Hand is forced - new decking required

[Mjward]

Moved in 2 years ago and on move in day my daughter's foot went through a corner of the decking. 2 years later and it's definitely knackered, clear previous owners didn't treat it each year and just gave it a lick of paint pre-sale.

With so many other projects on my hand I'm looking to outsource this work. Thinking composite for the minimal maintenance unless there is a good reason not to? Never had it before.

I normally spends weeks and months researching things but it's current state is dangerous (it's basically a balcony decking over a ledge/big drop then a stream) so want to get sorted ASAP. A quick Google says 1.1m is the building regs minimum height for balcony railings. Does that apply to garden decking balconies as ideally would like it slightly below so that when sat in garden furniture it is easy to see over

 

[clive griffiths]

Yes I think you will find the hand rail is 1.1 , Also in your position I would check all the structure first.

Clive.

 

[Mjward]

Yes I think you will find the hand rail is 1.1 , Also in your position I would check all the structure first.

Clive.

Thanks Clive. The person who came over today will quote to replace the whole thing including structure but suspect that will be out of budget. Will try and pull out some boards this week to see whether the existing structure/frame can be salvaged

 

[Chief Sawdust Maker]

Agree with above ref checking structure and yes to the 1100 hand rail height
I have built many many decks for customers over the years and have used many types of timber. I haven't built a composite one but have sat on many at various bars and seating areas.
I use C16 pressure treated and have a pot of sealer when building to paint over the cut ends.
Screws used throughout not a nail in site with any hangers or metal plates being galvanised.
Ensure the supports for the hand rails go below the deck boards onto the structure
The majority of decks that I have built has been treated soft wood deck boards, one that I built in 2005 is still going strong and gets jet washed every Easter followed by 2 light coats of Tung oil.
Hard wood looks lovely but is often price prohibitive.
2 years ago i built 2 decks using anti slip decking which has 2 strips of coarse resin along the board length, I don't feel that it is anymore nonslip than well maintained wooden decking, it isn't pleasant to walk on and you will use several mitre saw blades when cutting the planks.
My only advice on composite is to go for a none wood colour, The wood colour boards look a bit odd but there are some nice greys around.
A commercial customer who had a very worn deck that was past its best made the decision to over lay with marine plywood and fix Astroturf / false grass laid over it, it looks lovely is great to walk on and very easy to maintain.
I purchased the joists to do mine at the end of the pandemic and they are still stacked in my wood store as work has been constant with no gap to be able to complete my own. I will use treated soft wood decking boards on my own with the underside oiled before they are screwed down.
Hope the above may be of some use feel free to drop me a line if you want any more info

D

 

[Just4Fun]

When we (or, to be more accurate, our contractor) did mine we used heat treated wood. This is ideal for me because it doesn't need to be treated every year. It doesn't look so good if you don't treat it but not treating it has the advantage that .... well, you don't treat it. Ever.

Our "decking" is part of a structure. Some of the structure was rotten and had to be replaced. Rather than replace everything we replaced the rotten parts and spliced them in to the existing structure. In retrospect that was not the best decision. I think a complete rebuild would have produced a better result.

 

[mark w]

I replaced our decking last year with a composite material, so far it's been brilliant, no need to apply finish to it every year like I had to with the old wooden stuff, its weathered through the winter very well.
If the decking boards are rotten you can pretty much guarantee at least some of the sub structure will be rotten too.

 

[Mjward]

Agree with above ref checking structure and yes to the 1100 hand rail height
I have built many many decks for customers over the years and have used many types of timber. I haven't built a composite one but have sat on many at various bars and seating areas.
I use C16 pressure treated and have a pot of sealer when building to paint over the cut ends.
Screws used throughout not a nail in site with any hangers or metal plates being galvanised.
Ensure the supports for the hand rails go below the deck boards onto the structure
The majority of decks that I have built has been treated soft wood deck boards, one that I built in 2005 is still going strong and gets jet washed every Easter followed by 2 light coats of Tung oil.
Hard wood looks lovely but is often price prohibitive.
2 years ago i built 2 decks using anti slip decking which has 2 strips of coarse resin along the board length, I don't feel that it is anymore nonslip than well maintained wooden decking, it isn't pleasant to walk on and you will use several mitre saw blades when cutting the planks.
My only advice on composite is to go for a none wood colour, The wood colour boards look a bit odd but there are some nice greys around.
A commercial customer who had a very worn deck that was past its best made the decision to over lay with marine plywood and fix Astroturf / false grass laid over it, it looks lovely is great to walk on and very easy to maintain.
I purchased the joists to do mine at the end of the pandemic and they are still stacked in my wood store as work has been constant with no gap to be able to complete my own. I will use treated soft wood decking boards on my own with the underside oiled before they are screwed down.
Hope the above may be of some use feel free to drop me a line if you want any more info

