Budding gardeners - help !! (Picture heavy)

[Shellywoozle]

I have been working on my garden. Now the rain has set in I am shopping for decking kits for a remaining piece of land that is full of weeds, rubble and the soil is generally rock SOLID no way can I dig it easily, rotavator would be needed but its full of bricks etc. The area used to be a strawberry patch and have things growing in it which when cleared just come back. Was going to turf it but it will take ALOT of prepping.

What do people suggest - are decking kits good?

BEFORE







AFTER
(not brill but incurred little cost)





Area I will have decking is the ares next to the shed at the bottom and I was looking at these .... when I got rich !

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=360122127751

[Bluepete]

Deck is easy to do, I work for beer and food!

That area would be done in a day.

As for fruit and veg, dig the soil over asap, add muck and leave until next year to settle. Strawbs work very well in pots, planted now, you'll get fruit this year

Pete

[Shellywoozle]

Originally Posted by Bluepete

Deck is easy to do, I work for beer and food!

That area would be done in a day.

Pete

Small area 6m x 3m and my brother has said he will fit it if I buy a kit, has to be raised obvioulsy - not sure if this would cost more or less than if I went out and bought joists etc seperate. What ya reckon? Kit or buy individual components.

Kits there is no cutting, simply fix them all together and all pre cut.

Pete - the veg patch is where I would be decking over ..... don't want it, Strawberrys dont produce, but the leaves just grow and cover the ground and knit together making a grass of leaves LOL.

Would put membrane down and kill them off totally and deck over!

£600 for 6x3m?

If you had all the tools etc and just needed to buy the timber then yeah you could buy it for about half that amount.
The ease of using the kit is obvious but the construction of a DIY deck is about as simple as things can be.

Depending on the earth your laying the decking have you thought about movement when the ground gets soggy. As its a floating deck it may be wise to construct a concrete base although I'd be tempted to just use pillars to save on the cost.

[Shellywoozle]

Concrete bade for the shed (same size area) was £400 so that is not an option

I have no tools so would need all that ontop

The ground is SOLID wet and even more so dry, it has so much stuff in the soil, the little bit I dug down the side of the path took 2 weeks, the mud is like clay and has NEVER been turned over for 6 yrs plus. Also full of red brick so you dig and when ya making progress you hit a house underground. (ask Kwak he had to dig the base of the shed LOL) ... alot of sweet and tears.

Hence I thought of decking as I do not want to do all the digging etc etc.... originally wanted it turfed but nothing will grow on that unless I buy tonnes of top soil. Then it will be higher than the other lawn.

Just want to lay the decking and let whatever s underneath to die!!! Anyone want to send me their partners to bury under the decking LOL (joke)

[Luckypants]

Deck = easy. A few basic tools and a bit of thought is all that's needed, besides materials. A kit promises ease of assembly and you pay a price premium for that. Often the quality of the timber in kits is not so good, so it wont last as long either.

Get a tame orger to do it, Pete seems keen to work for food...

[Shellywoozle]

Originally Posted by Luckypants

Often the quality of the timber in kits is not so good, so it wont last as long either.

Offers 25yr guarantee and is treated with fungi stuff etc etc .... thick boards so I was hoping would be as good as what ya buy from Wickes etc etc

Originally Posted by Luckypants

Get a tame orger to do it, Pete seems keen to work for food...

What food do you like LOL

[Luckypants]

Originally Posted by Shellywoozle

Offers 25yr guarantee and is treated with fungi stuff etc etc .... thick boards so I was hoping would be as good as what ya buy from Wickes etc etc

That's a good guarantee. Would love to see the small print....

Originally Posted by Shellywoozle

What food do you like LOL

After my house is prepped for market, I'll be DIY'd out! My son needs a job though....

[Shellywoozle]

Ground under the shed and next to it

[Bluepete]

Originally Posted by Shellywoozle

What food do you like LOL

BBQ!

You don't need a concrete base! You sink a few posts into the ground, use concrete to fix them in place and bolt the deck base frame onto them. Cost? A few quid per post.