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I'm planning a large (14.5m by 3m, elevated by a maximum of 800mm) decking outside the back of my house. The ground is solid, rocky clay - not fun to dig in at all. My thought was to cover the area with a weed-membrane and a few inches of aggregate, compact the aggregate and then rest the posts on paving slabs, on the agg. The house is solid wall + 250mm EWI so the decking won't be attached to the house. Is this madness? I really don't want to dig holes!

Following in from Christine's post regarding getting composite decking delivered, has anyone got any recommendations on composite decking? My landscaper is suggesting Millboard which he has worked with before. This looks lovely, but is quite expensive; the composite boards sold by Wickes etc in contrast don't appear up to scratch.... Are there any other brands I should be investigating? I noted that Bitpipe was happy with the ResortDeck product and I am looking into this also. TIA Vishal

Creating a raised deck (approx 900mm above GFL at it's highest point (see corner where Muttly's standing): Looking to KISS and keep costs minimal as the composite decking itself is costing quite a bit. Obviously little point in going for composite boards if the structural deck starts rotting away in a few years time so looking at solutions that will last at least the warranty period of the composite (20-25yrs). It will be a wrap around L-shaped deck with steps leading off one corner into garden and a small set of steps down the side of the house. Will need balustrade of some type with perhaps partly glazed (keep the wind at bay from the adjacent field) and wire balustrade. No abnormal large loads such as a jacuzzi but I'd still like to achieve above imposed load 1.5kN/m2 specifications. These are the plans so far: Post fixed into ground with concrete. Postcrete calculator suggests 1 bag every 10cm deep...so if I do go down as far as 700mm that's 7 bags per post! And I need quite a few posts! Ker-ching @£5/bag!!! So just mixing plain concrete will be a bit cheaper! Most 100mm x 100mm posts are good for 15yrs so I'd have to take extra measures to make them last beyond that and could try the 'postsaver'. I did also consider using ground screws that are drilled into the ground. Quick, but still pricey with 28 screws costing be around £1000. Concrete decking posts would be fine also but due to the shortage chaos caused by (take your pick) the unseasonly bad weather/COVID/brexit/climate crisis/Napoleonic wars/demise of the USSR are difficult to get hold of (and are pricey!). Working from the Trada span tables, I have gone for doubled-up beams to support the 400mm centred joists. The decking boards I will probably go for are fine with 500mm (https://www.eva-last.co.uk/item/infinity-iseries/ ). Ledger board will be affixed to the slab of the house and concreted 100mm structural timber posts into the predominantly clay ground. Plan is to place a concrete block in the hole with bitumed leg of each post on top and then fullt concreted to above GFL with postsaver. QUESTIONS! 1) First question I have is will 700mm be sufficiently deep? That seems to be the standard to aim for. 2) One thing I don't understand is the 'beam size' in mm in the Trada tables. Perhaps someone can enlighten me! Using the Trada tables, I plan to do the following: Joist spans of approx 1.94m using 45x147mm Beam span at 1.8m using 45x170mm Any major holes with these plans? I'll probably get someone to construct the main deck for me but have seen some shocking decks that 'experts' have thrown together so I want to ensure that whatever is erected is pretty much in alignment what I have planned for.

Hi everyone, We've just refurbished our house with a builder who has done a great job on the house and interior. Unfortunately, he followed the wrong plans for a deck and instead of building pillars for a suspended deck, he built a brick and block wall laid on a concrete foundation. It's about 1m up from the ground and encloses a 50m2 area. The builder has filled it with rubble from the house. We've had a delay because of COVID and have not put the decking on top as yet, but are planning that now. However, the deck wall has got damp as you can see in the picture. The builder suggested putting pipes through the wall to let it drain, but don't think it should be getting damp to start with. Any thoughts about this? Thanks, Matthew

Hi all I am looking to have a warm flat roof done. I have a fair amount of Kingspan K103 remaining from doing my floors. My flat roof is being made so it is suitable for walking on (we will be putting a floating Trex decking system on top). I was looking to use the Kingspan K103 for the roof, I spoke to Kingspan today to ask if it would be okay to do so, they said they cant say whether or not it is because it has only been tested for floors. I would assume it would be okay as if its suitable for walking on via a floor then they same would apply on a roof. Unless there is an issue as this type of board is not foil faced, I don't have very much experience with insulation as this is my first big project so any pointers would be appreciated. I also haven't decided what would be the best roof finish before putting down the composite decking on top, every roofer seems to give conflicting advice. Thanks in advance

Hi All, To have my completion certificate issued I’ve been asked by the surveyor to submit an amendment for some decking that I have built, what he is looking for is a “decking specification” eg what is it made of, how many supports etc. Has as anyone submitted a decking specification before and therefore may have a template/format that I could follow? I’ve done a fair bit of googling with no luck. Unsure if they expect this to be presented in a particular way or if I can just draw up a spec on a word doc? Any experience or advice would be appreciated. Thanks.