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Ausmar Homes’ “The Narrabeen” display home in Baringa, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, uses DECO’s timber-look aluminium systems as its defining exterior language. Vertical DecoBatten screens the upper storey, V-Groove DecoClad gives the garage door a continuous lower-facade appearance, and DecoDeck carries the timber effect through the entry, alfresco and pool areas. The project was reported in Architecture & Design on 7 October 2019, with additional detail in a contemporaneous DECO announcement.
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The result is not a house clad in one material. It is a coordinated palette in which battens, cladding and decking repeat a Spotted Gum DecoWood finish against stone and concrete. Current DECO product pages describe the systems and ratings available today, but those specifications should not be treated as independent testing of the 2019 installation.
The project at a glance
The featured property is Ausmar Homes’ two-level display home, “The Narrabeen,” identified in DECO’s project announcement as 43 Leslie Crescent, Baringa, Queensland. Baringa is on the Sunshine Coast. The address and viewing hours published with the 2019 announcement are historical; anyone planning a visit should confirm with Ausmar that the home remains open and that the details are still valid.
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The project’s signature is the way the same timber-look idea is used at different scales. Fine vertical battens provide screening on the upper floor, a grooved cladding profile wraps the garage door, and broad decking boards extend the visual language into outdoor circulation and entertaining spaces.
| Location | DECO system identified for the project | Design role described in the project material |
|---|---|---|
| Upper-storey frontage | Vertical DecoBatten | Creates a screened frontage; the stated spacing was selected to support privacy while allowing light and airflow. |
| Garage door | V-Groove DecoClad | Produces a continuous-looking lower-level facade across the door. |
| Front entry | DecoDeck | Extends the timber-look surface to the approach and threshold. |
| Alfresco | DecoDeck | Links the covered outdoor living area to the rest of the facade palette. |
| Pool area | DecoDeck | Repeats the finish around the pool zone, where surface and slip considerations matter. |
| Colour and surrounding materials | Spotted Gum DecoWood with stone and concrete | Sets a warm timber note against harder mineral surfaces. |
Why the upper-level DecoBatten facade is the showstopper
The upper floor is where the system is most visually obvious. A field of narrow, vertical battens changes the frontage from a flat wall into a layered screen. From a distance, the repeated lines read as a timber facade; up close, the regular spacing makes the geometry and shadow pattern part of the architecture.
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DECO’s project announcement says the spacing was chosen to balance privacy with light and airflow. That is a design intention, not a measured performance claim for every orientation or weather condition. On a real site, the result depends on the batten depth, spacing, window positions, sun angle and the viewing distance from neighbouring properties.
Screening without making a dark box
A solid wall can provide privacy but may reduce daylight and breezes. A batten screen offers a different compromise: it interrupts direct views while leaving gaps between the members. The Narrabeen photographs show the screen applied across the upper frontage rather than used as a small decorative panel, so the rhythm becomes a major part of the home’s identity.
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For designers, the useful lesson is to set the spacing from the room’s actual privacy requirement instead of choosing a pattern only for appearance. Bedrooms, bathrooms and stair landings may need different sight-line control. The screen should also be coordinated with window opening sizes, insect screens, cleaning access and the shadow it casts on glazing.
Vertical proportion and visual height
Vertical lines make the two-storey elevation feel taller and help tie the upper level to the lower facade. The timber-look finish softens the scale of the aluminium system, while the uninterrupted repetition prevents the frontage from becoming visually busy. This is a compositional effect visible in the project imagery; it is not evidence that one batten arrangement is universally better than another.
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Garage doors often read as a large, separate rectangle. In the Narrabeen project, the DECO announcement identifies V-Groove DecoClad on the garage door to create a continuous-looking lower-level facade. The grooves and timber-look colour carry the same language across a surface that would otherwise announce itself as a moving door.
Continuity still has to accommodate the door’s operation. The cladding profile, panel joints, hinges, clearances and perimeter seals must be specified for the particular garage-door mechanism. A visual match between fixed walls and a moving panel is a detailing exercise, not simply a matter of applying a finish after installation.
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Details to resolve before ordering
- Confirm whether the selected cladding profile and fixing method are approved for the chosen garage-door panel construction.
- Set out joints so the closed door aligns convincingly with adjacent wall lines.
- Allow for movement, ventilation and service access rather than sealing the door into a nominally continuous wall.
- Obtain colour and profile samples in the actual exterior light; a timber-look coating can read differently in shade, direct sun and evening lighting.
DecoDeck carries the material story into outdoor living
The project uses DecoDeck at the front entry, alfresco and pool area. Repeating one decking system in these locations helps the entry, covered entertaining space and pool edge feel like parts of one circulation route rather than unrelated finishes.
The pool application is especially important visually. A warm timber tone can reduce the hard, technical appearance often created by concrete paving and pool coping. The project announcement attributes the Spotted Gum DecoWood finish to the DECO system and places it alongside stone and concrete, creating contrast without introducing a second timber species.
