Decking Quote + what questions to ask

Vampgirl

Hi,

MIL is looking at having some decking installed to improve access to her garden: at the moment she has steps down from the back door onto the patio bit and then steps back up again to where the washing line is. She has limited mobility and she struggles, so we've suggested she gets it decked straight across to make it a bit easier for her.

She doesn't want anything fancy: just simple and practical.
The deck would be raised approx 60cm from the current patio.
She is in Surrey.

We've had one quote so far:
- Materials for 6x6 metre deck: £2140 + VAT
- Labour: £2200 + VAT
- Removal of any waste would be extra on top

I have to be honest that this was a lot more than I was expecting, but I don't have any experience of the cost of garden improvements (we rent) so maybe its my expectations that are out of line

We've asked for more details and a breakdown of the costs but he wants our feedback on the price before he will do this. Any feedback on the quote? Is it reasonable? What specific questions should we be asking him?

Thanks for any advice!

leveller2911

If she has limited mobility then decking may not be suitable.It gets very slippery and needs regular maintenance.


I can't comment on whether the quote is reasonable but I would suggest getting someone who is not vat registered to to the work.It will save your MIL 20% on the labour. There are plenty of tradesment out there who are no vat registered and decking isn't difficult.

Make sure all cut ends are treated with a good quality spirit based preservative.........You will be surprised how quickly it will rot, tanalised timber is not what it use to be.

Does the quote include handrails,newels,base rails and spindles ? or just the decking?.

pukkamum

I agree with the previous poster decking is lethal when wet, my mum has it and she had a nasty fall on it in winter and is replacing it with gravel.

Vampgirl

Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately decking is the only option that will fit the area without significant building works. We're aware of the maintenance and we're prepared to do that for her. She won't be going out there in the wet - she just wants to be able to hang out her washing to dry.

We want to help her regain the use of her garden, but the price has surprised us somewhat. Thanks for the tip about getting someone who isn't VAT registered...that hadn't occured to me. I think the quote is just for the decking.....the configuration of the area wouln't need any hand rails etc..

hamster2013

i took the first result on google when i searched for decking material
it came up with this site:
http://www.edecks.co.uk/products/2394/3/107/0/WalkSure_Antislip_32mm_x_125mm_x_3_6m_4_2m_Charcoal/Red

its great, i took the most expensive and suites your MIL as its the special 'anti slip' material

the price is £8.54 for each piece, which is 32mm x 125mm x 3.6m
so 2 pieces covers the 6m width
125mm = 12.5cm, so we need 48 x2 pieces to make it to 6m x 7.2m (you can always cut the extra's)

96 pieces x the £8.54 = £819.84
i'm no builder, so dont know how much more material is needed, but would not expect £1748 worth more material is needed to come to the £2568 you were quoted. And on the this same site, you have pieces of decking for lower then £3.... makes you think.

Second item - labor
Again, am no builder, but lets say its a 3 day job.... for 2 people
that would be 6 Man days of work.
at £2640 (VAT Included), you are paying... £440 / day.
If its less then 3 days... then increase the price accordingly.
thats almost a £100k / annum job ... where do I sign up?

removal of waste.... well.... depends how much tehre is, am sure they will over charge too.

To me, this quote is extravagent.
In terms of breakdown - I would consider a £200 / day labor charge vat included more than reasonable.
And for the material - I would think no more than £1000 vat included.


definitely get more quotes...
ask also quote with the anti slip decking as everyone who has mentioned the extra risks for your aging MIL..... and stop thinking cunningly...i know whats going through your mind you evil DIL

snooks104

I had 9m square of decking installed in December last year @ £50.00 per m squared, it took a day with labour

the company I used are based in Kent - I can pm you the details if you like?

woodbutcher_2

Over 5 grand for 36 sq mts of decking. Is it gold plated by any chance?

Then they have the cheek to charge extra for waste removal. The mind boggles.

If i could get jobs like that i'd have retired years ago.

Vampgirl

Thanks everyone, I'm glad it wasn't just me who thought the quote was a tad high He never did send us the requested cost breakdown either.

Well we got another quote from a company near us that we know has done a lot of good work on the estate where we live. This one came in at at £2,475 - roughly what we thought it should be. It also included a proper cost breakdown. In case anyone's interested, the labour for the second quote is £900 for two men, 3 days...which seems much more realistic.

Ali-OK

When it's fitted, treat with something like Cuprinol Anti-slip stain (or clear if you don't want to colour it). I've had decking down for 11 years and it's still like new.

Give it a wash with a brush/washing up liquid in water as soon as any green starts to form from the rain, as that will make it slippy.

Only jet wash (and carefully so as not to damage the wood) when you want to re-apply an anti-slip coat.

My brother bought some anti-slip substance off eBay for £2 this Spring and stirred it into a normal coating, he used that and got the same result as me, so there are options around.

As with anything, treat it well when it's first installed and then look after it and it should be fine.