Key Post: Decking

Anyone have any thoughts on it....I know for a fact there are other decking threads in here but for whatever reason I can never seem to find any bloody thing when I search

[broken link removed]

Re: Vermont Decking System

You know, call me a curmudgeon, call me a snob, but Decking (Irish style) is so, well.... nouveau.

Decking is extensively used in the US to create large-balcony areas on the level with kitchen/living areas in split level houses, where such areas are often significantly above ground level.

Here in Ireland, we install them at ground level, over our perfectly adequate terraces or patios, simply because it's fashionable. Meanwhile the rain beats down, making our lovely decks slippy and slimy.

Decking was meant to be a cost efficent way of extending your floor space into the air over your garden, often creating a nice cool shady are beneath. Here, unless your house design is compatible with such practice, it's just... bling.

My 2 cents.

Blingin' deckin'

I can just see it now - the new advert for decking in Ireland

Yo all you blinging muthas - dis is where is at AAiiight ! Don't be fooled by yo Gucci watches get your blinging deckin right here at....McCarthys Hardware just behind Bargaintown Impress yo biatches with yo beautifully turned posts and rails Dis stuff is solid aiight !

Decking...bling...excellent...made my Friday

efm

...

I might qualify as having proper justifcation for this. Its a holiday home right overlooking Cork Harbour. with a view of the whole mouth from Roches Point to Myrteville Bay. There is already a concrete patio outside the patio doors from the kitchen. The idea of this is to make use of the garden beyond that as it slopes very rapidly down.
If I could fit decking it would tough the ground next to the patio area, and be abotu 2 feet above the ground where it ends about 10 feet out. I.E you'd be well up at the end of the garden which has the best view of all in the place. Intend making the decking 10.5 feet by 10.5 feet to allow a 3X3 metre gazebo which would be left open at the end facing the harbour. There would then be steps down from this into the grass area.


Does that get me off the hook???

Re: ...

Maybe... except for that gazebo. >D

Better long term to level the ground at the rear of the garden and extend your patio/terrace, in my opinion. From your description your place sounds idyllic, good luck with the project whatever you decide.

efm, love your ad :lol

..

The gazebo is my mothers idea!!!! Don't ask....I'm none too keen on it either! Tis my parents place...
The problem I have is that the end of the slope even where it is already filled in and only held up by hedge etc. so even at the bottom of the slope it is artifically higher than outside....by 6 feet. So to build up to allow a patio I would have to get rid of the hedge, build an 8 foot wall to support everything and then put down the patio.
One of the benefits of the decking is that I could avoid that by using posts system to raise it up at that end. And it would not be anywhere near as heavy as concrete being poured in.

Re: fair enough

Fair enough, this would appear to be a situation where decking is a good solution. Talk the ma out of the gazebo though, please! :eek

Vermont

If you are going down the Vermont road, go into
www.buyandsell.ie
type "Vouchers" in the search for box and the first add should be sombody selling a Euro 1,000 voucher for 800 Euro (I think?).
Might be an old add but you never know.

..

Extopia...the Gazebo..I'll do my best!

The vermont is a no go me thinks...it can't handle very much in the way of slopes. In addition, looking at the quality of the Richard Burbridge stuff next to it< i have to say that the Vermont does not look at all as solid.
The guy in the local woodies agreed with me on the quiet...said when he was moving both sets of stuff around he finds the vermont stuff far more liable to being soft, damp etc etc.
Won't be buying the Richard B in Woodies though...far cheaper in the builder providers

Re: Vermont Decking System

Some other posts

come2ireland
Unregistered User
patio slabs vs decking

Which is cheapest?
where is the best value for both in Dublin (north ir west)?

Telor
Posts: 18
decking?

Not sure on the comparison, but the girlfriend picked up some patio slabs for around 4 euro each, but i'd imagine that the real expense is in what has to go under the slabs.

On the other hand I saw some pre-cut decking in B&Q over the weekend. Looks pretty good, if you don't mind putting it together yourself (or if you have a willing slave Otherwise for a reasonably small deck the quotes were around 1,300 Euro (but they would supply the non-precut materials for around 400 Euro)...... so nearly a 1,000 in labour!


T.

CityExile
Unregistered User
Decking

Can anyone recommend someone for building decking in a back garden. I have been quoted 8 Euro per square foot price of wood. Which seems a bit high for a 300sq foot (2700 just for labour).Dublin west area

san
Unregistered User
Decking

I got the number of a guy from Superquinn notice board in Blanch and he charged me 1150 euro for a deck 10 x 14 with a handrail.

