Here we look at what to consider when planning a new deck in your garden. When planning a new decking project in your garden there are many things to think about, your budget for the project, the type of decking product you would like to install, the layout of the deck. Also what you are hoping to achieve with your new deck, what you are looking to use the new area for and the best location in your garden to install this. Deck Position Before installation take a good look at your garden space and work out the best place for the new deck. Where would you get most use out of it. Do you have a really sunny corner that would work well or would you prefer to have the decking straight outside of your property making it easy for entertaining. Think about the best position to ensure privacy. Size Think about the size you would like for your decking space. Think about the size of the space that will fit well in your garden. Also the amount of people it needs to accommodate, maybe a cosy seating space or a large entertaining area for friends and family. Think of the furniture you have in mind for the area and ensuring that there is enough space around the furniture to walk around comfortably. Budget Plan your budget for the project and try to stick to it. Speak to professionals to discuss your project and get a quote for the work. Find a contractor you feel comfortable working with. Style There are many options available with decking so carry out online research to find out which type of material and style works well with your property and with your project. You can choose between wooden or composite decking and there are many options available for both. For the wooden decking you can choose between softwood or hardwood and for the composite decking there are a variety of colours available. Think about the layout as the decking boards can be laid either vertically or horizontally and you can choose different shapes for the overall decking area, square, rectangular or you can finish it with a curve. Also what works well within your budget as prices can differ between different types of materials: Hardwood – Hardwood decking is made from a number of different broadleaved trees like oak, ash or beech. The wood of these trees is slower in its growth and this ten to offer a “harder” and more durable timber. More expensive than softwood. Softwood – Softwood decking is made from coniferous, evergreen trees such as pine or spruce. About 80% of the world’s timber is softwood. Softwood decking boards are pressure treated with preservatives, to protect it from fungal and insect decay in addition to deterioration from the environment. Composite – Composite decking is manufactured from a mixture of recycled plastics and wood fibres. They are bonded together under high pressure. It doesn’t require much maintenance and provides protection from rain and UV rays. You can add further style to your decking by incorporating steps, handrails, lighting and flower beds. There are lots of different options available for these too to consider. If you have any questions or would like to discuss a decking project please get in touch. We provide landscaping services in East London and specialise in decking, paving, fencing, driveways and turfing. Please email office@eastlondonlandscapes.com or call 020 3633 6413.
Getting Your Decking Ready For Summer
Garden decking is very popular and look gorgeous in any garden. It provides a flexible addition to your home and now that the Summer has arrived it will get lots of use. As with most things it requires a little maintenance. You want your decking looking as good as new so follow these maintenance tips below for a long-standing beautiful deck: · Give the whole area a good sweeping with a hard broom and give it a hose down. · Remove any debris that may have accumulated between the boards using a putty knife. · Use a decking cleaner to remove any moss, algae or dirt from the decking. You should aim to do this twice a year. Ideally once in the spring and once in the autumn. · Do not use any chlorine based bleach for cleaning as although it will clean the deck it will break down the lignin in the deck timber which holds the wood together. · A jet washer can be used to clean the deck but do not use a heavy duty one. It needs to be smaller than 1500psi. Allow the deck to dry for several days before applying any type of finish. · Soda crystals can be used to remove some stains. Water the deck, sprinkle the crystals, and allow to dry before washing away. · After thoroughly cleaning add a decking oil. Even though your deck has been pressure treated in the manufacturing stage it will need to be maintained. Apply the oil with a brush and add two coats. · If you find that your wood is starting to look tired and grey give it an oiling. · Remember never to drag heavy objects over the surface of a deck to avoid damaging the wood. · Move planters, chairs and tables around to avoid the sun discolouring the decking. Maybe treat yourself to some new cushions or tableware to freshen up your look. · Trim nearby bushes and trees that may be overhanging. · On an ongoing basis don’t let leaves and debris pile up in corners and keep nearby gutters and downspouts in good repair. Now you are ready to put your feet up enjoy entertaining in your garden!
