This post has been a long time coming but one thing that made a massive difference to Casa Pyla’s outdoor space was building a large 65 sqm deck in ipé.

We bought ours from La Parqueterie Nouvelle which has a large, quality choice of wood for decks. Our decision to go for exotic wood was driven by the fact that it is a dense wood, naturally rot-proof, and durable and we wanted the deck to last. It also has a really nice colour that suited our house perfectly.

I don’t have any large plans for the house before we started the renovations. However, here are a few pictures that will allow you to see how the house was. Initially, the East-facing entrance was at the front via these concrete stairs and balcony (see below). As we knocked down all the partition walls to create a large, open-plan living room filled with natural light, we wanted the deck to be an extension of our living spaces in Summertime (see house plans before & Architect plans).

BEFORE

AFTER

The front door was replaced by a large bay window facing the leafy garden.
We also added a large window in the kitchen to get some south-facing light.
This window was purposely fitted high to avoid looking onto the neighbours’ garden and believe me, it’s the first thing they were ready to put a stop to when we displayed the building permit!

Once all the new windows were fitted. We tackled the deck…

The wood we chose is this exotic Ipé wood from La Parqueterie Nouvelle.
It has a beautiful colour and Créa’bois, the local company that fitted the deck for us also confirmed that the quality was really good. On a side note, I also highly recommend Créa’Bois..

Above is a picture of the deck once it was finished. Below is a picture a few months later when we were making the most of the deck. So you know, the colour of the deck looks darker because I desaturated my image to fit the colorimetry of my Instagram feed ;-)

And here are a few images of the deck a year later

We are probably going to apply a wood saturator in April to prevent the wood from becoming grey. I love grey wood on modern structures but I think a warmer look suits the house better. The next job outside is to replace the fence. We will also add black cladding to the garage converted into my Photography studio.

This article is posted in partnership with La Parqueterie Nouvelle which kindly gave us a press discount to purchase the wood.

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CASA PYLA is a creative residence available for Summer rentals and shooting/filming. It is located two minutes’ walk from the beach in Pyla-sur-Mer (45 min drive from Bordeaux airport). Facing Cap-Ferret, CASA PYLA is located in a very leafy area and if you go for a walk on the beach, you will get a stunning view of this beauty.

If you wish to book CASA PYLA, for your holidays or for a photoshoot, feel free to email me at [email protected]