Deck and outdoor BBQ area

[tobyandtamsyn]

After attaching a pergola to an existing outdoor area we built a deck and added an outdoor BBQ area. We wanted it to be a low maintenance area, so we used ekodeck decking and cladding.  

This took my wife and I around 2 months of weekends to complete. There was way to many steps to do a full write up, so I will add pictures and short descriptions.

Posts set out for bearers for back half of the deck.

Bearers, joists and fireplace wall set out. 

Bearers 140 x 45. Joists 90 x45.

Fireplace wall wrapped and BBQ frame and side wall getting built.

Fireplace wall clad in ekodeck cladding. Scandia electric fireplace test fit in position.

BBQ clad, splash back texture painted and bench top test fit.

Joists and pods going down under the alfresco. Pods were screwed to concrete.

Ekodeck in backbeach color starting to go down. Joist tape was used on all the joists.

Completed. I cut down an aluminium fence panel for screening above the BBQ area to protect a little from the rain and to add bit of privacy from the neighbours. 

The fireplace and fridge are not outdoor units but are pretty well protected from the elements. We will see how long they last.

95% of the materials for this project were purchased at our local Bunnings store.

Materials

Ekodeck decking in backbeach 

Ekodeck cladding in carbon 

Matador Ignite+ 4 burner BBQ

Scandia Aurora 50" electric fireplace

Hardwood bench top

Dulux medium texture paint

Joist Tape

Tools

[MitchellMc]

Hi @tobyandtamsyn,

What a sensational transformation! You’ve created such a welcoming and stylish outdoor space—perfect for entertaining or just relaxing. The fireplace feature is a real standout and adds such a cosy, luxurious touch to the area. You’ve clearly put a huge amount of thought and effort into every part of this build. 

Fantastic work and many thanks for sharing!

Mitchell

[Dave-1]

Afternoon @tobyandtamsyn 

Envy..... Even tho I have a deck, a bench and a pool I look at yours and go "Man thats sweet"! 

You have done a brilliant job and man I love that fireplace! Perfect for Autumn evenings!

How did you find the tuffblocks? I seen them used or asked about in a bunch of projects and figure they are easy to use. Would you recomend them again if you built another deck?

Dave

[tobyandtamsyn]

Thanks, Dave.
We are quite happy with the final look and layout of our outdoor space. The heater isn't very effective for heating, but we primarily wanted it for the visual effect , which we believe it achieves nicely.

After plenty of research, I had always planned to use the tuffblocks on the concrete area. Originally, I intended to bolt a ledger board to the bricks to avoid using so many blocks, but I was informed it would void any warranty we had. However, since it's a new build, I decided not to take the chance and simply used more tuffblocks. They were relatively easy to set up. We just screwed each one to the concrete and the joists, then used the laser level to adjust the heights. The smaller ones at the front had to be adjusted before securing them down.

Another reason I chose to use the TuffBlocks was that the slab inclined away from the door at various angles. Having the ability to modify each one separately was a simple method to maintain the deck's levelness. I would definitely use again over a similar area. 

Toby