to deck or pave ?

RobAMerc

folks.

I have this little area at our back door and I am torn as to what to do.
The back door is about 3 inches above the concrete slab you see below.

It is 7 meters wide and 2.4 meters to the top of the steps and 3ish meters to the edge of the bushes in the longer side. All in all about 21 sq meters

If I deck it, its build a frame from 1*4 laid on the 4 inch side kept up off the concrete by plastic packers. I'll run the "joists" from the back door out onto cement blocks I set on some hardcore for support. I'll run cross supports ever 300mm or so and then run the decking from the back door also as it will then look like an extension of the kitehcn floor which runs the same dir.

Option 2 is to dig out 6 inches of the soil (mostly building rubble with some soil ) and put down hardcore.
Then lay 1 inch sand all over and lay yellow granite on top.

So, which do folks think is the better option ? Which is the easier job to do ?

Never done paving before, given the lack of ground work that I need to do here would it be difficult do you think ?

thanks

SteM

I would imagine that the paving would be the easier work from looking at the photos.

From a practical point of view, the decking needs quite a bit of maintenance and ours becomes lethal when it's wet, very slippy. I'll be ripping ours up this summer and laying paving slabs anyway.

hawkeye_bmr

Definitely pavers. Just put a good enough fall to allow rain water to run off into some gravel/drainage.

The wooden decking is so slippery when wet, especially if you get any green/mould on it from weathering.
You can get plastic decking, it should be better than wood as it would resist weathering.

RobAMerc

yea - I hear you about the decking.

My worry is that if I pave it I am not leaving enough clearance to the back door and might end up flooding the kitchen if the water doesnt run off fast enough.

I might have to mortar the paving straight to the concrete thats there.

This wont be an issue with a deck as I can let the water run off as it does now, just under the deck.

macnug

RobAMerc wrote:

I might have to mortar the paving straight to the concrete thats there.

Everyone I know is getting rid of there decking for pavers, lethal in winter.
Have done paving twice, once with sand and once with mortar, mortar is way better in long run. 3 years in now and slabs haven't moved.

listermint

I'd pave that and put in drainage on both sides left and right with a gradient from the centre down to each side. Drain out to the rear

tracey turnblad

My dad just got his decking ripped up and his back paved. The decking was a death trap when wet.

Right2Write

listermint wrote: »

I'd pave that and put in drainage on both sides left and right with a gradient from the centre down to each side. Drain out to the rear

Ditto - pave but manage your slopes. Do it well enough and it'll outlive you. Decking is for 'home improvement TV programmes'. Just watch the back if you lay larger slabs!

SEPT 23 1989

decking is lovely for the first summer:D

RobAMerc

the concrete slab you are looking at in the photos has a decent enough slope on it I think - and there is drainage holes in the walls surrounding the whole area, it certainly never has flooded or pooled at all.

My intention was if decking to allow the water run off the deck but also under the deck using the fall on the concrete.

If paving I was hoping to just mortar the slabs to the concrete and use the fall in concrete.

gutteruu

RobAMerc wrote: »

the concrete slab you are looking at in the photos has a decent enough slope on it I think - and there is drainage holes in the walls surrounding the whole area, it certainly never has flooded or pooled at all.

My intention was if decking to allow the water run off the deck but also under the deck using the fall on the concrete.

If paving I was hoping to just mortar the slabs to the concrete and use the fall in concrete.

Judging by the light in pics its a shaded area so slippery mouldy decking would be lethal and unsightly. Pave it out. If the ponding of water was an issue you could always put a narrow strip of drainage channel or coloured pea gravel along by the door with the fall going out to the 2 side walls. You will get a lot of water off surrounding walls so maybe a pea gravel edge would be best.

Mortar is much better base IMO. No weeds or movement.

mikeoneilly

tracey turnblad wrote: »

My dad just got his decking ripped up and his back paved. The decking was a death trap when wet.

Not to mention the rodents

RobAMerc

Thing is I know I could DIY deck this myself.

I am not so sure about the paving and the quotes I am getting are for around 1k labour alone.

Citroen2cv

If you deck it, then you can pave it. I gave it a go for the first time last year -grand job.

_Brian

How about composite decking.
We put in a composite deck 6 years ago and it still looks new.
It's never slippery and never needs staining. An hour with a small washer every spring and it cleans like new.

Wheety

I'm going to be paving an area of the garden this year. I've never worked with mortar before. I'm generally quite good at DIY though. Is it easy enough? I've dug most of the area already. Would 6" be enough or should I go further down?

It'll be a bit away from the house so no drains. Can I just slope it towards the grass? Maybe a small gravel area to allow the water to drain down?

Do those drainage channels above have to be drained to somewhere or do they hold the water themselves?

ElKavo

Decking is lethal, standard decking anyway. Don't know about composite, I think you can get high grip composite but may be worth looking at.

Deagol

Have you considered patterned concrete? Had paving ripped up (sick of weeds, ants etc) a couple of years ago and replaced it with this. Well happy with it

Link to examples:

http://procrete.ie/gallery/

Roen

_Brian wrote: »

How about composite decking.
We put in a composite deck 6 years ago and it still looks new.
It's never slippery and never needs staining. An hour with a small washer every spring and it cleans like new.