D

Good advice thank you! I am still undecided on the colour front, current decking is a sage green that matches the windows and looks great but not found a composite in that colour. Think would struggle to have a grey fit the property given the other colours but I hear you on the woods, will do some digging and suspect probably end up with a light/tan colour.

When we (or, to be more accurate, our contractor) did mine we used heat treated wood. This is ideal for me because it doesn't need to be treated every year. It doesn't look so good if you don't treat it but not treating it has the advantage that .... well, you don't treat it. Ever.

Our "decking" is part of a structure. Some of the structure was rotten and had to be replaced. Rather than replace everything we replaced the rotten parts and spliced them in to the existing structure. In retrospect that was not the best decision. I think a complete rebuild would have produced a better result.

I replaced our decking last year with a composite material, so far it's been brilliant, no need to apply finish to it every year like I had to with the old wooden stuff, its weathered through the winter very well.
If the decking boards are rotten you can pretty much guarantee at least some of the sub structure will be rotten too.

Starting to feel the inevitability of need to replace the whole structure. Will see what the cost looks like but sounds like little point in going for low maintenance composite decking if it all needs ripping up a few years later to replace the frame.

 

[mark w]

Good advice thank you! I am still undecided on the colour front, current decking is a sage green that matches the windows and looks great but not found a composite in that colour. Think would struggle to have a grey fit the property given the other colours but I hear you on the woods, will do some digging and suspect probably end up with a light/tan colour.



Starting to feel the inevitability of need to replace the whole structure. Will see what the cost looks like but sounds like little point in going for low maintenance composite decking if it all needs ripping up a few years later to replace the frame.

I used a pressure treated timber for the frame although you can buy composite joists etc, the beauty of composite decking is the low maintenance, if and when the frame rots the decking can be lifted, the frame replaced and the decking relayed.

 

[Jacob]

Concrete slabs are cheap! Last forever.
They look good after they've weathered in and can be laid dry with no mortar, so rain drains away and plants can grow through the cracks

 

[Ollie78]

You could have a look for hardwood trailer flooring boards, these used to be one of the cheapest ways to get it. Its a dark red hardwood, keruing or something. The stuff you see on low loaders.
I think the composite is good stuff but can be very expensive, have to weigh up the maintanance costs over time etc.

Ollie

 

[TRITON]

Concrete slabs are cheap! Last forever.
They look good after they've weathered in and can be laid dry with no mortar, so rain drains away and plants can grow through the cracks

Thats what Im going for, though not concrete. Its textured paving, maybe sandstone im not entirely sure, in a beige/hay/yellow colour.
Same reason, it will outlast me, requires zero maintenance and is very easy to clean.

 

[yetloh]

I've had decling for at least 20 years - never wanted it but my wife did ....

I insisted on hardwood but caved in to treated softwood joists - contractor insisted they would be fine. Thery aren't. Started rotting away after about 10 years. and quite a bit of the decking itself I have had to replace. Replacing joists is a nightmare. Stainless screws used throughout but they snap off creating even more work. The idea of using composite for the decking and treated softwood for the structure seems to me completely upside down thinking. Taking up rotten boards to replace them is not necessarily a trivial matter as explained earlier, but having to take it all up to replace a rotten structure sounds like the worst of all worlds.

I have been replacing joist with ripped down oak sleepers but even these don't last. In areas that tend to stay wet - the wife loves her pots - the oak rots on the top surface so you get a very spongy half inch while the rest of the thickness rermains sound, but boards that sink when you tread on them leaving screws standing up are unsafe. This has led me to bite the bullet and replace wood joists with reycled plastic. Not cheap at £47 for a 3m length, but at least they should outlast me.

As for decking material I wonder if suface oxidation will be a problem with composites leading to a scruffy appearance. Although hardwood is expensive it does look lovely, ages nicely and does not need to be painted - the idea of painting decking is, to me, a nightmare.

