New Deck started today

[Streetrod]

OK I have been waiting to put in a new deck for a while now after finishing our refurb on our kitchen. Anyway I got quotes from various companies for a Hardwood and Softword decks and to be honest was shocked at some of the quotes I was getting. The deck is going to be very simple, it will be nearly 12 meters wide and 4.5 meters deep at its widest point. The quotes ranged from £4500 to £11000 I was going to build it myself but have just not got the time at the moment.

Anyway one of the last quotes I got was from a Polish guy. He not only came in the cheapest but would also do it in hardword for that price. The nearest other quote was over £1000 more and would be in softwood. So I have decided to give him the job. Here's hoping it looks OK. As I work from home I will be able to keep an eye on them. This is what the back of the house looks like at the moment:







I have never had foreign builders for me before so lets hope the good reputation is well earned

[satans worm]

What kind of hardwood is he using?

[Streetrod]

satans worm said:

What kind of hardwood is he using?

BALAU... All the other companies I talked too also quoted on Balau as an option

[Streetrod]

This is where they have got too so far this morning:

[V8mate]

sharp intake of breath

I wouldn't do it like that.

[Streetrod]

V8mate said:

sharp intake of breath

I wouldn't do it like that.

.....Apparently they are going to build the frame first, then put in the posts and then lift the frame onto the posts. I am not sure if there is a right way or a wrong way to do this, but I am a very hands on guy and I cant see any major problems yet but I will be keeping my eyes on them

[bd02]

Streetrod said:

V8mate said:

sharp intake of breath

I wouldn't do it like that.

.....Apparently they are going to build the frame first, then put in the posts and then lift the frame onto the posts. I am not sure if there is a right way or a wrong way to do this, but I am a very hands on guy and I cant see any major problems yet but I will be keeping my eyes on them

Make sure they get some industrial strength weed suppressent down under that frame

[V8mate]

bd02 said:

Streetrod said:

V8mate said:

sharp intake of breath

I wouldn't do it like that.

.....Apparently they are going to build the frame first, then put in the posts and then lift the frame onto the posts. I am not sure if there is a right way or a wrong way to do this, but I am a very hands on guy and I cant see any major problems yet but I will be keeping my eyes on them

Make sure they get some industrial strength weed suppressent down under that frame

Yep. Followed up by the black material sheeting and then a light gravel covering to settle it.

[B17NNS]

Streetrod said:

Apparently they are going to build the frame first, then put in the posts and then lift the frame onto the posts. I am not sure if there is a right way or a wrong way to do this, but I am a very hands on guy and I cant see any major problems yet but I will be keeping my eyes on them

That's the way I'd do it. Build the frame, level it up on bricks/blocks (slight fall away from house), mark out the and dig post holes, put posts in holes, fix with coach bolts, concrete holes. Once concrete has set, remove blocks.

Ensures your posts are in exactly the right place.

Only thing I would say is your finished floor level outside should really be 150mm below your DPC.

As has been said, weed membrane and pea gravel before the boards go down.

Edited by B17NNS on Wednesday 6th May 17:32

[Streetrod]

B17NNS said:

Streetrod said:

Apparently they are going to build the frame first, then put in the posts and then lift the frame onto the posts. I am not sure if there is a right way or a wrong way to do this, but I am a very hands on guy and I cant see any major problems yet but I will be keeping my eyes on them

That's the way I'd do it. Build the frame, level it up on bricks/blocks (slight fall away from house), mark out the and dig post holes, put posts in holes, fix with coach bolts, concrete holes. Once concrete has set, remove blocks.

Ensures your posts are in exactly the right place.

Only thing I would say is your finished floor level outside should really be 150mm below your DPC.

As has been said, weed membrane and pea gravel before the boards go down.

Edited by B17NNS on Wednesday 6th May 17:32

That apparently is exactly what they are going to do. The membrane is here as is the gravel

[V12Les]

No problem having the deck at DPC height, just make sure they dont cover the air bricks with that pole plate.

[allgonepetetong]

That's an interesting extension you have there SRod. I assume your house is a typical 1930s 3 bed semi?

What have you used the new room for upstairs and what did you do with the old bathroom?

Looks great I must say.

[russ_a]

What hardwood are they using? We used Ipe and whilst it looks very nice it is very high maintenance.

PS is this the same house where you nipped out for a new TV for the kitchen and spent 100k on an extension?

[sublimatica]

I'm loving those bi-fold doors.

Hope the decking works out well. Some people on here seem to criticse it, but decking still works for me.

[Streetrod]

allgonepetetong said:

That's an interesting extension you have there SRod. I assume your house is a typical 1930s 3 bed semi?

What have you used the new room for upstairs and what did you do with the old bathroom?

Looks great I must say.

Thanks a lot, it’s actually a 4 bed semi and we did not extend it. What we did was knock together the kitchen, the dinning room and an old lean-to conservatory. The house is now a lot more usable as we never used the dining room as we used to eat in the kitchen. The extension is the sticking out bit on the left and was built by the previous owners. That now houses the dedicated home cinema. We did rebuild the garage that had an alley between it and the house, the garage now bucks up to the house and can now house two cars at a squeeze

[Streetrod]

russ_a said:

What hardwood are they using? We used Ipe and whilst it looks very nice it is very high maintenance.

PS is this the same house where you nipped out for a new TV for the kitchen and spent 100k on an extension?

Russ_a, you have a good memory, and thanks for bringing back that horrible financial nightmare

As for the wood we are using BALAU. I have been told it will easy to look after

Edited by Streetrod on Friday 8th May 10:57

[Streetrod]

sublimatica said:

I'm loving those bi-fold doors.

Hope the decking works out well. Some people on here seem to criticse it, but decking still works for me.

Thanks. I know decking has been done too death but it suits our situation and budget. There is a long drop down to ground as you step out of the doors. The deck will be level with the floor in the kitchen and will be quite large. It should be a great place for the kids to play on and for us to eat out on. I also think it will add value to what is a nice family house in a nice area, but that is not the reason why we are having it built.

The decking has just been delivered and I am very impressed with the Polish boys as they are examing every piece to make sure the quality is right. Even the delivery driver is impressed, in his own words he has never seen such good quality control He reckons that the Brit builders having been shooting themselves in the foot even in these hard times with high prices and bad quality of work Ho Hum

Edited by Streetrod on Friday 8th May 11:44

[V8mate]

Update pics! Update pics!

[Streetrod]

V8mate said:

Update pics! Update pics!

I need to recharge the battery on my camera, will update this afternoon

[russ_a]

Streetrod said:

russ_a said:

What hardwood are they using? We used Ipe and whilst it looks very nice it is very high maintenance.

PS is this the same house where you nipped out for a new TV for the kitchen and spent 100k on an extension?

Russ_a, you have a good memory, and thanks for bringing back that horrible financial nightmare

As for the wood we are using BALAU. I have been told it will easy to look after

Edited by Streetrod on Friday 8th May 10:57

We have Balau posts (couldn't get Ipe) as it's very similar. If you get lots of sun you will need to clean and re-oil 3 - 4 times a year to keep it looking 100%. Doesn't take long with a oiling pad but it's a knightmare trying to get the kid and dog out of the area whilst it dries.

We (or I should say I) leave it over winter and it turns a dull grey and doesn't look very nice.