The California Deck

My aunt has a lovely lanai, or deck, at her house on the Big Island. She used this material that looks like wood but isn't (not sure what it's called). It's supposed to last longer than regular wood will in the rainy, hot climate of Puna.

She decided to not build an awning over the deck, which is creating a stir in the neighborhood. She is often confronted by people in the neighborhood who tell her she built a "California deck", not a "Hawaii deck" and that she needs to build an awning. They say that the sun and rain will ruin the deck. One day, a woman we had just met spent over 10 minutes telling us how impractical my aunt's deck was. Who knew that a deck could be so controversial?

With patio umbrellas you have enough shade to sit on the deck during the hottest part of the day. And at night, when the sky is so black you can even see the Milky Way, you don't miss having an awning at all.

Here are pictures:


The lanai, in the morning.


The other end of the lanai.


The view from the lanai.


The non-wood was soft on your feet, but not slippery.


After much shopping, we found some patio furniture.


Another view.