International Timber donated Type 146 Charcoal Dura Deck to a deserving family from Wales, featured on the BBC One series ‘DIY SOS: The Big Build’. Made from low-maintenance and eco-friendly composite timber, Dura Deck was used as part of a life changing transformation to their home.

DIY SOS: The Big Build is the BBC’s flagship home renovation programme, presented by Nick Knowles and his team of Purple Shirts, takes on really ambitious builds in just nine days.

They completely rely on the support and generosity of the local community of tradespeople and suppliers, to help truly deserving families transform their homes

The chosen family was Charlotte Fairlie (35) and her husband Rob (40) from Monmouth in Wales.

The Fairllie family have pulled it through thick and thin after Charlotte’s traumatic birth of their two twin boys last December.

Despite being monitored during her pregnancy, Charlotte suffered a serious stroke, sending her into a coma and was given a 1% chance of survival. Luckily, she pulled through but the stroke caused brain damage, partial paralysis and loss of speech.

As result, Charlotte now needs full-time care and before the build, lacked the space and facilities to be able to care for herself. She was completely dependent on Rob and ideally needed a dedicated physiotherapy room, where she could retrain her body and start the long journey to recovery.

The composite timber deck supplied by International Timber and Dura Composites was installed in the garden of the DIY SOS Monmouth build for the Fairlie family. Type 146 Charcoal Dura Deck was a great choice for the family thanks to its low maintenance requirements. The fact that the deck will never need painting, staining, sanding or treating means that the Fairlie’s and their twins can enjoy an outside deck with excellent anti-slip properties that’s accessible all year round – without the burden of ongoing maintenance.

All tradespeople and suppliers were invited to attend to the Big Reveal on Thursday 14th April, when the family returned to see the house for the first time. Neil Summerell, Project Manager at International Timber attended on our behalf to see the reaction. He said:

“I was delighted to attend the Big Reveal and witness the emotional moment, amongst the rest of team and ‘Purple Shirts’. It was humbling to see how our donation impacted the lives of this family and the stunning transformation of their home. From all of us at International Timber, we’d like to wish the Fairllie family all the best in their new home.”