garden decking advice before i start...

downs523

hi, thinking of getting wooden decking for my rear garden. having looked online i have read that...

if its against your house wall have it at a angle away from it so rain doesnt build up.

make sure ground is hard and level.

leave 5mm gap between planks.

have it below damp proof membrane of house.

anyone got any tips or advice on making decking?

i know i can buy the supporting frames from wicks, seen on their site. is it a pretty simple job. looking to get it done level with the rest of garden (to keep below damp proof membrane of house.

weekendwarrior

It is all pretty much covered here-

Decking

Don't use the clips for holding the deck boards to the decking structure, decking screws are much easier to use!

downs523

thanks for that link mate, lots of info on there, cheers

Ken68

Watch out that the water can run off easy, otherwise ice in the winter.
My neighbour can't even use his long garden decked path after frost, until after the sun has been out for a while.

petemoran53

I did some DIY decking on the back of my house of a fixed rectangle shape, was relatively straight forward with a wealth of material on the web on how to do it. However I also wanted to do similarly around a pond in the front of my house - and had a few more complications... I measured this odd sized land and worked out the lengths of decking I would need (they varied substantially) and was really pleased with myself...

I went down the local timber yard with my list and said I need decking to make this cutting list - and could you cut it for me. This is where I came unstuck, they said yes but the decking comes in fixed lengths of 3600 mm so how many do you want... This sent my head into a bit of a wobble, as of course the number of stock lengths I would need would depend on HOW my cutting list was done, and seeing as I had quite a few different bits this was far from easy, as if you get it wrong you buy way too much and have a huge amount of wastage (and thus wasting your money). So I went home and tried to figure it out, first I had a look on the internet for a calculator which could help me.. but seems none were out there... So I decided to create one for my own use! as not only do you need to know how many stock lengths you will need, you also need to know how to cut them properly.

So here is my decking cutting list calculator (would also work for any stock timber cutting list) if you know the sizes of the decking lengths you need (and also does for the frame)then it will create a report for you with how many lengths you need and how to cut the decking/frame...

http://www.zoborg.com/decking-cutting-list.html

I hope this makes it a bit easier for any future DIY deckings!

Cknocker

If its raised of the ground, check with your local council first as they may require planning permission for it. This is since revised permitted development rules came in last October.

Alan_M_2

I'm part way through building a deck, after a lot of research I decided to go with this companies products:-

http://www.qualitydecking.co.uk/

Forget coach bolts and socket sets, use Timberlok Self drilling screw/bolts.

http://www.fastenmaster.com/product.aspx?catID=7&prodID=8

Ken68

For small decking areas you can put off mice from nesting by putting in holly etc.

planning_officer

Cknocker wrote: »

If its raised of the ground, check with your local council first as they may require planning permission for it. This is since revised permitted development rules came in last October.

Yep, if any part of it is raised more than 300mm off the ground then it will be classed as a raised platform or terrace which requires planning permission.

Alan_M_2

planning_officer wrote: »

Yep, if any part of it is raised more than 300mm off the ground then it will be classed as a raised platform or terrace which requires planning permission.

Plus you must also not cover more than 50% of the garden by surface area.

That sounds a lot, but it isn't when you think about the gardens of London town houses...