I love decking. It is a flexible patio solution that you can use almost anywhere. Rugged terrain or the sloping nature of the area makes no difference if you wish to install a deck. It is the garden makeover programs on TV that introduced us to the advantages of this incredible system. It wasn’t long before decking materials appeared in DIY stores all over the country.
If you wish to install a deck but haven’t a clue how to go about it, it is lucky you found this article. Here is the DIY decking bible including features that you might want to include in the design.
The Supports
If your ground is perfectly level, you can lie the frame for the deck directly onto it. Most people use an elevated deck to raise it up to the level of the house floor, or to overcome the slope. Here is how to construct the raised framework for your deck.
- Vertical Support Posts. You must fix posts into the ground that will bear the weight of the deck. They should be four or six inches in diameter and pressure treated to protect against rot.
- Measure the positions and dig holes that are eighteen inches deep and twelve inches in diameter.
- Place the posts in the hole (there is no need to cut them to length yet).
- Put sand and rubble in the hole to halfway and ram it down until it holds the post firmly in position.
- Fill the rest of the hole with dry concrete mixed to one part cement, two parts sand, and two parts gravel.
- Ram the cement mix and then pour a bucket of water over it.
- Install the floor beams next. Fix them to the vertical posts with long screws, not nails.
- When the beams are in place, cut the vertical where necessary. You might decide to leave some of them to use for the handrail.
- Install the decking boards. It is wise to hire a mitre saw for this job because it will take forever to cut the boards by hand.
- Finish the project with a handrail. They come as a kit that you adapt to your deck.
Ideas To Include In Your Seating Area
Now you have a beautiful deck, how can you make it stand out from the rest? Here are a few fantastic ideas.
Use a durable outdoor TV case to bring entertainment into the garden. It is often the television that draws us indoors on balmy evenings when we should be enjoying a beer under the stars. Take the TV outside and have the best of both worlds.
Install LED lighting solutions in and around the deck. There are products made especially for decking. You can install the lights in the floor, steps, on posts, or in the canopy if you have one.
Include some outdoor speakers in the design so that the party can carry on in the garden as well as the house.
As you can see, decking is within the capabilities of most people, and it is easy to customise to your needs. Personalise it with exciting features, and it will be the envy of your friend’s neighbours. Be aware; when they see how talented you are, they will ask you to design something for them too. From small acorns, oak trees grow!
