The client contacted us with an area which was unusable for what they wanted, which was a Dining Area, exterior lounge, and BBQ section which was attractive, provided a smooth surface from home to the lawn area, and easy to maintain. It mostly covered by paving slabs with some areas uncovered entirely. This was a medium sized project, approximately 50 Square Metres in total.
The client had removed a small water feature, cut away the area around the water feature to square off the garden, and built a retainer wall with Oak Sleepers. The old paving was very uneven as it had shifted over time. There were 3 drains to work around, 2 for rainwater, one for the kitchen, adjacent to the house. There was also a Rodding point which would need easy access.
The clients chose Trex Enhance Naturals in Rocky Harbour for the body of the decking and Trex Transcend in Gravel Path for the triple Picture Frame. The advantage of choosing a Trex Transcend Decking board for the picture frame is that they have an option for Cortex Screw Plug Covers to hide the screws.We had a significant amount of obstacles along the outside edges, mostly due to side Fencing which was not installed in a straight line. We would always recommend replacing the fencing before installing any Decking so the fence doesn’t need to be replaced during the lifetime of the deck. In this case the fence had a white brick wall under it so this was not an option, so we worked with what we have.
There are 3 main sections to this Decking, the small BBQ area by the lounge double doors, the middle section by the Extension, and then the large area by the kitchen single door and side access alley.
For the frame we used Jacksons Fencing Use Class 4 Decking Joists. These come with their own 25 Year Guarantee from Jacksons. To protect the top of these joists we used Trex Protect Joist Tape. We join our frames using Spax Stainless Steel Washer Head 8mm Screws. These are strong Construction Screws. The Washer Head pulls the boards tight to each other and provides a very strong joint.
We lifted the frame off the ground using Millboard Duolift Joist Cradles with Millboard Self Levelling pedestals. These are straightforward to work with and will never rot. This means the wood frame is not in contact with the ground, despite being Use Class 4, and provides air flow under the Joists.
Finally the deck boards uses were:Trex Enhance Naturals Rocky Harbour installed with Trex Hidden Fixings and Start ClipsTrex Transcend Gravel Path installed with Starborn Pro Plug System. The special Starborn Drill Bit recesses the Screws to the correct depth and leaves a small hole which can be hidden with a Cortex Screw Plugs to hide the fixing screws