How To Plan A Garden Makeover
Carrying out a total garden makeover is a very exciting and important project for your home. Take your time to think and plan what your dream garden will look like. What look would you like to achieve? Think about what you need your garden to be? Somewhere to relax, somewhere for the children to play? Take into account the size and shape of your space when planning. Do you like a traditional garden or a more modern contemporary look? Think about what would work well with your style of home. Carry out some research by visiting garden centres, open gardens, garden magazines and online and even the gardens of your friends and family for inspiration. A garden makeover can take place any time throughout the year. In the Winter the plants are dormant and so it is easier to work around the garden, or the Summer when you get the opportunity to really understand how to make the best use of your space. If you choose to carry out the work in the Winter this enables you to have your garden ready for when the Spring arrives to get the most use out of it throughout the year. In the Winter you may be able to negotiate more with your landscaper than in the Spring or Summer. Which hard landscaping do you want to introduce into your project? Do you want to be relaxing on a patio or decking area? Would you like a large lawn area to spread out on in the Summer and for your pets to have space to run around? Once you decide then carry out research on what materials you want to use for your project. There are so many options available so make sure you look at as many as possible. Carry out research online and also go into the local garden shops to take a look at samples. For decking do you want wooden decking or composite decking. If wooden do you want hardwood or softwood decking. Which do you prefer the look of, also what budget do you have for this part of the project as hardwood decking is slightly more expensive. Carry out your research to find out which type of decking suits your project and budget. There are many choices of wood available for both options. If you choose softwood decking we regularly use a decking board that allows you the choice to have a grooved or smooth finish so a further decision to make. What shape do you want your decking to be, do you want a curved finish or a standard rectangular shape flush to your home. Do you want to make additions to the decking by adding spindles and handrails, lighting, seating or storage. These additions can really make a difference to the overall project. They can always be added at a later stage if your budget doesn’t allow at the time. For paving there are many different designs and products. Which type of paving slab do you like the look of, which would work well with all the other materials you have chosen for your garden makeover project. Is it one patio needed or maybe two, one outside the back door and one at the end of the garden where the sun trap in your garden is with a path connecting the two. Then you need to decide which way you want to lay the paving as that can create a totally different look too. Do you want a square or rectangle patio or a circular one. Maybe one area of the garden as a patio and a decking area as well. Fencing plays a large part in the look of your garden so consideration really does need to be given to this area of the garden. Do you like the traditional fencing or the contemporary look of the horizontal slatted fencing. Which would work best with your overall design. There is also the choice with the traditional fencing of whether to go with concrete or wooden posts. One area that might not be considered is waste costs for the project. If you require a skip will you need to contact your local council to purchase a skip permit and do you also need to include bay charges if there are parking restrictions in your area. Do remember to include waste removal costs into your budget. If you would like to discuss a garden makeover then please get in touch with us to discuss and we can arrange a consultation to talk through your project. Email office@eastlondonlandscapes.com or call 020 3633 6413.
