A follow-up to my previous post on wood decking. Remember, try and source local materials (within 500 miles) whenever possible. These products tend to consume fewer resources (less fossil fuels to transport), they support local economies and they're generally better suited to your local climate. A quick call to your local lumberyard should net you current pricing on each of these options. In my experience a ranked list from most affordable to most expensive would look like this:
- P/Treated Southern Yellow Pine
- Eastern White STK
- Atlantic White Cedar
- Douglas Fir
- Western Red Cedar
- Port Orford
- Redwood
- Tropical Hardwoods - Ipe, Mahogany, Teak...
Check out Wood, Steel + Glas' site for more information on Atlantic White Cedar, they're a great resource and happily send samples. As always, I'd love to hear from you with your comments or questions.