Sorry to intrude on OPs thread, but hopefully it will be of assistance to him too. I have been looking at composite myself as the house I have moved into has decking that is probably past repair.
Can I ask what brand of composite you got? Some of them seem to be better thought of than others.
R.

_Brian

Roen wrote: »

Sorry to intrude on OPs thread, but hopefully it will be of assistance to him too. I have been looking at composite myself as the house I have moved into has decking that is probably past repair.
Can I ask what brand of composite you got? Some of them seem to be better thought of than others.
R.

I honestly don't remember, I remember checking same thing at the time and being happy with what was supplied.

Right2Write

_Brian wrote: »

How about composite decking.
We put in a composite deck 6 years ago and it still looks new.
It's never slippery and never needs staining. An hour with a small washer every spring and it cleans like new.

Plastic??

jonon9

I go for pave as well, Decking is great if we got the weather but its a pain when wet.

RobAMerc

Deagol wrote: »

Have you considered patterned concrete? Had paving ripped up (sick of weeds, ants etc) a couple of years ago and replaced it with this. Well happy with it

Link to examples:

http://procrete.ie/gallery/

do you know that might just be crazy enough to work

The reason I think so is the fact we may be able to keep the profile low enough to stay well below the back door.

It would need to look very much like slabs though.

pete62

Had decking myself, lovely when new but can become a death trap during winter when it gets soggy and mildewy. Paving can become the same if not kept clean. Suppose it's up to individual taste as both need some form of maintenance to keep safe and clean. Decking always looks great in photos though.

RobAMerc

Thanks for all the advice folks. Has anyone tried the strips that help with slippy deck? I cannot get away from the fact a big part of this project was about me building it!

endacl

Rats can't hide under paving.

Right2Write

RobAMerc wrote: »

Thanks for all the advice folks. Has anyone tried the strips that help with slippy deck? I cannot get away from the fact a big part of this project was about me building it!

Laying paving slabs should be quite manageable. Just be careful of the back if you use the larger ones.

Goldengirl

This post has been deleted.

pete62

Decking does get slippy and full of mildew in the winter and can be lethal when somebody steps on it.
It's happened to me once or twice when I wasn't ready for it stepping onto the deck.
Getting it steam cleaned during the spring is always a good idea.
try these guys and see if they can help http://www.localhandymanhome.com.

domcq

I had an old shed foundation and lots level changes to negotiate so a deck option suited my setup. I put down a 25 Square meter deck last April using 6x2 treated (construction grade) timber with a non-grooved finish - the flat finish is much nicer to walk on in bare feet. After a few weeks it had worn down to a relatively smooth surface (no major splinter issues).

It's a South West facing terraced house back garden in Dublin 12 and the deck is right at the back door - it gets plenty of wind and sun so it dries out very quickly. I treated it after install with a clear (Couprinol) treatment and it's made it through the winter unscathed (not slippery at all). I've since put a clear roof cover over half of it (the half that gets the least light). I'm sure i'd be just as happy with a patio but the warmth of the wood is a big plus for me.

I'm planning on oiling it this year now that it's weathered in.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2YBWAMYcVPCQjg0ZjB2R19PcTQ/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2YBWAMYcVPCOGR6a0dVbm9vWXc/view?usp=sharing

vicwatson

pete62 wrote: »

Decking does get slippy and full of mildew in the winter and can be lethal when somebody steps on it.
It's happened to me once or twice when I wasn't ready for it stepping onto the deck.
Getting it steam cleaned during the spring is always a good idea.
try these guys and see if they can help http://www.localhandymanhome.com.

No need, buy a power washer in LIDL or aldi and you are good to go. Once a year or less is fine.

bigbrotherfan

Definitely pave. Don't deck.

I have decking in my back garden, and although it can be slippery, i do think it's slip-iness is slightly exaggerated sometimes.

I find that a good scrub with a brush, or a pressure wash twice a year and you're laughing. I've often had my deck go from death trap slippery to super glue hold with a quick rinse and rub with a stiff bristle brush.


That said, i also have some paving, and i reckon that the paving is the easier option in terms of maintenance. (although a much bigger pain in the hole to lay them in the first place).

So be realistic with yourself and your history of maintaining 'things' in the house and garden. Do you really stick to keeping things cleaned up and maintained after a couple of years, or do you lose interest and not care?

If the latter, go with the paving. But if you reckon you're the type to keep on top of it, I think a well maintained deck is just great.

domcq

domcq wrote: »

I had an old shed foundation and lots level changes to negotiate so a deck option suited my setup. I put down a 25 Square meter deck last April using 6x2 treated (construction grade) timber with a non-grooved finish - the flat finish is much nicer to walk on in bare feet. After a few weeks it had worn down to a relatively smooth surface (no major splinter issues).

It's a South West facing terraced house back garden in Dublin 12 and the deck is right at the back door - it gets plenty of wind and sun so it dries out very quickly. I treated it after install with a clear (Couprinol) treatment and it's made it through the winter unscathed (not slippery at all). I've since put a clear roof cover over half of it (the half that gets the least light). I'm sure i'd be just as happy with a patio but the warmth of the wood is a big plus for me.

I'm planning on oiling it this year now that it's weathered in.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2YBWAMYcVPCQjg0ZjB2R19PcTQ/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2YBWAMYcVPCOGR6a0dVbm9vWXc/view?usp=sharing

I think that's a really nice looking job. Very neat and clean. Excellent DIY'ing. Fair play to you.