On Mon, 30 Aug 2004 15:07:00 +0100, Raymond RUSSELL wrote:

We're planning a corner of the garden as an area for our summer meals...

It's about 5x3 square meters...

I was once told (by someone who knew what they were doing) that
18' x 12' is the minimum size for a deck to be really useful.
That's about 0.5 meter bigger in both dimensions than your
proposed meal area, so I suggest you enlarge your proposed
eating-out area by about a meter in each direction.

The advice I was given was sound, when I added a sun deck to my
old house, I made it 12x18. Had it been any smaller, it would
have been cramped.

My deck was made of 18' long 2x4's (actually 1.5x3.5 inches) with
gaps of 1/8" or 1/4" between them. Close enough together so only
the most stilleto-like of high heels would get caught, far enough
apart to allow rain water to drain through easily.

Many decks here are attached to houses and form the roof of a
carport; these are floored with plywood and then painted with a
special "decking compound" which gives a non-slip waterproof
finish. The decking compound must be renewed every so many years.


I am against concreting and would prefer to leave the ground underfoot as
natural as possible.

I think that is a mistake, You need either paving or, as your
wife suggests, a deck. I can assure you by experience that a
grassy area is fine during dry spells, but when the weather is
wet and the soil soft, it is unusable for the purpose you intend.

My wife would like to put down about 15 square meters of wood
(is it called "decking" ?) - planks of wood with gaps; but

From the remarks I've read here in urg, decks don't work well in
England because your weather is so wet. They're a California
thing and are really only suitable for a fairly sunny climate.

To build a deck here such as your wife envisions is not just a
matter of putting wood on top of the soil. Decks are generally
above grade to match the floor level inside -- anything from half
a meter to two or three meters. They have an understructure of
beams and joists resting on posts. The posts generally have
concrete pads under them so nothing directly touches soil.

I reckon weeds and grass seed will get into the gaps between the planks and
run riot.
Any suggestions for the ground underfoot ?

The area under decks here is invariably either paved or covered
with heavy plastic and a mulch of gravel; hence no weed problem.



An alternative: a proper gazebo with roof, floor, and half-walls,
sited to catch the winter sun. There's something very pleasant
about taking tea outside, sheltered in style from the rain.

Such a gazebo would not be a cheap proposition and almost
certainly not a DIY project unless you have ~very~ good carpentry
skills.

Another alternative: a patio -- a paved area. You have to judge
for yourself whether an unroofed area would be useful.

However, I again refer to the negative remarks made on occasion
by urglers about the general folly of patios and decks in the UK.
I gather that your weather is simply not sunny enough to fully
enjoy facilities largely conceived in sunny California.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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