Celebrity gardener Jamie Durie is returning to our TV screens for a new show ‘Growing Home With Jamie Durie”. Picture: Richard Dobson
Logie award-winning television host, horticulturalist and landscape designer Jamie Durie says a great deck can potentially add tens of thousands of dollars in value to a home.
Ahead of his new show Growing Home With Jamie Durie starting this week, he has shared his top tips for deck maintenance and building as summer approaches.
Plus, he’s ranked some of Australia’s best decks out of 10.
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Durie is former presenter of shows including Backyard Blitz, The Block, Australia’s Best Backyards, The Outdoor Room and The Living Room.
He also starred as judge on the renovation series House Rules and as a The Masked Singer Australia contestant, in 2022.
In 2007, after filming lifestyle segments with legendary US television host Oprah Winfrey, Durie hosted his own series The Victory Garden on the American PBS network for three years.
Jamie Durie and Ameka Jane with their 3-month-old daughter, and dog Luna in 2021. Picture: Tim Hunter.
His latest show, Growing Home, follows Durie and his partner, singer and songwriter Ameka Jane, as they build a sustainable luxury dream family home on Sydney’s northern beaches.
Durie said that out of all the deck projects he has ever worked on, one of his favourites was part of a project he created for the world-famous Chelsea Flower Show held in London, in 2008.
The $800,000 venture Durie and a team of workers build a 200sq m exhibition celebrating Western Australia’s Kimberley Region, featuring a dry stone wall, fireplace, indigenous Australian artwork and a large pond with an infinity edge.
It won a gold medal at the show and was the first-ever Chelsea garden to consist of only Australian natives.
We asked Jamie Durie to rate some of Australia’s best decks – see the ratings below.
Durie said that people wanting to add a deck to their home should consider positioning it for sunlight and views.
“Aligning the deck to capture optimal light, especially in the morning or late afternoon, enhances comfort while maximising a scenic view can boost property value,” he said.
“For me, the deck is the most important portion of a house as it is the segue between the house and the garden.”
Adding that a great deck could sometimes add tens of thousands of dollars to a house’s value, Durie said that he often advised homeowners to spent the equivalent of 10 to 15 per cent of their property’s value on the garden – including deck maintenance – if they wanted to maximise its appeal.
“The better a deck looks, the more well-maintained people assume a house is,” Durie says.
“I tend to like my outdoor space like my indoor space, repeating all of the most important indoor areas outside to make the outdoor space more usable.”
If there’s room, this includes incorporating kitchen, dining and living areas into a deck.
Jamie Durie’s tips for deck building and maintenance
Jamie Durie shares his tips for deck building. Picture: Richard Dobson
● Never let leaves sit on a deck, use an electric blower to remove them away. Pressure washing every three months is a must, as leaves left sitting on a deck can sometimes leave stains.
● If you have any steel furniture on the deck, make sure it is well coated or has caps on it so it won’t stain or scratch the deck.
● Even leaving pot plants in one position for too long can cause discolouration on a deck.
● When building a deck, use timber certified by the international non-profit Forest Stewardship Council. Wood certified by the FSC comes from forests being managed to preserve biological diversity, rather than timber from sourced from rainforests with endangered flora and fauna.
Durie recommends moving items like pot plants around to avoid discolouration of the deck.
● If you need to quickly spruce up a deck before a family meal or visit, Durie recommends using Cabot’s EasyDeck Maintenance System. Designed and manufactured in Australia,
users only need to shake the bottle, load it into a supplied applicator and start coating their deck. It requires one coat to be applied to the deck and dries 40 minutes after application is finished.
● Resealing a deck every 12 months to help prevent water damage, with a product like Cabot’s Aquadeck Decking Oil.
“Seamless integration with indoor spaces, choosing sustainable materials, and ensuring regular maintenance, such as using Cabot’s EasyDeck, will keep the deck looking great and add lasting appeal to your home for future buyers,” Durie said.
Jamie Durie rates Australia’s best decks
– 24 Rostrevor Rd, Crafers West, SA
Jamie’s response: A fantastic transition from pavers to deck and a clever way to blend both by using the level change to delineate the material seamlessly.
SCORE: 8/10
– 17 Jacobs Drive, Willunga, SA
Jamie’s response: Lovely use of natural stone and carefully crafted into the deck with great precision.
SCORE: 7/10
903/18 Malone Street, Geelong’s deck is a feature of their outdoor space. The property ids on the market for $1.85m-$1.98m
– 903/18 Malone Street, Geelong, VIC
Jamie’s response: What a great idea! This deck not only raises the guests up to catch the views but it seems it may even carousel to further share the water views with all of the guests, innovative, space wise, considered.
SCORE: 9/10
– 5 Stafford Street, Northcote Vic
Jamie’s response: Great way of bringing your holiday resort home with you in an urban area, slick lines great use of space.
SCORE: 8/10
– 1 Ram Island, Little Swanport
Jamie’s response: Stunning, a great way of wrapping the home in natural timber and offering a choice of sunrise and sunset with panoramic.
SCORE: 8/10
– 4 Mitah Crescent, Sandy Bay, Tas 7005
Jamie’s response: Simple, effective but needs a refresh
SCORE: 6/10
– 274 Acton Drive, Tasmania
Jamie’s response: Seamless level changes, slick lines well executed with many choices.
SCORE: 9/10
– 20 Pengilly Street, Riverview, NSW
Jamie’s response: Beautiful use of decking from ground to walls to ceiling, cocooning the residents into a warm entertaining space.
SCORE: 9/10
– 62A Elvina Ave, Avalon Beach
Jamie’s response: Beautiful use of timber, respectful of the native spotted gums, beautifully maintained, great job to my locals.
SCORE: 9/10
2 Poulet Street, Matraville, NSW – for herald sun real estate
2 Poulet Street, Matraville, NSW
Jamie’s response: Stunning, beautiful levels, seamless transitions, great area planning.
SCORE: 9/10.
The Clear Mountain home has a deck that protrudes out past the pool.
– 553 Clear Mountain Road, Clear Mountain, QLD
Jamie’s response: Stunning, you can’t go wrong with that view, more deck please!
SCORE: 7/10
– 10 Tanawha Road, Tanawha, Qld
Jamie’s response: Nice job here, might need a little maintenance with Cabot’s Aquadeck and a pre-sand!
SCORE: 6/10
The kitchen deck set-up at 33 Ward Street, Tewanti.
33 Ward Street, Tewantin, Qld 4565
Jamie’s response: Not bad, feels like a few additions have happened over the years but lovely dining kitchen deck, great outdoor room.
SCORE: 7/10
— Growing Home With Jamie Durie starts on October 25 at 8.30pm on Channel 7.
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