We are excited to announce Yardzen’s partnership with TimberTech®. We chose to partner with TimberTech as our exclusive High-Performance Decking partner because of the exceptional quality of their materials, their industry-leading sustainability practices, and the unmatched performance of their decking in yards from coast to coast.
Yardzen’s Design Director, Kevin Lenhart, PMLA, shares why TimberTech is his choice for any Yardzen client.
Environmental Impact
Wood per se is not problematic, but the way it is produced often is. There are some exceptions: wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council has been grown and harvested sustainably. (If you use wood in your project, we highly recommend using FSC-certified wood!) Sadly, FSC-certified wood makes up only a small fraction of wood in the residential landscape market. The majority of wood comes from plantations.
A typical timber plantation features a single tree species and scant ecological value. When native forests are replaced by plantations, diverse communities of trees and understory plants are destroyed. This process pollutes waterways with erosion, eliminates crucial habitat, and decimates biodiversity.
It also contributes to global warming. While old growth forests store carbon for centuries, the timber plantations and young timber forests that replace them are actually net emitters of carbon due to soil disturbance and ecosystem degradation. Worldwide, deforestation causes 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Timber production and agricultural clearing are the key drivers of this deforestation.
Demand in the U.S. and Europe in particular for tropical hardwoods like ipe and cumaru fuels massive illegal logging operations in the Amazon, Indonesia, and other tropical regions.
Choosing recycled composite decking, like TimberTech, side steps the environmental hazards of timber production, and casts a vote for more sustainable forest management.
It also impacts the waste stream. TimberTech’s recycling program diverted roughly 500 million pounds of waste in 2021. Their composite boards are made from up to 80% recycled wood and plastic. Up to 97% of the water used in their manufacturing process is recycled, as is 99% of the scrap they generate internally. Since 2001, sales of TimberTech have helped to preserve over 3 million trees. Factoring the shorter lifespan of wood decks, TimberTech also helps to keep aged-out decks from entering landfills.
Bottom line, you can feel good about using TimberTech.
TimberTech’s sustainability commitment
Design Quality
The durability, low maintenance, cost effectiveness, and sustainability of TimberTech decking would mean nothing if it didn’t look good.
Fortunately, it’s gorgeous. With a broad range of available colors, wood grain finishes, and board dimensions, TimberTech adapts easily to virtually any design aesthetic - mix and match to get the look and feel you need.
TimberTech is also simple to work with. Contractors can install it just like wood, without any need for a complex installation system. It can even be bent to achieve curved design features. Factor this with its durability and low maintenance requirements, and it’s easy to understand why our contractors love it.
If you’d like to learn more about TimberTech, feel free to browse their website. You can also chat or schedule a consultation call with a Yardzen team member by visiting Yardzen.com.
Durable + Low Maintenance
TimberTech’s products are exceptionally durable and low-maintenance thanks to technological advances across the range of products. The structure of the boards offer numerous benefits:
Weatherproof. That means no weathering, mold, or mildew from exposure to the elements (all common issues with wood decking).
Sun Loving. TimberTech holds up well in sunlight, resisting fading far better than wood, and they have warranties to boot. TimberTech’s AZEK line stays cool - 30 degrees cooler than competing composite products, to be precise.
Foot Friendly. In addition to keeping cool underfoot, TimberTech won’t splinter. Kick off your shoes with confidence.
Strong. Put simply, TimberTech won’t break - install it and forget about it. It also has great warranties, so in the rare event that it does incur damage, you’ll be covered.
TimberTech Weathered-Teak Vintage Collection AZEK Wide Width Decking
Lower Lifetime Costs
When you factor the time and expense required to maintain, repair, or replace wood decking, TimberTech has a substantially lower lifetime cost than wood.
No weatherproofing. Decks and other outdoor wood structures require annual coats of paint, stain, or waterproofing seal to protect them from moisture and UV damage. TimberTech is weatherproof from the start, no additional treatment required.
Longer Lifespan. A typical wood deck lasts 10-15 years. TimberTech decks have fade and stain warranties ranging from 25-50 years, and TimberTech’s AZEK line has a lifetime product warranty. The value is clear: you’ll pay for two wood decks to achieve the longevity you get from a single TimberTech deck.
Fewer repairs. As they age, wood decks incur cosmetic and structural damage. Sooner or later, you’ll need to refinish, repair, or replace the frame or surface of a wood deck. Such issues are rare with TimberTech. Most likely, your maintenance will involve little more than an occasional wash.
Competitive Purchase Price. Historically, composite decking costs more to purchase than wood. Even with this higher purchase price, the deferred maintenance, repairs, and replacement that TimberTech offers make it a better lifetime value.
Today, with wood prices through the roof, TimberTech can sometimes cost less than wood. That means that TimberTech not only costs you less in the long run, but very often at the time of purchase too.