Budding gardeners - help !! (Picture heavy)

[Shellywoozle]

It says :-
All timber is pressure treated and has a 25+ years guarantee against rot when using the inclusive Post anchors.
The deckboards and joists are European Pine (Redwood) which have been pressure treated with a liquid, chromium-free wood preservative salt based on inorganic copper and boron compounds (Tanalith-E or equivalent) effective against wood destroying fungi and insects and carry the manufacturer's guarantee of 15 years. Longer life - when using the metal post anchors with a DIYdeals raised deck no timber is directly in contact with the ground, where most rot occurs, and, as all timber is pressure treated, the raised decks will last for 25+ years.

[Luckypants]

Originally Posted by Bluepete

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.

agreed, although I'd be inclined to use a metpost support sunk into the concrete, so that any posts that go rotten can be 'easily' replaced.

[Shellywoozle]

Originally Posted by Bluepete

BBQ!

you coming the w/e ... no labour involved LOL

[Shellywoozle]

kit comes with, is this the posts you on about sinking into the concrete :-

8 x metal Post Anchors for securing the posts &
16 bolts for fixing the support joists to the posts,

I would never know how much to buy or what to buy I am so dumb when it comes to stuff like this, no common sense at all.

Thats what I meant by pillars, go to B&Q (other hardware stores are available ) and buy 15 of the 50p paving slabs and a good couple of the bags of readymix concete. Dig 15 little holes 1.5m appart so you'll have 3 rows of 5 holes. Only remove enough earth so your left with a common bucket sized hole & fill holes the with Conc mix. Place the slabs over the top (use something straight and a spirit level to try get the slabs all level with each other).

Ta-Da a stable base for less than £75, it wont need a slab poured as the loading froms decking are minimal, just those little pillars will do enough. If you buy the timber seperate rather than in the bundle shown about you'll be able to hide the conc slabs by using a smaller width of timber for the frame.

LP and BP's method may be cheaper tbh they wrote it while I wrote mine so I didnt see it until now. The timber would be less inclined to rot with the pillars I mentioned but tbh, with the weather treatment for timber available now as long as you stained it every 2years it wouldnt be a problem either way.

It would be easier to get the timber posts to a level though, leaving them longer than needed and then cut down to size would prob save some hassle.

[Bluepete]

http://www.buydeckingdirect.co.uk/deck-kits

First Google hit, seems good value comapred to Ebay.

Shell, if you want to send me the size of deck you need, I'll work out what you need and a cost.

Pete

[Shellywoozle]

I saw this Pete, but they don't do a 6m x 3m.

Basically the area next to the shed is 3m wide and 4m depth, if I come out another 2m it covers more crap and allows me to have a protruding section so I can put a step down to the path pointing to the shed.

I need a raised deck so I can put handrail up (apparently) .... so area is 3m wide x 6m deep !

FANKOOOOOOOooooooooo

Originally Posted by Shellywoozle

Ground under the shed and next to it

this picture makes me ache shell my arms my legs my neck my back

i'll give you a hand with you decking hun, i dont cost much, i'm cheap to run