Hi All. Our front deck - 1.5m x 3.2m - was springy so we took up a few planks and saw the timbers supporting the decking were completely rotten and had dry rot. Water had got in from above, and all sides. There had been battons beneath the decking planks, then a layer of cement board (not sealed along edges) then timber frame underneath which seems to have been made out of H3 timber. The whole structure is above a below ground water tank. Rian water had got in between the decking timbers, through the gaps between the concrete, over the timber frame (from above but also from the sides which were also unsealed). The flashing along the wall adjoining the neighbour was also not stopping water from getting in down the wall on that side.
We have to replace the structure and I'm wanting advice on the best way to make sure the same thing doesn't happen again.
Should I consider tiles around the edge (or tile the whole thing) with bullnose around the side to stop the water? Or go back to the same timber frame but protect it from rain in some way?
