Sheffield fireman revamps garden with charcoal deck

After moving into his forever home with his family, Phil Brooks had plans to extend his 1930s property to make it the family home they’d always dreamed of, with a garden to match.

The design

Not content with the idea of a straightforward, ‘boring’ flat decking area, Phil imagined something much more creative and contemporary to renovate his garden space. Collaborating with Sheffield-based business Chameleon Landscaping and IRO, he managed to achieve exactly that.

Using IRO Timber decking, he created a striking and practical outdoor space for his family to enjoy, with floating decks at different heights that created texture and dimension against the backdrop of the garden.

Phil, who started work on the home extension back in 2017, said: “We wanted a garden to reflect our modern open plan extension where we could entertain and relax. I was previously a graphic designer and had a passion for garden design, so I already knew what I had in mind and what I wanted to create within our budget.”

Armed with ideas on what could be achieved, Phil set out to get some quotations for the work and as a result met Patrick from Chameleon Landscaping. Working with Patrick, the plan was to transform a disused area of the garden into a decked space that would provide sterling views of the house, and would also be the perfect spot for Phil and his partner to watch their two daughters play.

After some research, Phil chose IRO’s decking in ‘Charcoal’ for its modern look, which sees the surrounding greenery really pop against the dark colour. Budget and quality were also a big factor, and for both these things, IRO was unmatched when compared to composite products.

“We found composite decking to be really expensive and at the top end in comparison to the IRO board, which was priced mid-range in our budget,” said Phil.

Patrick, who had heard about IRO in his field of work, was also excited to work with the product, and found it incredibly easy to install. The malleability of the timber meant the team could be a lot more creative with the installation. The touch-up cream was used to match the charcoal colour to disguise edging and cuts, giving the decking a perfect, refined finish.

The benefits

Phil had heard about IRO through a few design programmes and fell in love with the idea of the Japanese method of Yakisugi, which is how IRO Timber is made. It involves an intricate process using heat to ‘char’ the wood, helping to make it more weatherproof and better protected against insects and ageing.

“My current job as a fireman means I am more used to putting out fires than trying to burn wood! I came across IRO Timber decking during my research and before long a sample pack was in the post,” said Phil.

“It’s a great product that looks the part and the colour was great, as we had just painted our fence black to fit in with the modern look we were trying to achieve.
“We love that it is still wood and has a real tactile feel about it, with the added benefit that it will last longer due to the traditional Japanese method of how it is created.”

Now completed, the decking area also features custom lighting, moveable soft furnishings and décor, making it a cosy yet stylish space to unwind both during the day and on an evening.

“I really love the IRO deck board and would have liked to have had the fencing done in it too,” added Phil.

“I would recommend IRO to anyone and they do a wide range of colours to suit all tastes. I’m already trying to find what else I can build/design using it so watch this space…”

Find out more about IRO decking, and get in touch with the team to find out how you can use it for your own projects.