Terrace and garden - choose ecological wood

Yard construction includes various construction work in the yard, summer cottage, or larger building projects. In this article, we present wood's possibilities for garden construction.

Read on for some good tips

for terrace design
choosing terrace boards
the use of trellis and fencing, and
to weigh up the benefits of top-coated and pre-painted cladding panels.

Terraces are at the heart of the garden: what is your dream terrace?

Garden design often starts with the construction of a new terrace or the updating of an old one. The renovated terrace itself generates more ideas for creating a more welcoming garden.

What is your dream terrace like? Are you thinking of a big, sunny oasis with space for barbecues, sports and lounging with a book? Or are you dreaming of a sheltered, atmospheric place to relax, perhaps decorated with plants, lanterns and soft armchairs?

When you first start thinking about your terrace, you should focus on the big lines. So think about at least these things when you're designing your terrace:

How big will the terrace be?
Is the entire terrace covered or does the terrace extend beyond the covered area?
Will the terrace have glazing, a fireplace, a hot tub, jacuzzi or other fixed interior solutions?
What kind of dividers, fences, railings or screens does your terrace need?

Measure and concretise the area in practice - building a terrace for a town house is often a more space-constrained project than building a terrace for a cottage.

Put your terrace ideas into practice: choose a weather-resistant wooden surface

Once the dimensions of your terrace are known, it's time to think about the material. Traditionally, the frame and decking are made of wood. Durability is one of the most important characteristics of a decking product, so we recommend choosing Thermodeck thermally modified.

The absolute advantage of thermally modified terrace boards is that it is environmentally friendly and non-toxic. In addition, Thermodeck terrace boards have a lifespan many times that of most untreated wood. Thanks to the heat treatment, the wood does not absorb as much moisture as regular wood, and its resistance to decay is improved.

Thermodeck terrace board has half the moisture content of regular wood and less surface cracking due to UV radiation. However, we recommend a surface treatment for the terrace board, as without treatment, the surface of the wood will turn grey due to UV radiation.

Different ways of fixing a decking board

With our Thermodeck terrace boards, you will find concealed and top-mounted options. The advantage of concealed fixing is that the wooden surface remains beautifully free of nail holes, and the nail heads do not scratch bare feet tramping on the terrace. However, building a terrace with top-fixing products is often quicker than concealed fixing.

Large surfaces - choose the right surface treatment for exterior cladding panels

Exterior cladding panels can be classified according to, for example, their profile, width and surface treatment.

According to the surface treatment, panels are roughly divided into three different groups:

Primed exterior cladding panels
Pre-painted exterior cladding panels
Top-coated finished exterior cladding panels

At Siparila, we almost always recommend using fully finished and At Siparila, we almost always recommend using fully finished and concealed fastening cladding panels as a preferred option, as they are speedy to install, do not leave fixing marks, and do not damage the finished paint surface. The nail-free surface also improves the weather resistance of the cladding by preventing rainwater from seeping into the wood at the fixing point.

A personal touch and privacy: trellises and the use of different types of laths in courtyard construction

Especially in urban and built-up areas, screens create privacy in your yard. With different types of lath, you can create visual barriers.

A sight barrier 1.2-1.5 metres high is sufficient to provide visual protection for a seated person, but if you also want a sight barrier to protect a standing person from prying eyes, it should be at least 1.8 metres high. The higher the terrace barrier, the stronger the supporting structures it requires. Just choose whether you prefer to install the laths vertically or horizontally.

Read also: Build your own patio screen »

You can also enhance the screen with tall plants or vines climbing in structures. Still, the protective effect of plants typically varies with the seasons. Early in the spring, when the garden is just awaking, the screens and trellises give spruces some cover.

Courtyard construction and fencing: creating clear spaces and increasing security

Fences are an essential safety feature for terraces and staircases, especially where there are significant differences in the height of the plot. You can build a fence using traditional fence boards for maximum protection, or, if you prefer, you can lighten the look of the fence with laths.

Read our blog about railing and fencing ideas for terraces »

However, from a practical construction point of view, water mustn't stand on wooden surfaces when building a fence. Rainwater and snowmelt must run off the posts and fence boards and down to the ground. It is, therefore, advisable to cover the fence with railing wire to prevent water from seeping in from the upper surfaces of the wood.

When you choose fence boards painted on all four sides, all that is required after installation is a final coat of paint and careful finishing of the fixing marks and cut-off surfaces.

The fence's durability is also increased by attaching the fence boards to the fence with bushings or screws. Delicate notched joints often cause problems when rainwater penetrates the joints and rots the wood. Therefore, applying a generous coat of paint to all fixing points where the paint surface has broken down is essential. Also, always use stainless steel screws to fix fence boards.

See Siparila's products for terrace and garden »

Top-coated panels and pre-painted laths significantly speed up garden construction

If you decide to paint the wood materials for your yard construction yourself from the start, please also note that waiting for the right weather, the prep and painting work itself, waiting for the paint to dry and the space required for all this will make your yard construction project a multi-stage process. But by getting the exterior cladding panels you need for your yard pre-painted and the lattice strips top-painted, you'll speed up your building project significantly.

The benefits of our top-coated products:

The panels do not need to be painted on site, but can be installed directly in place.
The multi-stage finish, applied in the factory, ensures that the paint sticks firmly to the wood and does not flake.
The surface of industrially painted wood is extremely durable, and the finish protects the wood from mould, moisture and UV radiation.
Depending on the architectural details and weather conditions, it will be 10-15 years before maintenance work is required.

You can also build a beautiful room divider and visual barrier quickly with Siparila's pre-painted laths. Our standard colors are white, grey and brown, but on request we can also produce laths in all the shades on the color charts. Pre-painted lath require a further coat of paint after installation to protect the fixing marks and cut-off points.

How else can you use wood in your garden?

In addition to decking, various types of shelters and fences, you can also use domestic wood to build a playhouse, summer kitchen, pergola, wooden shed or even a doghouse. The only limit is your imagination and woodworking skills!

See all our exterior cladding and terrace and garden products »