The clients used us as their Composite Decking Contractor in Guildford GU1 for the installation of their Trex Decking & Glass Ballustrades for their property which had recently had an extension added with new Windows and Doors.
The brief for this project was the design and installation of a walk out deck which required robust framing to accommodate the severe sloping garden, in some cases the new deck would be nearly 2 mts from the ground level. Decking is the ideal option for Guildford and the Surrey Hills due to the elevation changes in most gardens in the region. Porcelain Paving is always popular however the backfill and retainer walling needed to support the paving is often far too extensive.
There had been an old timber decking wrapping around the house however it was no longer safe so it had been removed prior to our arrival.
The property slopes significantly down from the house.
Composite Decking Boards | Trex Lineage Biscayne WPC
Their are numerous options in the UK for composite decking. It is very important to select your products carefully and choose a brand which has been in business for as long as the warranty they offer, has a significant UK presence in case you ever do need to follow up with them, and manufacture in a way which is ecologically and ethically sound. We always recommend decking manufactured in the USA or Europe to ensure the manufacturing, and not just the product sales and distribution, are protected by policies like the Modern Slavery Act.
Our clients selected Trex Transcend Lineage in Biscayne. This premium decking is made in the USA and is a wood plastic composite which is rot free and will not splinter, warp. It is comes with a Fade and Stain Warranty.
Decking Contractor Substructure | Footings & Bearers
One of the most important aspects for areas like Guildford and the Surrey Hills, where you find sloping gardens like this one, is to ensure the decking is fully supported structurally. This is where employing a professional Decking Contractor becomes more important. Oilcanfinish specialise in this type of extensive structural supports. For this project we installed 15 Concrete footings reinforced with Steel Rebar. Our structural supports sit on top of those footings, lifted off the footing using a Simpson Strong Tie Galvanised Steel Post Shoe. This prevents water from pooling at bottom of the post meaning it doesn’t rot prematurely the way most posts do.
On top of our posts, we notch out an opening for two C24 Structural Bearers bolted together. We have 4 rows of these Bearers supporting the entire structure.
The we built out frame on top of these 3 bearer rows. The frame is also C24 Structurally Rated timber treated to Use Class 4, the strongest rating available for Residential installs. Use Class 4 Timber has the highest rating for Preservative treatment for Residential installs meaning it is highly resistant to Wood Rot and Insect attack.
To further protect the frame we top all of our Joists with Trex Protect Joist Capping Tape. This is a butyl based tape which forms a waterproof seal around the screws, preventing water from travelling down the decking screw into the centre of the timber joist. This is again to prevent wood rot.
Lastly all of our timber cuts are treated with Barretines Cut End Preserver to protect the ends where we have cut the timber to size.
Building a premium deck is expensive and you want it to last as long as possible before having to redo all of the work. A significant amount of planning goes into making sure our decks are both structurally sound, compliant, and will last as long as possible providing the homeowner with the best return on their investment.
Visit our main Balcony & Terrace Decking Page for more case studies.
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