Getting Your Garden Ready For Winter
Getting your garden ready for Winter. If you would like your garden to look great in the Spring then carrying out some work in the Winter to prepare your garden for the cold spell will really help it. Here are some tasks to consider undertaking: 1. Give your paving and paths a good clean. Take off all the furniture and planters, clear out all the leaves, give it a good brush down and a clean with some soapy water and a stiff broom. If you have a pressure washer this will make the job a lot quicker and easier for you. 2. Give your decking a good brush down, firstly take off any chairs or tables or planters, then getting into the corners to remove any dead leaves or debris. Finally give it a wash down with some soapy water and a stiff broom or a pressure washer if you have one available. 3. Take a walk around your garden and take a good look around the boundary of your fences to check that the posts are still in good order and the fence panels do not need repair or for any to be replaced. 4. Lighting will really brighten up your garden in the Winter so is something to consider adding if not already there. The nights draw in fairly early now. 5. For your lawn go over the entire area with a rake to remove thatch and moss allowing it to breath and grow. Aerate and give it an Autumn feed. 6. Trim your hedges before the frost hits. 7. For your trees remove any dead or damaged branches. 8. Tidy up your borders by removing any weeds or dead foliage and leaves. Remove any annual plants and cut back herbaceous perennials. 9. If you have a compost bin now would be a good time to clear it out and spread it across your beds ready for the Spring. This also helps to make the beds look a little more presentable over the Winter. 10. Now is the time to plant out your Spring bulbs before the Winter kicks in. Once Spring arrives your garden will be alive with colour. 11. Take a look at your shed or greenhouse to see if the wood needs a coat of paint or any repairs need to be carried out. Now is a good time to give it a tidy up and clean inside and get all your tools in order. Consider adding shelving to make things easier to find. 12. For any delicate plants wrap them up in fleece ready for the Winter or move them to the greenhouse or conservatory. 13. If you have a pond try to keep it clear of leaves and place a ball in there to float on the surface to stop it freezing over completely. 14. If snow does arrive, and it seems to be more likely each year, then knock the snow that is resting on the leaves of your plants to try to prevent severe damage. If you are thinking of a new project for your garden like adding in a decking area in a sunny corner or a patio area to create a great entertaining space then now is a good time to get the work carried out whilst the garden isn’t getting as much use. If you would like to discuss please email office@eastlondonlandscapes.com or call 020 3633 6413 to arrange a free consultation and a quote for the works.
Updating Your Garden Decking
If you are looking for a warm inviting look to your garden then garden decking is a good choice. Decking can be installed anywhere within your garden so is highly versatile. It can be installed at the bottom of your garden if this is the area that attracts the most sun or directly leading out from your back door as an additional dining area for family meals or entertaining. An unused corner can be transformed and the area brought alive with a new decking area installed. It also works well as an option if you have just completed building work on your house like an extension where the garden can be left in a bit of a mess after such a big project and decking can be easily installed to take care of this. If you are looking at wooden decking then you can choose to have either softwood or hardwood decking installed. Here at C&J Landscapes Ltd we work with both. We also install additions to our decking projects and discuss these further here: Handrails and Spindles These really finish off the look of a decking area and there are many different options available to personalise the look of your decking space and really make the look your own, from rope or wire handles to wooden spindles and handrails to glass panels. They look really great and also provide a safety feature to your decking. We install these on both level and raised decks. Steps We build these for our raised decks and these can be installed with or without handrails and spindles. The raised decks work really well in a garden with different levels or in a sloped garden. We find decking to be very popular in sloped gardens enabling a flat space in the garden to entertain and relax. Seating We build all types of seating into our decking. A popular choice is the benches that we make that have the option of providing storage too. Ideal for hiding away cushions and garden games. The seating also allows you to add colour to the space by adding a bench cushion in a bright colour or some cushions for colour and comfort. The seating also creates a great space always available to sit down so that you can grab that fifteen minutes of peace in the garden with a hot mug of tea or if a little later in the evening a nice glass of wine or beer. We often incorporate both seating and planters in our decking projects with a bench in the middle and planters either side. Pergolas Adding a pergola in the same wood as your decking creates a streamlined look and a nice finish to a project and gives the feeling more of an outdoor room. Once installed you can choose to grown climbers through the pergola for a burst of colour and to attract wildlife to your garden or let the beauty of the wood speak for itself. Planters These can be built into the decking design for a streamlined look or as a separate landscaping project, for example raised planters made out of sleepers or rendered concrete. Another opportunity to add colour and wildlife to your outdoor space. When building as part of the decking design we often incorporate seating at the same time. Sandpits These can be installed into the decking to allow your little ones to have lots of fun in the garden under your watchful eye whilst you sit close by and relax on your decking. Lighting Adding lighting to your decking allows you to stay out relaxing in your garden long after the sun has gone down. You can have lighting installed directly into your decking or can choose to have string lights woven through spindles or handrails or across your pergola. If you would like to discuss a decking project please get in touch via our website www.eastlondonlandscapes.com or email office@eastlondonlandscapes.com or call 020 3633 6413. We provide landscaping services in East London . We provide a free initial consultation and quote.
