Inspiration

For now and forever solutions for a wrap around veranda

Your Home and Garden chief sub editor Stephanie Attwater’s dream reno is for a veranda. We discover the short and long term solutions

deck

For now and forever solutions for a wrap around veranda

“I’ve always been taken by those beautiful, wide porches on old North American homes, with wicker furniture and iced tea on tap. If the deck wrapped around the house, there would always be somewhere shady or sheltered to sit, and all the rooms could open onto it via French windows,” says Your Home and Garden chief sub editor Stephanie Attwater.

Stephanie has a small single-storey house from the 1960s. There is an existing deck on the side of the house which is built on a slope. She dreams of a wraparound veranda, but in the meantime a covered deck would do.

For now solution

A short-term fix would be to attach a custom shade sail and install 90x90cm machine-gauged posts to the outer edge of the existing deck to use as fixing points for the sail. You could also purchase a pre-made shade sail from a hardware store. Be sure to attach sail hooks securely, using eye bolts where possible.

Pros
A quick solution which will provide relief from sun or driving rain.

Cons
Some rain will still get through when it’s falling heavily or there are strong winds.

Considerations
+ Street appeal – this would be best suited to the back or side of the house.
+ Wind zones – are you in a high or low wind zone?
+ Quality of shade sail and strength of UV resistance.

Time: Nine hours for a builder and apprentice to install posts, plus a lead time of three to four weeks for sail to be made.
Budget: $1500-$2500, depending on size.

Forever solution

A wraparound deck is a great way to change the street view of your property. It would work best on a property on level ground, where you could plant gardens beside the entrance stairs and deck. If you have steep lawns, you might need to level out the area or create boxed retaining-wall gardens to keep the fall distance to a minimum.

Pros
Adds street appeal and value to the property.

Cons
Large project, can be expensive.

Considerations
+ Consent is required for decks over 1.5m high.
+ In sea spray zones, all fixings would need to be stainless steel.
+ This would not suit all house styles.
+ You could do some of the non-structural work yourself, such as laying the decking.

Time: Allow four weeks with two builders. A third builder would be required for some parts of the build.
Budget: $25,000-plus.

Words by: Fiona Ralph. Photography by: Alicia Taylor/bauersyndication.com.au.

Create the home of your dreams with Shop Your Home and Garden

SHOP NOW

FEATURED