The Perfect Choice for Landscape week

As The Block contestants face a decking dilemma, it’s Outdure to the rescue

With the biggest builds ever tackled, The Block Tree Change was always going to be a challenge.

And never more than when it comes to tackling the massive outdoor entertainment spaces each home features.

Tom and Sarah-Jane's winning block backyard featured Outdure Decking. “Mind blowing,” summed up Darren, “completely bananas!”

From House One’s weatherboard wonder through to House Five’s stately Queenslander, all The Block 2022 homes might have a different heritage and style, but they share one feature – their extensive decks.

Each home boasts decked front porches, entryways and entertainment spaces – in Jenny and Dylan’s case a huge massive area bigger than the average home!  - and to complete these areas in the style the Block’s architects imagined in the time frame allowed, there was only one product Scott Cam’s builders could turn to with confidence, Outdure.

“The decision to go with Outdure really came back to not only the product, but the system behind it all,” says the Block’s main builder and site manager Aidan O'Shannessy.

Jenny and Dylan's Builders in action onsite putting together the Outdure Decking System.

Key to that choice is Outdure’s QwickBuild Innovative Deck Framing System which makes it fast and easy to install, well within the range of what an amateur builder can do and an absolute dream for professionals.

“The versatility that Outdure offers is pretty awesome,” Aidan says.

“And being able to adapt and utilise different parts of their system across different circumstances from the tiles we had on some of the cantilevered decks to the ResortDeck on others was invaluable.

“For each scenario we faced, Outdure had a system and solution for us.”

The Block Builder, Aiden, from Nine in Six said “For each scenario we faced, Outdure had a system and solution for us.”

Perfect given the varying surfaces surrounding each home, the QwickBuild lightweight aluminium frame is an engineered solution with long-span, high-load capacity that’s re moisture proof and won’t buckle or warp over time like old-fashioned timber trusses.

It’s the logical choice for The Block where the priority is a quality product that can withstand the harsh Australian versatile environment and varying build needs.

The QwickBuild framing system can be built as low as 30mm off the ground as it was in Sharon and Ankur’s House 3, or more than three metres up as Jenny and Dylan did with their arena-seized outdoor entertaining area.

“That massive deck on House 4 for example was only made possible by using the whole end-to-end Outdure system,” Aidan says.

“Using the extruded aluminium frames to create the subframe off our structural steel columns then having the decking system with that was an end-to-end solution we knew was the only way to approach that area.”

“We worked it out that we had 1.6km of decking to lay for our porch which surrounds most of the build.“There is just no way we would ever have been able to finish that amount of space in the time we had with the team we had unless it was with Outdure." Jenny from House 4 said.

That same versatility means uneven natural ground, existing decks or any unwanted landscape features can be easily and quickly built over, he adds, or engineered to become stairs, seating, curves and more, all with an infinite adjustment that meant the decks could be precisely placed for the perfect indoor/outdoor flow.

But even better for the contestants is the range of surfaces that can be laid on the QwickBuild frame.

Everything from tiles to timber and the innovative ResortDeck, even turf! – can quickly allowing for a range of design choices that can be simply installed thanks to the interlocking components and hidden fasteners.

“Once the framework is in, you just lay the materials down and it locks into place,” said House 2 contestant Ryan, who chose the Outdure ResortDeck Composite Decking for their poolside entertainment area and outdoor kitchen.

“And with the ResortDeck we used, that means you don’t have to stain it and never will, the finish is there from the start and the durability means it’ll stay.”

With six matt natural colours and finishes available, including Sea Salt (as used in Houses 1, 2, 3), Havana (house 4) and Sunset (House 5) ResortDeck’s versatility was a definite draw for all Block contestants this year, who immediately saw the benefits of a low maintenance, high performance man-made deck that gives a natural timber look, without (as Ryan points out) the need to oil it year after year.

The durability of Outdure was the drawcard for Ryan in House 2 “And with the ResortDeck we used, that means you don’t have to stain it and never will, the finish is there from the start and the durability means it’ll stay.”

At House 3, that versatility was showcased by using it alongside the Outdure Mineral Tiles (in the Mist colour) for a luxe look.

Throw in the fact it’s termite proof, splinter free and fade, scratch or mould resistant and it’s just the ideal choice for an area like the Macedon Ranges where the weather changes dramatically with all homes opting for the tough but design-friendly product.

“Best of all though is the speed it can go down,” says House 4’s Jenny, who had the largest deck area ever seen on The Block.

“We worked it out that we had 1.6km of decking to lay for our porch which surrounds most of the build.

“There is just no way we would ever have been able to finish that amount of space in the time we had with the team we had unless it was with Outdure.

“It just couldn’t have been done!”

With Outdure however, it can be done and to a standard that left the Blockheads amazed.

Sharon and Ankur's completed Outdure Deck showcased by using it alongside the Outdure Mineral Tiles (in the Mist colour) for a luxe look.

The showstopper deck of the season was definately Omar and Oz. The boys saying it's the icing in the cake for their house, and the judges couldn't agree more.

“To be honest from the moment we did our planning session with the Outdure experts we knew our outdoor entertainment area and pool surround would look incredible,” says House 5’s Oz.

“The planning session and colour selection Omar and I did was so simple it really allowed us to get the look we were always wanting… we wanted a certain flow from inside to outside and colour palette and then to see it come together like it did so fast at the end was just amazing.

“And it looks even better than he’d hoped! It’s the icing on the cake.”

Take a look at the Block 2022 Outdure range online HERE