My advice would be don't have decking if you think you might stay in the house long-term. Good quality, properly laid slabs will only ever need an occasional pressure wash and can look great.

Jim

 

[TomGW]

Concrete or stone slabs may be the long lasting solution on a relatively flat site, but in the OP's case it sounds like that would involve a significant retaining structure and fill in a fairly inaccessible location.

 

[johnny]

yes I second the paving option too.
We replaced our entire decking 3 years ago . It was about 15 years old and much of it had rotted as our garden slopes down to the decking area and of course plant pots had rotted the surface.
For the last 5 years or so it had looked awful and was impossible to clean . A pressure washer wasn't effective so I used to use a stiff plastic bristled broom with lots of water to clean the surface but it was back- breaking work.

When we lifted the decking we were shocked to discover 4-6" depth of earth between the joists which filled 30+ rubble bags ! Over the years the earth had had been washed down the garden with the rainwater and under the decking. Removing and bagging that lot took many days of labour as I foolishly decided to retain some of the sub structure in place in order to save work and money.

I did a careful costing of materials before the job to see whether slabs would be cheaper but due to the need to build up ground levels by some 8" and needing to bring everything through the kitchen ,we decided on decking .

This year is year 3 and the decking is already looking decidedly dirty and covered in green algae (due to living next to a river and facing North) and despite painting it with timber treatment its already looking rather shabby.
If I ever had the opportunity to do it all again I'd choose paving .

 

[Richard_C]

I suppose one valid question is how long do you expect to live there. Wooden decking should be OK for 10 years 'ish, if you expect to move before that then why spend the extra money on composite? As long as the deck isn't rotten, what it is made from won't materially change the saleability or value of the house.

Wood seems a bit nicer to live with, albeit with maintenance needed. I don't much enjoy composite benches in a pub garden, but I guess you won't be sitting bare legged or bare anything directly on your decking boards.

 

[Fergie 307]

Thats what Im going for, though not concrete. Its textured paving, maybe sandstone im not entirely sure, in a beige/hay/yellow colour.
Same reason, it will outlast me, requires zero maintenance and is very easy to clean.

If you don't like the colour of plain concrete ones you can apply dilute ferrous sulphate, turns them a pleasant sandstone colour and lasts for ages. You can actually adjust the colour from quite a dark terracotta to hardly any colour at all, just depends how strong you make the mixture.

 

[TRITON]

If you don't like the colour of plain concrete ones you can apply dilute ferrous sulphate, turns them a pleasant sandstone colour and lasts for ages. You can actually adjust the colour from quite a dark terracotta to hardly any colour at all, just depends how strong you make the mixture.

You can also use Mixol and colour it with that. It dyes any medium, and i've used it to turn shellac polish bright red.
https://www.mixol.com/products-overview/74.html

 

[TFrench]

Not a fan of decking for all the reasons listed above. Guarantee if you go down the local tip, the wood bin will be half full of the stuff... My dad has a balcony above a wooden single story flat roof section of the house. When the original wooden one was too rotten to carry on with, we made a steel replacement frame and composite boarded it - this was LONG before it was mainstream - I'd guess around 15 years ago. Clips that hold the boards down were fixed with stainless pop rivets. A few years later, the building underneath it was replaced with an oak framed structure - we just drilled the rivets out, unbolted the steelwork and then reassembled once the building was done. More expensive certainly, but a proper job.

 

[Mjward]

Thanks for the suggestions, I definitely would love to avoid decking if I could but the decking is an overhang over a large drop ie would cost a lot to get anywhere near the structural support required for concrete paving.

Pictures below, I've got a quote in for £10,800 to complete remove all existing decking/frame etc and replace new treat frame and composite decking/fence panels.
The "basic" section is 3x6m and the other section of decking is 2x5m with another 6m of fencing required over the drop. I'm completely new to all this so have no idea how that quote looks (I'm up north for reference)

 

[yetloh]

What a beautiful outlook.

The paved area looks quite large, have you considered the possibilty that the loss of the decked projection altogether might not be such a huge thing if you could optimise the design and use of the paved area? I guess that's probably too radical. Rather than have a large structure going down to ground level, if you could get good fixings, would it be possible to substitute a cantilevered steel structure which could give you plenty of options for flooring. It would need a structural engineer to design it but might be more economical in the end. probably all sorts of reasons why not , but just thinking aloud really.

Jim