Garden deckingin Kenilworth and across Warwickshireframed properly, so there is no bounce

Pressure-treated softwood is the cost-effective choice and looks naturally at home in a planted garden, but it needs cleaning and treating periodically to stay looking its best and to shed water rather than soak it up. Hardwood decking is denser, more stable and longer-lived, at a higher material cost. Composite boards cost more up front and need almost no maintenance beyond washing, hold their colour, and do not splinter, which is why they are popular around hot tubs and where children play.

Board profile is worth a thought too. Grooved boards were once sold as anti-slip but tend to trap debris; smooth or lightly textured boards generally stay cleaner and safer. Whichever you choose, the substructure is built to the same standard, and since materials are bought by you, the choice is genuinely yours to make on cost and look.

Joist spacing is decided by the board being used and the span, not by habit: composite and timber often want different centres. Bearers sit on solid pads or posts so no structural timber is in contact with soil, and the whole frame is set level and square before a single board goes down, because a frame out of square is impossible to disguise once boarding starts.

Ventilation and drainage are designed in. There is a clear void beneath the deck, the ground below is prepared so water can get away, and any skirting is detailed to allow airflow rather than sealing the void shut. That single decision does more for the life of a deck than any surface treatment.

Boards are laid with consistent gaps for drainage and expansion, ends supported rather than cantilevered, and cut edges finished. Fixings are corrosion-resistant so they neither stain the timber nor fail early. Where the deck meets the house, levels are set so nothing bridges the damp-proof course; where it meets paving or lawn, the transition is detailed so there is no lip to trip on.

The most frequent is a raised platform off the back of the house where the garden drops away, giving a level seating area at door height with steps down to the lawn. Next is a ground-level deck as an alternative to a patio, often in a shaded spot where paving would green up quickly.

Hot tub bases need particular attention because of the concentrated weight, so the frame and supports are specified for the load rather than a general-purpose deck build-up. Other regular jobs include a deck around a summer house or garden office, a small platform to sit at the far end of a garden to catch the evening sun, and decked steps linking two levels alongside a sleeper wall.

Decking is often combined with fencing, sleeper edging or paving so the whole garden reads as one scheme. Where a surface will be in permanent damp shade and heavily used, Guy will be straight with you that paving may be the better long-term choice, including when it means quoting a patio instead.