Decking - A diy job or not?

Xcellor

I am considering undertaking a project to put decking outside. Ideally I want it big enough for a few chairs but it wont be massive. My garden is relatively flat but there is a slight incline which starts about two meters away from back door.

Has anyone ever done this as DIY? Any tips suggestions? Pictures of the end product? I've looked around the internet and some of these so-called DIY jobs look a tad too professional and complicated. I'd like to see the average joe soap diyers attempts

X

kippy

I did a 3*4 meter one in the corner of a small garden about 3 years ago,with railings on two sides and a small flower bed around the edges.
Took me two full days and about 400 -500 euro of materials including a few tools.

I've been told it came out really well. There was nothing to mad about it. A few treated 2*6 timeber for the base frame, a good bit of decking board, a few spindles and posts for the rails. A bit of site preparation, level, clear, put down a sheet to stop folliage growing......

The main issue with decking in ireland is the climate, dampness isnt really good for it. If not treated at least every two years it'll begin to look weather beaten and could be slippery/fungus grows on it. I dont mind this, as its less upkeep than a lawn.

No pics, will see if I can get a few over weekend.

chughes

I went the DIY route a few years ago. I bought the Woodies decking kit. It's described as a deck in a day but it actually took a couple of days because the rail took some time to install. If you like I can show you pictures of the various stages of construction.

kenco

I did a flat one back in 2002 or so (id say 2mx5m). Takes a bit of time but it not too bad if you are reasonbly handy and plan it well. I got the materials first time for a well known DIY store and really it started to show its age after a few years. I added a bit to it a couple of years back and got top notch wood at a good cost and I would do so again if I ever were to. For info I got the wood in TimberTrove on the Kilkea Road (near Hellfire club) and they cut it to size and delivered for me.

A tip I got from a friend in relation to uneven ground was handy. Dont lay concrete he said or dig it out but instead place spaced paving slabs at key support points and get them leveled. I spaced mine at around 700mm spacing and have no major probs (only issue is the now aged wood that is showing its age in one spot)

All in all not the hardest job but it will take some time but that said its good for you and very fulfilling to complete.

saraheire

I would neverdo this myself. We just paid a carpenter to put in a decking for us and he did an excellent job. The work and precision that had to go into it was unbelievable. If you do it yourself and make a hash of it you'll just end up regretting it. Would definitely recommend this guy. We got his name through a friend and would definitely recommend him as his prices are very reasonable: Brian @ 086 6007390

kippy

Just to add to what I and others have said.
It does depend how handy you are with your hands and what tools you have. I've seen professional jobs that ended up costing 2k looking like crap after a year as they hadnt put enough support timbers under the decking timbers, meaning the decking timbers themselves could warp.
There may be a good deal to be got from a carpenter now but still, I reckon anyone half handy with a saw, hammer, screwdriver would be able manage it.

Get the foundation right (as mentioned doesnt need to be concreted), get a solid subframe built on top of it and the rest is realatively straight forward.

cork1

well if you want to keep the cost down just get a carpenter to frame it and then do the decking yourself

Xcellor

Thanks for your replies. I would like to see pictures of DIY jobs. I'm handy enough.. done wood flooring and tiling. Where is a good place to get materials in the midlands? I want to lay a patio first and then put the deck free standing in an area which gets the sun. The position of my house blocks sunlight immediately outside backdoor so this is the reaon.

A freestanding deck would need to be anchored so I'm assuming you'd need to dig holes and concrete posts and then use them to build your frame on?

Joey the lips

After seeing mine been done professionally I would do mine myself definatly. Mine is a floating deck. Its raised off the ground on slabs. Its hard to get techanical but the bus thing I can suggest is try get a look at the neighbours. The hardest part is the posts but there is tricks around this as well.

Sorry its hard to get descriptive here on decking but I would def give it a go!

chughes

Attached (hopefully, if I've done this right) are a number of photos showing the progress of the construction of my deck. It's a floating deck sitting on 16 concrete blocks. As I said in my earlier post, I bought the kit in Woodies so putting it together wasn't too difficult.

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chughes

This is the most recent photo of my deck after the paving was done around it.
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Joey the lips

chughes: nice job you make it look easy sure it was intermediate!

chughes

Thanks Joey. Although the deck is all my own work, I had someone do the paving as what I wanted was beyond my capabilities.

kippy

chughes, You would have been well able to handle that paving, given a bit of time.
Fair play looks well.
If the weather picks up this weekend will try get pics of what I did.
Kippy

yop

I put in my own last year, have a look at the blog in my sig and ask away. I will answer as best as I can.