I am pleased with it

sadmak
Registered User
Cheap Decking??

Does anyone know where I can buy some cheap decking?

Ive priced it in Homebase for €54 per sq metre
(This fairly adds up when you need 16 sq metres)


Petermack
Unregistered User
Cheap decking

Was the €54 for supply & fit. I was quoted €96 per sq/m supplied & fitted. The price of decking really depends on whether the timber used is Hard wood ( most expensive) or soft wood ( Cheapest option). Try the deck centre [broken link removed] on the Naas road. I have never used them personally but have heard that they have a good range and can design the decking and give you a print out of what the finished deck will look like.

Re: ..

There's 20% off Vermont in Woodies sale

..

As I said, talking to the guy in Woodies....on the quiet, he wasn't so enthusiastic about the Vermont. But I guess it would make sense if you had a dead level site and just wanted something basic. Anything more complicated or shaped or elevated and you would need to build it with posts, joists and boards

Decking and all that

From experiance take a drive north of the border. Save yourself an absolute fortune. My cousin is near completion of a self build (direct labour) house. All the electrics from cabel to sockets to appliances, all underfloor heating pipes and insulation, radon barrier, roof felt, boiler, tiles, floor boards, bathroom accessories, showers, toilets, pvc windows, etc all from NI.
He and wife are going back for every bit of furniture, curtains even the blooming paint.

Reckons they saved €15k plus. He dose have access to a small truck which helps.

Re: truck required

Not a bad idea to buy a truck and sell it when your project is finished if you don't already have access to one.

Re: >>Vermont Decking System

Some other posts

Blarney
Registered User
To Deck...or not to deck...

Hi All,
I was wondering what people's experiences are with timber decking! I was going ahead to get it down this week, but I happened to be talking to a friend on mine today and he is considering taking it up because he said his wife has fallen on it a number of times because it gets very slippery. he said moss growth is a big problem and he only has is down 12
months! I'm very surprised at that. It isn't something I would have thought of, but now I am considering getting trex instead although it is a lot dearer. At least trex is slip resistant.

Anyone any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks a million!

Coyote
Registered User
Not slippy

We have two decking areas in our garden, one of them was put down 3 years ago now and the other over a year ago, I've never found a problem with moss. I think a lot would depend on how much sunlight it gets, if you're decking is a shaded area and not treated (we used Cuprinol decking stain) I imagine slippy moss would be a problem.

judge
Registered User
Re: Not slippy

We have a deck outside our back door. Has been down for the past 2-3 years. Never had a problem with moss, but my other half has had a couple of slips on it when really really wet. Was more down to her shoes than the deck me thinks. On the basis of uses versus slips/falls its 1 or 2 slips over its 2/3 year life - very small.

N0elC
Very frequent poster
Re: Not slippy

Isn't decking a bit tacky now ? I wouldn't go for it personally.

PGD
Frequent poster
Re: Not slippy

i ripped my deck up. Everybody in my family slipped on it. I slipped while carrying my (then) 6 month old son. He fell on a concrete pavement. Had to bring him to hospital.

My opinion.... it is a fashion craze. In Ireland I think a patio will last longer, and not be too much more expensive.

BTW my deck was south facing but considering the amount of rain we get it doesn't matter. When it rains, the long parallel grooves make it like ice.

Also, in winter the wood can be soaked and then freeze overnight. It was like a skating rink.

Plus they are higher maintenance.

Re: truck required

I am thinking about decking the roof of my kitchen. I live is Ringsend, is a small two bed red brick house, with a flat roof extension out the back. I have no garden and really want to create a out-door area that is suitable for sitting out. My house backs onto a public park boundary wall. It has been suggested that the deck could be suspended from the main house wall to the boundary wall. Any suggestions? Do I need planning permission? Do I need a surveyors report if the kitchen roof is not the supporting structure? Help.

Truck?

What do you need a truck for?
I don't know if you need planning permission,but I would say so.
Someone who takes the responsibility (fully insured ) for your project would be handy.Without the original drawings it would be difficult to decide which load bearing capacity your extension has.So you usually end up with a serious building job for serious money.Extra steel work on extra foundations could be in the pipe.What material is the roof made from?If it is a light weight material like timber and roofing felt you should consider that the entire structure had not been planned to take more load than it does already.If it was designed to take a "heavy" roof made from tiles/slates and timber than you could be lucky.It might be possible to take away the heavy roof and replace it with a light weight decking.A structural survey is strongly recommended to avoid damages to the walls/foundation,but without drawings...s.o..