Add value? Traditional cottage garden or tropical palms & decking?

GracieP

Just to add about rats and decking. There is quite a difference between under a shed and under decking when it comes to rats choosing a home. Not too many humans regularly gather in the shed for a meal, they don't wake up on a sunny morning and say, "what a lovely day, lets eat breakfast in the shed!" They don't invite friends for a bbq and sit munching in the shed, they don't see their children playing in the garden and bring their lunch to the shed. But people do, do that with their decking, that's it's purpose.

No matter how tidy we think we are, particles of food will land on the decking and sometimes fall through the wood. It's this that attracts the rats.

tara747

uggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh

tara747

And it looks tacky!

Davesnave

GracieP wrote: »

Just to add about rats and decking. There is quite a difference between under a shed and under decking when it comes to rats choosing a home. Not too many humans regularly gather in the shed for a meal, they don't wake up on a sunny morning and say, "what a lovely day, lets eat breakfast in the shed!" They don't invite friends for a bbq and sit munching in the shed, they don't see their children playing in the garden and bring their lunch to the shed. But people do, do that with their decking, that's it's purpose.

No matter how tidy we think we are, particles of food will land on the decking and sometimes fall through the wood. It's this that attracts the rats.

The thing that most encourages a proliferation of rats in urban areas is the careless disposal of take-aways and other food rubbish, both in and out of plastic sacks. Against that, the occasional spillage of something on the decking, or on the lawn/patio, pales into insignificance.

It's academic whether a rat chooses a shed or a deck to hole-up under, as they have legs, and they sure get around. The essential point is that their hole can't be easily spotted or reached if it's under a shed floor or a deck. Mind you, those troublesome, useless cats that people are always writing about on this forum, can be amazingly patient......as can a Jack Russell, or similar!

In town we find rats in great abundance, not because of decking or sheds, but simply because many of our fellow human beings have rather low standards when it comes to rubbish disposal.

By the way, have you seen those 'sheds' called garden rooms? there's loads in all the DIY store catalogues, many costing several thousand £££. I think you'll find you'll find quite a lot besides 'potting' goes on in those!;)

space_rider

Thank goodness my decking is quite a distance from my patio. It`s in the last part of the garden that gets the sun.

jackieb

Geenie wrote: »

Decking is the equivalent to owning an Amstrad Computer at the end of the 1990's apparently!!!


The cottage idea sounds lovely....but I am a rural lass who loves scent, herbs, veg and fruit trees.

Oh dear. I'm getting a raised deck put in next month.

But the gaps underneath are going to be filled in so not rats (eek!) or rubbish can get under it.

jackieb

Dinah93 wrote: »

If you go with decking you will more than likely need planning permission under the new regs that came in in October as it constitutes a 'raised platform, veranda or balcony', so this would cost you a further £150.

It cost us £100 to the council, but £400 for the plans. We were putting in French doors in place of a window as well though.

I don't see the problem with decking tbh. We want to leave our French doors open and to be able to walk straight out from the livingroom. We have plenty of garden, grass and trees left. It's not like we're taking up the whole space. We could have another house built in our garden so that's not an issue. It'll be covering up an eyesore of a cement patio as a bonus. I don't think i'd have put decking in if my doors weren't 18 inches from the ground though - a nice stone patio would have been easier to do.

Each to their own, but i'm not a chav!