BBQ hardwood decking area, well it is winter..

[BobbyBrown]

So i'm a few months into my decking project which was quoted at £3,500 by a professional installer (for soft wood and lower spec bricks / no slate coping etc).

I'm not far off laying the boards now but with a full time job and baby I need longer, drier days. Roll on spring!

apologies for some sidewards pictures, this website presumably doesn't do portrait.

So the look I'm after

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• BobbyBrown
• 3 Dec 2012
• 1

A total waste of 20 sq m

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• BobbyBrown
• 3 Dec 2012
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A builders skip and a lot of hard work later

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• BobbyBrown
• 3 Dec 2012
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• BobbyBrown
• 3 Dec 2012
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• BobbyBrown
• 3 Dec 2012
• 1

Trying some rough ideas for the brick wall using string

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• BobbyBrown
• 3 Dec 2012
• 1

The ground had to be compacted, a lot of vegetation and tree roots came out

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• BobbyBrown
• 3 Dec 2012
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• BobbyBrown
• 3 Dec 2012
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• BobbyBrown
• 3 Dec 2012
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• BobbyBrown
• 3 Dec 2012
• 1

The outline ready for the bricky
Build week was during the wettest september on record

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• BobbyBrown
• 3 Dec 2012
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• BobbyBrown
• 3 Dec 2012
• 1

To enable late evenings I've ordered some ip65 rated lights and had them installed

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• BobbyBrown
• 3 Dec 2012
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• BobbyBrown
• 4 Nov 2012
• 2

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• BobbyBrown
• 3 Dec 2012
• 1

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• BobbyBrown
• 3 Dec 2012
• 1

Slightly over-engineered. I had to do this as the deck frame isn't concreted into anything - it needs to be removed in the initial phase so that the hidden fasteners can secure the face boards

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• BobbyBrown
• 3 Dec 2012
• 1

Boards all cut perfectly(thanks for making the angles spot on mr bricklayer), I've now got to stain each one and order a board wrench as there's quite a bit of crowning/bowing going on (the wood is Cumaru).

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• BobbyBrown
• 3 Dec 2012
• 1

 

[ToolbeltDandy]

Hi. Looks good so far; thanks for sharing.

I've never attempted to build a wall so don't know how difficult it is to get right. Why didn't you attempt it yourself? Is it hard to get it straight?

 

[ownerbuilder2012]

I think this is a great project and would love to see it when it's all finished. Looking forward to more photos, and thanks for sharing.

 

[BobbyBrown]

So with a few days of dry weather on the cards I'm going to try and finish off the hardwood deck. The wood has been treated over the winter and kept dry in the garage.
Today was my first attempt using the Camo hidden deck fastening system and I have to say it's pretty good. The only problem I've found is that the tool sometimes gets jammed between boards after you've screwed them down which means giving it a good yank to remove. It doesn't help that a lot of boards are crowned so a wrench is needed to set them in place.
The second picture shows the entry holes but to be honest you can hardly see them. I might try a bit of filler on the more noticeable ones and see how it goes. More updates (hopefully) at the end of the week.

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• BobbyBrown
• 17 Feb 2013
• 1

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• BobbyBrown
• 17 Feb 2013
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[WabbitPoo]

Is your frame just sitting on the gravel?

I take it the area is shady - I see the wall is already green - those boards will get very slippy, especially without grooves. Are you doing anything to handle it?

 

[BobbyBrown]

Yes the deck is just sitting on the gravel at the moment. I was thinking about digging in some concrete foundations if there was any play in the deck but at the moment it's solid as a rock. I think because the wood is so heavy it dampens out any movement (that coupled with too many noggins)

The algae grow has been a bit of a problem- I don't think there was adequate drainage below the backfill of soil. I've separated the soil from the rear of the wall and this seems a lot better. I'm going to add some membrane an bitumen to the rear to hopefully stop any water seepage- any ideas people have will be much appreciated.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Yes the deck is just sitting on the gravel at the moment. I was thinking about digging in some concrete foundations if there was any play in the deck but at the moment it's solid as a rock. I think because the wood is so heavy it dampens out any movement (that coupled with too many noggins)

Yes, despite popular belief, if the base is sound (even gravel) the deck will just sit there quite happily under its own weight but you have to be fairly sure it is a sound base as if does start to dip here and there its a PITA doing posts retrospectively.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Probably should have done a couple of drain holes at the base of the wall though this would be a PITA to do now. A bit of a french drain at the rear at the base level wouldn't go a miss either.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Have a read here //www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=2020523#2020523

 

[BobbyBrown]

Just what I've been looking for, thanks

 

[BobbyBrown]

So I've finally completed all the wood-work sections of the deck.

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• BobbyBrown
• 28 Feb 2013
• 1

What took most of the time was using the Camo fastener system. You have to let the drill bit do the work - if you put pressure on the screw it can cause a jam or splitting of the board (1 board went to heaven this way). With 18 screws per board it takes a good 20 minutes with a drill and crowbar to make sure everything is straight and true. Despite this i'm really happy with the results. This is what you get when you drill:

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• BobbyBrown
• 28 Feb 2013
• 1

sand

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• BobbyBrown
• 28 Feb 2013
• 1

and then fill

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• BobbyBrown
• 28 Feb 2013
• 1

I'm not looking foward to filling 400ish holes but it does make a difference.

Anyway here's the deck, thanks for everyone's input - ill post a final picture when the slate step has been completed, thanks

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• BobbyBrown
• 28 Feb 2013
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• BobbyBrown
• 28 Feb 2013
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• BobbyBrown
• 28 Feb 2013
• 1

 

[Gasman81]

Nice work mate. Did you do the brickwork yourself looks good? Just in time for the nicer weather enjoy!

 

[BobbyBrown]

No I got a local bricklayer in. To be honest it was very hard to find one, no-one was interested in the work! I had a recommendation from my next door neighbour and he was very good. When I was pricing up the work myself it was about £500 more for the bricklayer and with a full time job / toddler it was a no-brainer as I wouldn't have had the time/patience/skill to do it myself.

 

[BobbyBrown]

I take it the area is shady - I see the wall is already green - those boards will get very slippy, especially without grooves. Are you doing anything to handle it?

I've treated the wood with a hardwood preserver which is meant to repel water. At the moment there's certainly no problem at all when the deck is wet. I'll be able to make a good assessment this time next winter after its been exposed to the elements for a year. A yearly power hose / coat of preservative might be what's needed.

 

[ToolbeltDandy]

Not sure whether "power hose" meant "pressure wash" but if that's the case then I suggest you don't; it may damage the surface of the boards. I suggest scrubbing with an appropriate solution (I've seen a video of someone using bleach but didn't want to try that myself) and then treating with preserver again.