11-06-2004, 12:02 AM
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Flippin' deck
(Nick Maclaren) wrote in
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| If you expect your deck to last you 30 years, durability is an
| issue. I am not sure how many people plan garden features to last
| that long (urglers excepted perhaps!).
If you expect it to last 30 MONTHS, it is an issue. Few untreated
timbers will last that long in contact with damp soil.
I have untreated hazel hurdles in my garden that has lasted that long (from
green admittedly, but really thin bits)!
That wet untreated wood eventually rots isn't an argument that all timber
decking is inappropriate for the UK climate, (which seems to be what
Frogleg is asking).
Decking can be installed on top of paving slabs, concrete, gravel or with
just treated bearers contacting the soil. If the ground is sloping, there
may be very little direct ground contact at all, even for the bearers.
The deck itself can help protect the bearers from the damp, even if laid
directly on soil.
In steeply sloping locations, a deck can be the only option - paving is
simply not possible if your garden has a 1 in three slope. I think the
anti-decking thing has perhaps been a bit overstated in this group.
My neighbour has a deck, and it's gorgeous: one day I shall have one too.
Victoria
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gardening on a north-facing hill
in South-East Cornwall
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