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DECO’s current DecoDeck product page describes the system as aluminium decking with a slip-resistant DecoWood finish. It lists a P4/R11 rating and two board widths: 94 mm and 134 mm. Those are current manufacturer specifications accessed on 13 October 2026, not measurements recorded at the 2019 Narrabeen home.
| Current item described by DECO | Published detail | How to use the information |
|---|---|---|
| Material | Aluminium decking | Confirm the structural build-up, joist spacing and fixing schedule for the proposed site. |
| Finish | Slip-resistant DecoWood timber-look finish | Request a current sample and verify the selected colour in the project’s lighting. |
| Slip classification | P4/R11 | Check the applicable building and pool-area requirements with the certifier; do not assume a product-page rating resolves the whole installation. |
| Board widths | 94 mm and 134 mm | Choose width in relation to the scale of the terrace and the desired visual rhythm. |
| Maintenance and fire statements | DECO describes the product as low maintenance and non-combustible | Treat these as manufacturer claims and obtain the current technical documentation for the specified assembly. |
The quoted description on DECO’s current page calls DecoDeck “the award-winning aluminium decking system that is strong, durable and low maintenance.” That wording is a vendor statement, not an independent assessment of performance at Ausmar’s home or at another site.
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What the Spotted Gum DecoWood finish contributes
According to DECO’s project announcement, the systems at Narrabeen use a Spotted Gum DecoWood finish. In this context, “Spotted Gum” identifies the visual timber reference rather than proving that natural spotted-gum boards were installed. The finish gives the battens, garage cladding and deck a related colour while retaining the dimensional consistency of manufactured aluminium components.
Pairing the warm finish with stone and concrete is a practical design strategy. Mineral surfaces supply mass and visual stability; the timber reference supplies warmth and a domestic scale. The same approach can be adapted with different surrounding colours, but changing the finish or adjacent materials will alter how strongly the facade reads as timber.
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- Sample nearby wall paints, stone, concrete sealers and metalwork together rather than approving each colour in isolation.
- Check warm and cool whites around the DecoWood finish; a cool white can make the timber tone appear more golden, while a warm neutral can reduce contrast.
- Review samples at morning, midday and late-afternoon light, especially on a north- or west-facing elevation.
- Keep touch-up and replacement expectations in the handover documentation. A later component may not match a weathered original exactly.
Timber-look aluminium or natural timber: questions the project cannot answer on its own
The Narrabeen display home demonstrates one design application; it does not provide a controlled comparison with natural timber. If you are choosing between materials, treat the following as specification questions rather than settled conclusions.
Appearance over time
Ask how the selected finish is expected to weather, whether colour variation is acceptable and how replacement boards or battens will be matched. Natural timber can vary board to board; a coated aluminium system is manufactured to a specified finish. Neither observation, by itself, predicts how a particular building will look years later.
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Maintenance and access
DECO describes its products as low maintenance, but the maintenance schedule for a coastal facade still depends on salt, airborne dirt, nearby vegetation, drainage and the ability to reach the surfaces safely. Compare the actual cleaning instructions and access requirements with those for the natural-timber alternative.
Coastal exposure
The Sunshine Coast location makes exposure a relevant design consideration, but the project article does not publish a site-monitoring study or long-term corrosion results. Obtain the current suitability guidance for the site’s distance from the coast, fixings, cut edges and interfaces with other metals.
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Deck safety and compliance
For a pool or alfresco deck, ask for the current slip documentation, installation requirements and the way the rating applies to wet conditions, cleaning and the complete floor assembly. A board rating is not a substitute for checking falls, drainage, stairs, handrails, lighting and local approval requirements.
Installed cost
No project price is published for the Narrabeen home, and the available material does not establish a balanced installed-cost comparison with natural timber. Request itemised quotes that separate substructure, labour, flashings, edge trims, access equipment, waste and future maintenance.
Installation and specification checklist
- Confirm the current product. Product pages, colours, profiles and availability can change. Obtain the latest technical and installation documents before signing a specification.
- Map every interface. Draw the junctions between battens, windows, soffits, garage doors, decking, pool coping, drainage and adjacent masonry.
- Set out the visual grid. Coordinate batten spacing, cladding grooves and deck-board direction with openings and structural lines.
- Check fixing and movement requirements. Use the manufacturer’s approved concealed or exposed fixing method for the selected system and substrate.
- Resolve water management. Provide flashings, clearances, falls and drainage paths appropriate to the wall and deck assemblies.
- Verify approvals. Confirm the applicable planning, building, fire and pool-safety requirements with the project’s designer, certifier and installer.
- Record the finish. Keep the product name, colour, batch information, board width, cleaning instructions and spare-material details with the handover documents.
What is current, and what belongs to the 2019 project record?
The project identity, locations of the DECO systems and the Spotted Gum finish come from the 2019 Architecture & Design feature and contemporaneous DECO announcement. Current DECO pages provide today’s descriptions of DecoBatten, DecoDeck and the broader range, including the listed P4/R11 rating and 94 mm and 134 mm board widths for DecoDeck.
DECO currently describes DecoBatten as a lightweight aluminium batten system with a DecoWood timber-look finish. Its page lists concealed-fixing QuickClick two-piece systems, one-piece battens and uses including facades and garage doors. DECO also describes its wider range as Australian-made aluminium products available nationwide. These are manufacturer descriptions; they should be checked against the exact product, certification and installer documentation selected for a new project.
Bottom line for designers and homeowners
Ausmar’s Narrabeen display home is a clear example of a coordinated timber-look aluminium palette: vertical DecoBatten establishes privacy and rhythm upstairs, V-Groove DecoClad visually absorbs the garage door, and DecoDeck extends the finish through the entry, alfresco and pool areas. Its value as a reference is design-specific. Use the project to study proportion, repetition and material transitions, then verify current profiles, ratings, approvals, maintenance instructions and costs before treating any DECO system as suitable for a new address.
Quick Recap
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