Decking opinions
Hi, I am designing our blank canvas garden with little experience but lots of enthusiasm! I will be doing the work myself and saving budget for plants (including trees).
Please can what are peoples opinions on decking? We have some patio (enough for a seating area) but it loses the sun after 2/3pm. I would like another seating area but budget is limited. I assume that decking is cheaper but is the maintenance a pain and does it last long?
Any thoughts appreciated
Thank you
Please can what are peoples opinions on decking? We have some patio (enough for a seating area) but it loses the sun after 2/3pm. I would like another seating area but budget is limited. I assume that decking is cheaper but is the maintenance a pain and does it last long?
Any thoughts appreciated
Thank you
0
Posts
If you are tight on cash the easiest is to clear the area put down some geo textile, not cheap landscape fabric, put a wood or brick border around the area and cover with decorative slate or gravel.
Later on you can always install decking in its place.
As @k67 says gravel/slate on membrane makes a very cost effective surface. We have done that for a small seating area in our garden. To make it comfortable for sitting with tables and chairs, use a smaller size gravel and don’t lay too deeply.
I would suggest looking at sites like Freecycle and Nextdoor as you often see paving slabs going free.
East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I've seen the plastic decking it looks alright to me and haven't noticed it being slippery , I think it maybe made with recycled plastic which is better than going landfill but I am not entirely sure it is recycled though and again its expensive nearly twice the price of wood decking.
How big the area you want to cover ? If your budget can stretch and you can do it yourself I'd go with Indian stone or other naturel materials . its not going to rot away and you'll never need to replace it but for renewing pointing and cleaning it.