Having made the obligatory bookends back in the mid 70’s, my path to wood-working was set.

Wood is one of those materials that you do not need a huge number of tools to be able to create and craft something from, a simple pocketknife is where most people can start. whittling....... a pointy stick, a bow some arrows, a spoon, a candlestick for granny.... and here the seed is planted for life; great oaks from little acorns grow. I am not saying we will all become great furniture makers or timber building experts, but you can make a living out of it. Over the course of my varied career I have often relied on my wood working skills in between jobs!  To physically build something with your own hands I believe is possibly one of the most satisfying things that you can do. Start small and work your way up.

Hard or soft, interior or exterior that is the question. Wood has been used over the centuries utilising its natural strength, durability, lightweight, and adaptability to build virtually anything! Different woods have different properties. I will confine my thoughts to the UK rather than the global list of timber. At the hard and durable end of the scale is the mighty Oak, usable both in its natural or ‘Green’ state for traditional timer framed houses or dried for furniture indoors or outdoors. Then there are the likes of Cedar and Larch both known for their natural durability especially outside, as in roof shingle/tiles and building cladding respectively. Then we move towards the softer woods, mainly used in modern house constriction, these can be slower grown such as the Scots Pine, or faster growing and softer Douglas Fir. All woods have their own unique properties such as Willow for cricket bats or Yew for longbows; they can be used in their natural form such as Hazel hurdles or kiln dried for fine quality furniture.

"To physically build something with your own hands I believe is possibly one of the most satisfying things that you can do. Start small and work your way up."

Whatever you decide to make there is always a tool for it, if correctly sharpened and used it can make your life much easier; but it is amazing what you can do with just a hand saw, a hammer and some nails! One of the most important things to remember is that wood working tools are sharp so that they can cut or slice through the tough fibres of the timber, what you do not want is the same cutting edge doing damage to flesh and bone. I have never met a woodworker who has not had too close an encounter with one of his tools and displays the scars with pride; but I do not
recommend it!

Now for the juicier bit… how and what to do with that wasted area in the garden that is on too steep a slope to be of any use, except as an Eddie the Eagle practice ski slope. Perhaps you need to extend your internal entertaining house space by taking the inside out! Building a Deck area either alongside your house or to create a special area within the garden does not have to be too daunting a task. In a nutshell, or perhaps I should say an Acorn? There are a few factors to take into consideration. For the sake of this blog I will assume that you have decided on a decking area rather than a stone patio. I will also take a more practical look at the process. Things to consider.

What material you want to use, there are several choices; dependent on budget, aesthetics, maintenance, and environmental impact… the choice is yours? Woods like Larch or Cedar that are more water resistant than say pressure treated sort woods. Hardwoods such as Teak or Oak are at the pricier end of the range but require less maintenance. Wood-polymer composite decking, made from recycled plastic and wood fibres, has come a long way in the last few years and in my opinion is a much better alternative to plastic (hollow) decking and has some qualities that start to compete with the softer wood options; both on longevity and upkeep. For a more contemporary feel there is Aluminium, generally made from recycled products. I have recently come across and worked with charred timber planks for decking. A technique originally used by the Japanese in the 18 th century referred to as “Shou Sugi Ban”. The surface of the timber is burnt to enhance its durability and aesthetics.

Whether it is a slopey side of a hill or an uneven bit of useless ground beside your home, setting your datum or starting point is essential. I like to call it “The Motherboard”, all boards are created equal, but some are more equal than others! If
you get this one right everything generally goes to plan, if not chaos will reign! This could simply be your desired finishing height or the height of an existing step or patio.

 "I have recently come across and worked with charred timber planks for decking. A technique originally used by the Japanese in the 18 th century referred to as “Shou Sugi Ban”. The surface of the timber is burnt to enhance its durability and aesthetics."

You need to keep the decking planks up and away from potentially wet ground, therefore a solid and stable sub-structure is needed. You can either use concrete slabs or blocks or 100mm x 100mm posts concreted into the ground, this is my
preferred option as it ensures that what you build stays there! I would then normally recommend 50mm x 150mm pressure treated softwood or 6” x 2” for those of my age bracket (we don't discriminate); smaller timbers can be used if space and height is an issue but you will need to reduce your span distances accordingly. Then to nogging or not to nogging is the question? A nogging or a dwang if you are in Scotland or NZ, is a bracing piece of wood fitted between floor joists to prevent them from twisting under pressure; only really needed with larger structures and greater spans. I find the combination of upright posts and the decking boards themselves do for solid structure, another reason why I like to use posts. Then its just a case of laying out and fixing your boards; two screws in each board on every joist, with a 5mm gap between boards; a good little impact-driver savers a lot of time and your drill. Until next time.

Capt. Stardust

20/7/2020

   Timber decking construction in England has progressed rapidly within the last thirty years and evolved enabling more efficient, cost and labour saving methods. However, it is perceived that decking is a cheaper alternative to other methods of hard landscaping, such as various types of stone paving. This is not always the case as the work involved below the finished boards of deck can amount to more than 80% of time and labour. The square metre in total price of timber decking can equal that of a paved area, this does depend though on the nature of the site - a site survey would determine this.

   Availability of specific materials, ironmongery and fixings mean the aesthetics of the finished deck have also improved considerably over the years, high tensile screws for attaching joists to posts without having to initially drill a pilot hole and decking screws coloured green to attach the deck boards all attribute towards a professionally built deck with minimal fixings visible. 

   Hardwood can be used for the decking boards but softwood is the more popular of the two and widely available, also no pilot holes are required for the screws when using softwood boards. The green decking screws, with the drill set accordingly will sit just below the top surface of the board and will be barely visible. It is advisable, if possible, to have the smoother side of the decking facing upwards and the surface with the most grooves to be on the underside, contrary to belief with regards to a better grip. Over time the grooves accumulate debris and moss and it makes it increasingly more difficult to clean in comparison to the smooth surface.

    It is strongly advisable to power wash timber decking once a year, spring being the best time and in preparation for summer usage. Green Landscapes Cornwall operate a spring clean power wash service.

    The vast amount of work which is not visible to the end product is vital to the safety and durability of the timber deck.
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• The joists which are usually spaced at 400mm centres and are 150mm x 50mm in dimension and no smaller.  

 

• These joists are attached with high tensile screws to 100mm x 100mm (or larger) vertical posts which are either concreted into the ground or sit on an existing hard surface. When attachment to a house wall is required a base plate is fixed to the wall and joist hangers can be used for the joists to rest on 

 

• when the decking is 1.2m above ground, bearers will be required to support the joists. The direction of the bearers (200mm x 50mm is advisable), will run in the same direction as the finished deck boards and perpendicular to the joists. Depending on the size of the decking, usually only two or three bearers are necessary.

 

• If the decking is part of an extension of a house or any unusual circumstance then a structural engineer maybe required.

 

• The top decking boards when attached are utilised so there is minimal wastage but without compromising the finish look and this involves careful planning so the cuts of the boarding align alternatively similar to that of a stretcher course of bricks (See Brickwork section).

 

• It is advisable to treat the decking with a protective layer such as Linseed Oil.

HAPPY DECKING