Adding a decking area is a great way to improve your property’s outside space. It’s something that you can do all by yourself too, and here’s how!
Plan
The planning process is essential, so don’t be tempted to skip it. The first thing to do is plan where you want the decking area to go. Most people choose to put the decking near the patio doors in the garden. This allows you to walk out from the home and onto the decking area. You’ll then need to think about the size of it and how much wood you’ll need to buy. The type of wood can vary, but timber is always a good choice. Then you can buy nails and a nail gun, and you’ll be ready to get going.
Prepare the Ground
You need to prepare the ground before you get started with building the decking. If you’re going to be putting up a wooden fence and railing around the decking, you’ll need to drill some holes for the posts to go in. Plenty of companies offer Post Hole Digger Hire to help you do this. You should also compress the land to make sure that it’s all flat. Then, lay weed-control fabric down on the ground to stop unwanted weeds poking through. You can use concrete slabs to hold the fabric in place.
Assemble the Basic Frame
The frame should start out as a basic wooden box that makes up the perimeter of the decking area. This will allow you to get the size and shape of it right before you start doing any further work. You’ll then need to lay the joists inside the frame, before nailing them in place with a nail gun. Once you’ve done this, the main frame will be pretty much complete. Before you move on to the next part of the process, you should check it’s all secure and then use a spirit level to see if it’s straight and level.
Fit the Planks
When it comes to laying the planks, you will have to make sure that the wooden planks are all the same size. This is the top of the decking, the bit that everyone will see and be walking on when the project is done, so it needs to look as good as possible. You can use the same wood that used to assemble the frame, but it will probably be finished to a higher spec, so it looks good. Timber is fine and strong, so this is probably the most popular form of wood that people to choose to use for their decking.
Finish the Edges and Corners
The final step in the process is to cover up the exposed sides of the decking and make it all look neat and tidy. This is pretty simple. You just cut the planks to the right size and nail them to the sides of the decking so all the messy stuff is covered up and you can’t see the underside of the decking. You’ll also probably want to add a frame around the decking. This just makes it look more professional. Finally, you could add some steps down to the garden depending on raised your decking area is.
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