeowners avoid any deck damage from lawn mowing and remove the need for you to go back over the lawn’s edge with a trimmer.   

Final Thoughts

Sandra and Trevor are thrilled with their new garapa deck. The new decking, sourced from Mitre10, has created a beautiful space for outdoor entertaining, which feels much more inviting than the previous concrete patio.

When reflecting on their experience, they mentioned, “We really appreciated how Nigel offered a range of ideas, as we weren’t entirely sure what we wanted to do. He helped us weigh up options and offered ideas we hadn’t considered or didn’t know existed. We are very happy with the result” – Sandra and Trevor, the homeowners. 

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