Re-doing the Garden

[NewbieRaf]

Hey All

where is the best/reasonable costs place to get building materials? And would anyone be willing to offer their trade discount to me? I’m located in Hampshire, so delivered from whatever company would be best.

So the Mrs has decided that we are re-doing the garden as project for this season. The good thing is, she has a design together which consists of:

- seated planters made from concrete blocks and rendered in white

- a new patio using this plastic like decking tiles

- a pergola from standard treated pine/whatever.

Thanks

 

[bourbon]

Hope she is good at Ice skating. Those plastic decking tiles are as slippery as... when they get a bit of algae on them

 

[marcros]

I find that my local builders merchant offers good prices, compared with the nationals or the DIY places. free delivery too.

 

[Cabinetman]

I find that my local builders merchant offers good prices, compared with the nationals or the DIY places. free delivery too.

I’ve found the exact opposite Marcros, may be good if you have an account or getting quotes for large quantities , but around here the man walking in off the street prices are truly horrendous. I would recommend getting a feeling for prices, then ask for a quote in person at the counter. Ian

 

[paulrbarnard]

Hope she is good at Ice skating. Those plastic decking tiles are as slippery as... when they get a bit of algae on them

I thought they were supposed to be less slippery than wood.

 

[marcros]

I’ve found the exact opposite Marcros, may be good if you have an account or getting quotes for large quantities , but around here the man walking in off the street prices are truly horrendous. I would recommend getting a feeling for prices, then ask for a quote in person at the counter. Ian

It's a shame when you want to live the local guys some business but they don't help themselves.

 

[Woodchips2]

I send off email enquiries to two or three local merchants listing what I want. It is quicker than several phone calls and you have comparative prices. Recently I've found merchants keen to get the business.
Regards Keith

 

[Doug B]

The internet is your best bet for the decking, I recently priced a job & no one local could get close to what the direct folks on the internet were charging & they even sent out samples.
For treated pine I’d search for local fencing supplies certainly around here they are a lot cheaper than the sheds & builders merchants.
As for concrete blocks if you are rendering them why buy new, look on free cycle or Facebook market place, they can often be picked up free from demolition jobs as skips cost so much these days.
As for sand, cement etc I use Wickes, I’ve given up on builders merchants even with an account you still have to haggle with prices & getting served can easily waste 3/4 of an hour from your day. At least with Wickes you can be in & out in 10 minutes & back working.

 

[NewbieRaf]

Nice thank you all. Due to the price I think we will go for the standard wood decking. Now I’m figuring out do I get someone to do it for me (300 pounds), or do it myself. There already is an old slabbed patio down, so I need to see what’s underneath plus the clearance from the house foundation vents.

lots of questions could be coming your way

thanks

 

[MARK.B.]

£300 to lay a deck and do it properly sounds like bargain to me.

 

[NewbieRaf]

Can anyone suggest a good place on the internet to buy decking?

 

[TheUnicorn]

I thought they were supposed to be less slippery than wood.

re plastic decking, my impression is that it is harder wearing and cleans up more easily, doesn't rot etc. But a layer of algae is going to be like grease on a hard surface. A pressure wash or work over with a yard brush should make quick work of it.

 

[paulrbarnard]

re plastic decking, my impression is that it is harder wearing and cleans up more easily, doesn't rot etc. But a layer of algae is going to be like grease on a hard surface. A pressure wash or work over with a yard brush should make quick work of it.

Thanks. I was hoping they were less prone to algae. We have wooden decking that is a real hazard to walk on.

 

[TheUnicorn]

Thanks. I was hoping they were less prone to algae. We have wooden decking that is a real hazard to walk on.

they can be absolutely horrible in the wet. My neighbour replaced her decking last year, with some plastic wood composite stuff, and I grabbed a few offcuts to play with, made a little side table. It seems good stuff, and the fixing system that secures into the sides with no holes through the planks adds a bit of quality. If you can afford it I think it is worth the extra cost.

Also worth thinking about the main direction of travel across the deck, you want to be walking across the plank not along the plank, that seems to make a lot of difference in terms of grip / slip

 

[NewbieRaf]

Any suggestions for online suppliers of wooden decking?

 

[TheUnicorn]

Any suggestions for online suppliers of wooden decking?

Not personally, my neighbour got a good price on some surplus stock at a local wood yard, but that was a bit of a one off. I would check out reviews of products, decide exactly what you after and then compare prices with an online search. Not sure how the brexit / covid situation is likely to effect things, I'd definately check that whatever you buy is in stock before spending any cash.

 

[NewbieRaf]

The guy I’m using wants 1600 all in inc labour to deck my 6.5 meter patio plus a pergola - materials are coming from wicks. Does that sound reasonable to you guys?

 

[Bm101]

Well price the materials yourself, then add in the tools, the experience and time to actually build it so yep, depending where you live that sounds reasonable to me.
Decking is a piece of pish. Why not do it yourself Raf? It's a nice job on your own home. Also you know it's done well. You can seal all the cut ends with ensele etc. Labour saved you can buy yourself an Evolution rage scms to do the job. Also if you do buld yourself, go to a local reputable builders yard. Don't buy anything from Wickes etc. Ever.

 

[NewbieRaf]

Very true and I wanted a couple of YouTube videos I reckon I can do it just like I made my kitchen doors from mdf . Trouble is a have a one year old who is keeping me very busy haha

 

[marcros]

I wouldn't buy cheap decking. The price difference between the cheapest and reasonable isn't a fortune but the quality difference is a gulf apart.

I can't recommend anywhere because the place I have used is local to here.