Decking Design Ideas
Here we look at decking design ideas. Decking is such a great addition to a garden. It provides a brilliant entertainment space and is so versatile it can be built anywhere in your garden. It doesn’t have to be laid right outside your back door and if there is an area at the bottom of your garden that attracts the sun a decking space there would work perfectly. Corner decking is also very popular with our clients. Decking can be laid at different heights and levels which works really well if you have a slope in your garden or the ground is uneven with different levels as decking allows you to create a flat surface for a seating area for your chairs or garden dining table. You can also look at what shape your decking will be. No longer does it have to be a standard square or rectangle. Curved decking is very popular and will create beautiful lines in your garden. If you already have an established flower border in your garden then you don’t have to dig it up. The decking can be installed to provide an edge around the border creating a frame for the plants. The decking can be laid in different configurations to create a different look. Either vertical or horizontal. One softwood that we work with regularly allows you to choose whether to have the decking laid with a grooved or smooth finish. A popular method is to mirror the flow of the flooring inside your home if the decking is going to be laid right outside your patio doors. This allows the flooring to flow from the inside out. Decking also looks great against paving and grass so mix up the elements that you use to create a beautiful and well useable space and create different zones in your garden. If you have a colour scheme in mind for your new garden design then the decking boards can be painted or stained to fit into your scheme. When having your decking installed you can also look at adding in built in planters to create a beautiful flower display, seating areas with storage space, sandpits for the littles one to play in under your watchful eye whilst you are relaxing on your decking. These are just some of the options as there are many more. Handrails and balustrades not only provide safety but also add further design to add to the look of your decking. There are many different options available to personalise your look. It doesn’t need to only be used for raised decking as it looks so good it is regularly used on level decking too. Lighting also allows you to personalise your deck and can be built into the decking or hung as string lights between the balustrades or if you have a pergola installed then twisted through. This allows you to stay out later in the evening long after it has grown dark. We love decking here at C&J Landscapes Ltd and are experts in our field so if you would like to discuss a project please get in touch via our website www.eastlondonlandscapes.com or email office@eastlondonlandscapes.com or call us on 020 3633 6413 to arrange a consultation to discuss your next decking project. We cover East London .
Winter Decking. A Good Choice For A Family Garden
Garden decking provides a good choice for a family garden. Even though the weather is getting a little colder our children still love to be able to play outside and we want to encourage them to be out in the fresh air. Yet it can be hard keeping an eye on young children roaming around the garden, while you try and do tasks inside the house. Many gardens incorporate water features and small ponds and these can be very dangerous for young children. Installing a decking area adjacent to the house is a perfect answer. Decking areas can be installed quickly and will blend into any garden and house design. Best of all, you can add some railings and a little gate so that children cannot stray too far. This solves the problem posed by water features. Children can play happily outdoors in safety. Decking provides a flat surface on which children can drive pedal cars, play a little football, and run around in safety. Properly installed by a contractor, decking offers a safe and secure surface. Wood is quite forgiving if little children fall on it, so there will be no nasty accidents or tears. Consider building in a little sandpit. Children love playing with sand and if you place a cover over it, after use, it keeps the sand clean and fresh. Once the children have grown up, you can always turn the pit into a small water feature by installing a pre-formed pond base or covering the pit with a special liner. It is worth considering adding a covered section within the decking area as this will allow all year round use. After rain or periods of ice and snow, decking can become a little slippery. This is easily dealt with by using an anti-slip treatment. Talk to your installer about the best anti-slip treatment to suit the wood you have chosen. It may be possible to build in anti-slip strips which can give that little bit of extra grip. Best of all maintenance is simple and easy. All decking needs is a brush and a wash down of the surface when required. This will keep the surface clean and hygienic. Once a year, use a timber treatment to keep the wood in good condition. Decking will stay looking good for many years making this a wonderful way to improve your home and garden. If you would like to discuss a decking project please get in touch via our website www.eastlondonlandscapes.com or email office@eastlondonlandscapes.com or call 020 3633 6413. We provide free quotes and advice.
