Materials for decking

Me :-)

Ask away matey.

OK, thanks.

As above, roughly 3M x 3M positioned over an area of ex-garden border (so no grass, just soil) that falls away from back to front by ~300mm.

No need for rails around it to prevent anyone falling off, it's to hold a garden bench for Management to sit on and survey her (excellent) handiwork with space for granddaughter to join her when it's playtime!

Can't think of anything else you might need to know. I've got the usual collection of tools acquired over the years and am not scared of getting stuck in...

Plenty of rat poison for the year after its built comes to mind...

Brian

You might need to consider that planning permission is required if the deck is more than 300 mm above existing ground level.

Chris

I found this Wickes guide very useful when I did mine.

Thanks. Daughter is a planning consultant so I'll get her onto it if need be!

Why on earth would you want to do that?

Not had a rat problem with any of the 60 or so decks I've built in the last 6 years.

Written by the people who supply 'slow grown' timber!

If one's neighbour raises his ground level by 300mm, are you then allowed to raise the 6 foot fence by the same amount? It doesn't seem fair otherwise

No need for poison. The cat will get fresh meat and we'll save on his food...

Which is superior to fast growing timber for many purposes.

Colin Bignell

All purposes I would have thought

OK, shopping list.

A 3x3 treated fence post 2.4m long

Box of 350 decking screws.

Don't go to Wickes or B&Q for the timber, much better quality, price & choice of length from a timber merchant.

Have a look at the Winchester boards here;

You also want the widest boards you can get - 155mm ish.

Cut the fence post into 4 and concrete in. Get it square, don't worry about levels at the moment.

You now need to build a square frame.

Fix the 6x2 level at the lowest side, then Level & fix the 2 adjacent sides, then the front. Saw off the fence posts flush.

When I say 'level', you want a slight fall in the direction the boards will run - less than a patio - 1 in 80 to 1 in 100.

Next the joists. Fit at roughly 60cm centres, secure frame & joists with 3 Turbogolds at each join.

Weed control fabric held down with bricks next.

When you board the frame, leave an over hang along the length of the first board of about 30mm. Get the boards a bit longer than 3m & trim the ends afterwards - much quicker. Circular saw makes this easy, you can do it with a hand saw.

Two screws per board into every joist/frame.

Make up a couple of spacers 6 - 8mm to ensure an even gap between boards. Fix the ends of the boards first using the spacers, then straighten out any bowing in the boards with a pry bar if gap too small, or brute force if too big :-)

You can hide the framing with deck boards either horizontal, or using off cuts trimmed to size for slopes.

HTH

Let me know if anything isn't clear.

Good point Chris.

For things like engineered wood products there is an advantage to being able to replace the source quickly.

Colin Bignell

Not so in the case of temperate hardwoods. their strength and elasticity is dependand on spring wood rather than the later growth and this is enhanced in fast growing stands, ash in particular benefits but so does oak.

AJH

The advert claimed, correctly, that it was 'slow grown' for '80 years'. It takes 50 - 120 years for a Scandinavian redwood (from which most deck boards are made) to mature for commercial plantations, depending on the area, so all redwood is 'slow grown for 80 years'.

In other words it was marketing bollox - and the ad now doesn't mention it.

Pallets & cheap fencing is made from fast growing timber, but not things like window frames, doors or decking boards.