For homeowners of a private residence in Beaconsfield, Karl Harrison Landscapes Ltd designed and installed the perfect decking. It was firstly designed with Millboard in mind but the client decided to opt for the most Biophilic option, Accoya wood. Karl Harrison, alongside Accoya approved distributors, James Latham Ltd, selected Accoya to be the best material to meet the clients’ request; “timber must look and feel as natural as possible” and so Accoya wood was the ideal choice.

Accoya is real wood. It has been through a modification process to increase its durability and stability, but only naturally occurring molecules are added to the wood. There are no foreign materials added, meaning the product is non-toxic and fully recyclable.

Accoya is also barefoot-friendly. It can be planed to reveal a smooth texture and has a very low thermal gain, meaning it will remain cool underfoot, even in the warmest of climates.

The decking project was completed in Summer 2021.

Accoya has multiple finishing options but to maintain their biophilic choices the homeowners choose to leave their Accoya decking uncoated. They could have chosen to oil the Accoya decking once installed as using a transparent oil would’ve kept the natural vanilla wood colour, however, they opted not to. “Natural means letting nature take its course” and over time, the Accoya wood will weather and turn a contemporary yet organic grey. There is an added benefit to leaving the Accoya decking uncoated as the clients will not need to re-oil the deck in the future. It also does not impact the warranty of Accoya meaning the decking will remain under warranty for 25 years.

Although no coating was applied, the Accoya decking boards were brushed.  This was done to achieve a smooth yet tactile texture that is pleasant to walk on with bare feet. Each board was also sanded to ensure no sharp corners and edges.

The decking was installed with secret side fixings and so no screws holding the boards in place are visible. There is a rodding point underneath the decking that needed to remain accessible but Karl Harrison cleverly designed plugs to cover the screws, using Accoya to ensure they blended seamlessly.

There are also a few supporting posts from the property going through the decking. The decking boards were cut so that exactly half a decking board was used on either side of every post, creating a precise and aesthetically pleasing finish.

“It’s always a delight to dedicate time to making every detail on a project perfect. I love using new textures and materials in my gardens, so thank you to Lathams and Accoya for helping make that happen.”

“I love recommending Accoya for decking, come on, really… It’s beautiful, sustainable, can be recycled, cradle to cradle gold, massive warranty… the list is a long one”