Logie award-winning television host, horticulturalist and landscape designer 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.
Growing Home With Jamie Durie has shared his top tips for deck maintenance and building as summer approaches.
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.
RELATED: What do Aus’ biggest radio stars do with their millions?
Cantilevered Wye River stunner named Australia’s best home
Smart hacks that could add $100k of value to your home
Byron Bay: Where does the outdoors stop and interiors start? Ohana House is a remarkable Virginia Kerridge-designed series of low-set, interconnected pavilions. Covered walkways, decks and a resort-style pool nestle the residence, while grounds has a tennis court, basketball court and skateboard half-pipe.
This home at 94 Hissey Rd, Cromer, won a South Australian HIA GreenSmart Sustainable Home Award in 2023, but the off-grid home really shines outdoors where the entertaining area includes an outdoor kitchen and bar, perfect for hosting guests while enjoying the views.
Melbourne: A merbau timber deck perfect for year-round entertaining sits at the heart of this Art Deco beauty at 65 High St, Kew. Occupants are overlooking a heated pool and spa in an outdoor area that also a barbecue with an outdoor rangehood and an elevated pergola, ideal for alfresco dining.
Glass doors create a seamless transition from this sanctuary at 8b Reina St, North Bondi, where the all-weather deck steps down into the tropical garden.
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.
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.
Durie said that people wanting to add a deck to their home should consider positioning it for sunlight and views.
The deck wrapping around the secluded home at 28-30 Warrenbeen Court, Barwon Heads makes the most of the position amid a forest of mature moonah trees in the Bellarine Peninsula hot spot. It has direct access to the living and rumpus spaces.
Sydney: The timber deck surrounds the architectural home at 30 Derribong Rd, Dural creating a private north-facing rear outdoor zone complete with heated pool, a barbecue area, Japanese garden, giant chess board and cubby house. Step down to a yard complete with an enclosed football pitch with synthetic grass.
Perth: Here’s an outdoor entertaining area on steroids with a semi-enclosed pavilion with a wood fire and decked seating area at 6 Mesa Link, Baldivis. There’s an outdoor barbecue with a gas point and hot/cold water plumbing.
Outdoor dining and spaces are bordered by mature, tropical landscaping in the north-facing space at 53 Seaside Drive, Kingscliff.
“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.
Vast outdoor decking fringes the five pavilions, overlooking the park-like gardens including a natural freshwater pond and waterfalls at 18 Judd St, Gumdale, a uber-luxury 7-bedroom residence in Brisbane’s east.
Tasmania: The simple things in life, such as this freestanding bath, make this outdoor deck at this coastal retreat on Tasmania’s east coast. The home at 4/40-42 Shaw St, Swansea, is a short walk to the beach.
Sydney Harbour: The sun has made its mark on this deck at 72 Wentworth Rd, Vaucluse, but the benefits are obvious. The space includes a sheltered area for outdoor dining, a heated pool and a walkway through landscaped gardens to the water’s edge.
The back patio is the shining light of the new residence at 49 Main St, Koondrook. The Murray River town home’s merbau deck boasts a built-in kitchen with a barbecue space, fridge and sink ready for summer nights. The three-bedroom home is listed for $869,000
Jamie Durie’s tips for deck building and maintenance
● 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.
● 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.
English (US) · 