Huubie Build specialises in imaginative play and natural fun, creating whimsical and unique treehouses and play structures – and they use Marley CitiDeck® to ensure safety and inclusivity.
With a focus on imaginative play and natural fun, Huubie Build has gained a reputation for creating unique play areas and treehouses for residential, commercial, and educational settings. The structures are works of art with a spirit of playfulness and deliberate “wonkiness” that give a sense of fairy-tale magic. But they’re also carefully designed for safety – and to help ensure the safety of the children and adults who use these structures, CitiDeck® anti-slip timber decking is the flooring of choice.
Anti-slip decking: safety first
Safety is essential, and Huubie Build’s play structures are designed to help ensure the wellbeing of those who use them. Decking, platforms, ramps and stairs all require slip-resistant textures and a beautiful timber finish that blends in with the rest of the wooden structure – and for this, they use Marley’s CitiDeck® timber decking.
CitiDeck® is a non-slip timber deck board with a smooth profile and two-non-slip inserts of white-coloured aggregate. It has been independently tested and achieved average pendulum test values (PTVs) of 61 when wet and 73 when dry. These results are significantly higher than the minimum PTV of 36 required for a surface with low potential for slip.
Safety is also essential for creating inclusive play environments that all children can use. Huubie Build has experience in designing and building for SEND applications. Their timber play structures are perfect for creating fun, stimulating experiences for those with special or additional needs, and the CitiDeck® anti-slip decking provides an extra sense of security.
Timber decking: natural and sustainable
Sustainability is a key consideration. Marley’s CitiDeck® anti-slip decking is manufactured from European redwood, which is sourced sustainably with full PEFC chain of custody.
“We like wood over plastic,” Paul from Huubie Build says. “We like trees. If we didn’t like trees, we wouldn’t be in the job we’re doing, building tree houses.” The company also plants a new tree for every completed project.
Anti-slip decking in a restaurant play area
When family restaurant chain Hickory’s Smokehouse began looking to create play opportunities at their Nuthal location, they called in Huubie Build to repurpose an outdoor area with an American Deep-South theme. The aim for the restaurant was to establish an inclusive and enjoyable environment that attracted families and encouraged people with children to spend more time there.Paul and his team designed and built a water tower play structure with a silo roof and stainless steel tube slide. All the ramps, stairs and boxes that led up to the water tower were made using CitiDeck®, which he says looked great and felt secure underfoot, even in the wet.
“CitiDeck® did exactly what it says on the tin with this project,” Paul says, explaining that the timber anti-slip decking provided the safety and design flexibility he needed to match the brief.
A play area for the whole family
One recent project for Huubie Build, which was both complicated and incredibly rewarding, was for a family home in Godalming. They wanted to create an outdoor space that could grow with them as a family. However, the garden had a very steep incline, which meant there was nowhere the children could play safely, so the area went mostly unused.
Huubie Build’s solution for the problematic space was to create a tiered garden that incorporated monkey bars, a slide, swings, a climbing wall, an outdoor movie den and a fire pit surrounded by curved seating. At the very top, overlooking the garden, they constructed a unique office/treehouse with a deck.
CitiDeck® was used on the office deck, as flooring in the movie den and as the decking around the fire pit. It was also used to construct the various climbing walls, stairs and ramps that linked the different tiers of the garden.
The anti-slip properties of CitiDeck® made it the ideal choice for this steep garden, and Paul says his clients are delighted with the result: “It eased their mind in terms of safety for the children,” he explains.
Handmade in the UK, Marley check the quality at every stage of the process, and for extra reassurance, CitiDeck® has the TDCA DeckMark® and DeckMark® Plus quality certification.
For further information visit: marley.co.uk/decking
